I feel an attraction to the City of London. It’s a peculiar place: during the weekday evenings you’ll spot suited women and men drinking pints standing outside overcrowded pubs; then, the streets are silent on weekends.

But for a returning tourist, I’m not choosy about what day of the week I meander the streets… although, truth be told, I have been caught out once or twice struggling to find a decent spot for a bite to eat over a Saturday or a Sunday.

This particular November morning when I ended up around the Royal Exchange was a Friday, so finding a coffee stop was not going to be an issue – albeit that was not the objective of my visit in the City. So, when I spotted Grind, I thought it as good a choice as any, as it did sound familiar but I was certain I hadn’t tried it before – all I had was a vague recollection that it might be a boutique chain.

Once I entered the high-ceiling and limited-seating shop, I realised where I knew the name from: I’ve seen their leaflets in one of the meal-kit subscription boxes, where they were offering Nespresso-compatible coffee capsules from their own range. A quick Google search revealed that I wasn’t wrong about the business setup either: it is a chain but based solely in London (extended worldwide via their subscription service); besides coffee shops they also own cafes offering all-day dining and cocktails.

The coffee shop on Threadneedle Street where I ended up did not give off the best first impression. It felt devoid of atmosphere – sure, there were only a couple of customers in before me, one staying in and one taking-away; but the place felt somehow too big for the offering on display and too quiet to invite you to stay – maybe that was intentional, considering that I wasn’t offered a mug for my sit-in experience.

The barista was also quite brusk and my order was taken and paid for in no more than 20seconds… Although I can appreciate this might be driven by the intense morning and lunchtime traffic this place must be getting from the surrounding offices, setting the standard for the day…

As I took the not-so-comfortable windowsill seat (it was certainly on the small side and I don’t have a big derrière) I also noticed the place was really quite messy, with pastry flakes strewn over the sill and around the stools. Certainly not a place inviting you to hang about, I concluded.

I was still rather hopeful the coffee would save the brand – after all, it has been going strong for over a decade, so my expectations were reasonably high. When I received my cup (again, on the small side, despite the price – but, oh, hello London!) I was not impressed. At this point I do expect some form of latte art from any business claiming to be dedicated to artisan coffee – instead, my Grind mocha greeted me with a nondescript blob.

What about the taste? Thankfully, it was good! The brew was well balanced between cocoa and caffeine (even if I wasn’t 100% sold on the flavour) and had a velvety smoothness to it. The temperature was drinkable too – reaffirming my belief that this place (despite the size of the premises) is run in principle as a take-away business.

And so, it may be that the City is not Grind’s showcase performance for a cafe enthusiast; would I try it elsewhere? Probably not, but that only because London has so much more to offer in terms of independent coffee shops.

Howver, if I was forced to pick up a take-away from one of London’s chains, I would be more inclined to go for Grind than any of your high-street usual suspects (OK, unless it’s Red Cup season at the ‘bux…)

Find out more about this and other Grind coffee shops on their website.