The Troubadour

It was with some relief that I made my way back along Old Brompton Road and wandered into one of my favourite coffeehouses in the whole city - the Troubadour is only a couple of minutes away if you turn right out of the entrance to Brompton cemetery and keep walking until you cross over Finborough Rd.

The Troubadour has a lovely old-fashioned look to it with its big shop window and painted pub-style sign. The front door is beautifully carved and painted with colourful panels depicting angels and musicians.

Outside there are a couple of cafe tables with red-and-white checked cloths though no one is sitting at them today - the way the roses tucked into wine bottles as centrepieces are drooping, full of rain, might be a clue as to why. 

Inside is a whole different story; the Troubadour is always busy, full of wonderful savoury smells and the sound of people talking and laughing. The decor is simple but eclectic. The furnishings are mismatched, mostly dark brown, black or white, with the odd splash of colour such as the rows of red, yellow and green coffee pots on three shelves in the front window.

I found my way to a high-backed booth with two odd chairs and a small table. In the front part of the cafe you are surrounded by dark wood and plain white walls hung with a range of rustic tools, while literally dozens of musical instruments are suspended from the rafters. There are violins, cymbals, lutes, banjos, bugles, drums and a small tuba - it's an amazing collection.

You are never lost for something to look at while waiting for someone to take your order - the Troubadour is packed with interesting objects. A glass case on the wall near to me holds all sorts of knick-knacks from model animals and toy soldiers to playing cards and two leering Mr Punch puppets. The rafters near the bar - which is traditional dark wood decorated with vintage advertising posters - are crammed with teapots, clay jugs, a wooden figure of a man in a tall headdress, a spinning wheel and even a rusty bicycle, while a cracked, handwritten sign declares that 'organs and street cries are prohibited'.

A rainbow of mugs is suspended over the bar, while further back the rafters are strung with kettles and other ephemera. This coffee shop has an eclectic, bohemian charm which is unsurprising given its colourful history.

It's lovely to be out of the rain. I've just slurred my order for coffee through numb lips - the waitress probably thought I was drunk - and while I wait for it to arrive I'm going to write a little bit about the story of this place. Founded in 1954, the Troubadour was a key part of the music scene in the 1960s. It was the first place Bob Dylan performed in London (in 1962) and has also hosted legends such as Paul Simon, Sammy Davis Jr, Elvis Costello and Jimi Hendrix.

Staying faithful to this artistic heritage, the coffeehouse has a cellar room which holds live folk and blues gigs as well as poetry readings. The Troubadour boasts another claim to fame as the birthplace of Private Eye - the satirical magazine was first produced and distributed here. It was also an early venue for meetings of the Ban the Bomb movement.

Sitting at my table, listening to the incredibly varied music they play over the speakers (in the last few minutes  I have heard both No Doubt's Don't Speak and Buddy Holly singing Words of Love, but they have played everything from Edith Piaf to Dusty Springfield, pop from the '60s to the '90s, French ballads and Spanish guitar), it is easy to understand why this cafe was a hangout for so many artistic and rebellious individuals. There is an easy-going atmosphere in the Troubadour, very continental and laid-back with its low lighting and wooden floors.

One of the staff has just put a tall red candle in a greenish brass holder on my table with my coffee. All around me people are tucking into late lunches and I'm trying hard not to covet their meals, which smell amazing. It's only half 3 and I can't really justify ordering something to eat but I can vouch from experience that the food here is fantastic. When I was doing a freelance research job on Ancient Rome I brought my books here. It's a great place to work and stays open until 11 - a real luxury for freelancers who find it hard to focus at home and can't stay in the library past 5. While I was reading I had an absolutely beautiful bowl of French onion soup, full of flavour with soft strips of onion, huge croutons and a generous amount of cheese. If it was a couple of hours later in the day I would be ordering another bowl without hesitating!

I really can't recommend this place highly enough - it's always top of my list for somewhere to go when I need to work and procrastination strikes. I'll stay here till I thaw out and then I'm off to Soho for my second walkabout of the day.