At 212 High Street, the Copperfield has been described by one reviewer in the past as selling, 'reprehensible' coffee. This seemed a pity because at the top of the market and High Street and in close proximity to the Walthamstow Central bus and tube stations, this is a useful little spot for a discrete bit of loafing about. A good coffee break might be just what the swots in the upstairs room of the library could do with, as well.

The cafe is between Scope and Sweets & Treats, overlooking the empty piece of wasteland known in polite circles as the 'arcade site'. I make it up there to taste the coffee this afternoon. It was fine. In fact, I rather liked it- mild, milky with a slight froth on top. It reminded me of coffee before we all went to Starbucks, and then found proper coffee, like that at Cafe Azrou, Cafe Rio or even Euphoria, only with a much 'rounder' taste than the kind of cheap, powdery, bitter 'church youth club' taste that many places used to serve. Not reprehensible at all. And only 60p for a large mug.

The cafe, or snack bar, or 'cafe and snack bar', depending on which sign you look at, has wooden veneer tables, chairs that can be moved, and a fair view out the window to the 99p Store to its left and the navy blue painted fence behind which the purple flowering budleah grow on the derelict improvement to our local scene that is the 'arcade site'. Inside, the floor has grey and white chequered tiles, the walls are pale blue. For the first half from the floor up, they are covered with some rather bathroomy blue tiles. From the shoulder height of the pretty Romanian waitress, it is painted plain blue, the walls punctuated by some rather strange brass reliefs of fishermen framed in dark wood, of a kind I had only ever previously seen on sale in Crest. The decor is completed, by the window, with the addition of a large blue pale pink and white Chinese vase, the pink picked out by garishly hot artificial pink roses inside.

I should say that I have not tried the food. The reason for this was that I did not have time when I visited today. The other reason, if I had had time, was that there was a rather strange unventilated greasy sourness to the aroma which met my nose on entry. Maybe things are better earlier on in the day, when they would be selling their egg, bacon, sausage and chips combination for £3.00, or £2.95 if bubble replaced the chips. There are a number of set meal fry-up combinations, the most ambitious and eccentric of which involves tea or coffee and 2 slices of bread or toast, 2 eggs, bacon, 2 sausages, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and, of all things, onion rings! Not really a Fully English offering, that one. Extra ingredients, for 80p, include black pudding. Lasagna, Salad and Chips comes for £4.45.