Somewhere along Brick Lane, you'll eventually find the Cereal Killer Cafe. With all the publicity the sweet-tooth sanctuary has gathered over the past month you'd think it'd stand out between the drab buildings in Shoreditch but don't be phased if it does take a couple of trips around the block before you find it.
Nestled between a chocolate shop and trashy boutique, as you open the door to the cafe, you're instantly greeted by the back of the customer in front of you in the ravenous queue ahead. The shoe-box sized room seats little more than ten people including, at this time, a table sat in the corner covered in light bulbs and drill pieces like a long lost DIY SOS project.
The brief queue of customers does at least mean one thing; you could take your time to ponder over the wall of cereals, stacked up to the ceiling like a poor game of Tetris. By the time you can reach the mass of vibrant cuboids, those working there are hasty in getting you to decide on four things; your size of bowl, type of cereal, type of milk and any desired toppings. I chose to take the plunge into a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch, topped with mini marshmallows and soya milk, which cost 40p extra - a tough price to pay for any lactose-intolerants.
Despite the upstairs being cramped, we made our way down a creaky staircase to a room full of cereal goodies. As I sat down to slurp my £3.70 'medium' sized bowl of cereal I looked up at a set of televisions, one of which displayed an episode of 'Hey Arnold' in black and white. Fair play to the Belfast brothers who made their dreams reality and thought through this whole business. It's not just about the cereal, but it's about the morning TV shows and cartoon memorabilia associated with it. The decor of the place is simplistic but the memorabilia is well thought out, displaying a range of history and humour, from the Honey Monster skateboard to the Kate and William mock-up cereals, there's bits and bobs all around to take in. Mild nostalgia filled me as I tucked into my personally selected bowl, the marshmallows looking like chunks of polystyrene and sizzling with acidity, yet still complementing the cinnamon packages. One bowl was enough, both in price and the sugar rush that proceeded.
The Cereal Killer Cafe fits in unassumingly with the niche scene of Brick Lane and when you step through its doors it's not overwhelming nor bombarding. It's a great place to pop into but with the prices they set, you won't be making it a regular on your morning commute and when it comes down to the crunch, its shelf life may not be all that long.
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