Moon Over Marsh Coffee Shop
We do like books as you might have guessed. And we do like coffee. And we do like Orwell. So, a coffee shop named in homage to a 1946 Orwell essay seemed inevitable. Unfortunately, for us, there's not a lot that connects our coffee shop to the subject of Orwell's essay--the ideal London pub.
Where we diverge:
that its decor has to be Victorian (sorry, nope);
the sale of aspirin, cigarettes, stamps, tobacco, and beer, or stout for that matter (we aren't a judgmental bunch, Mr. Orwell, but these are really not coffee shop merchandise);
the sale of liver sausage sandwiches (maybe sausage by itself, but liver sausage? We do not even know what that is);
we don't think darts is an option when you only have one room, and as you yourself point out it can be quite a hazard with people roaming around;
we can get a good, solid lunch at the coffee shop, but we don't have to go upstairs.
But we do agree on a number of points:
the wait staff do know everyone's names as, the Marsh being a small place, everyone is a neighbor including those who work in the shop. If they didn't know our names, we'd think something was wrong or that they were giving themselves airs;
we are definitely particular about our coffee cups, as you are of your drinking vessels: they can be any color on the outside but must be white on the inside;
if you go round the back, or through the kitchen to the back, you won't come to a garden, but the glorious Marsh itself.
And most importantly
our coffee shop is always quiet enough to talk, and talk we do. Mostly about books. Feel free to stop by and suggest some of your own favorite books for discussion.
For us, we began with George Orwell's "Moon Under Water," published in the Evening Standard (London) on 9 February 1946. It is reproduced in its entirety on the Orwell prize site.