The first outpost of the slick coffee brand from Saudi Arabia, Jolt brings marbled iced lattes and condensed milk-infused pour-overs to Fitzrovia. The look here is cutting-edge cool, with monochrome and marble, brushed gold finishes and arched mirrors. A word of warning though: the only ‘seating’ is in the form of skinny leather benches around the side walls, so get your rose latte or charcoal lemonade to go. But though the interiors may not invite you to linger, Jolt’s friendly staff put plenty of warmth back into the mix.
As well as good-looking coffee, there was a tempting selection of halal nibbles (pastries, sarnies, cookies, salads), all with Middle Eastern flavours. For proper sustenance though, order off the short menu: we loved our veggie burger, a brioche roll stuffed with roasted sweet peppers, fried halloumi and touch of rose harissa. Equally swoon-worthy was the grilled cheese sandwich, which came oozing with melty cheese wedged between crisp, buttery chunks of ciabatta.
Baked goods are strong. The cookies, soft as if straight from the oven, were stuffed with white chocolate chunks and cranberries, or salted caramel with a peanut butter drizzle. The setting at Jolt may be a tad stark, but the food is surprisingly homely.