My friend – who lives in Borough – has been raving about this café for ages, telling me about the seasonal menu and how they use all the best ingredients from the nearby market. She was a big fan. I say this because now she most definitely isn’t.

We met early evening and walked around a bit as the place was closed until 530pm. They let us in and we sat down at one of the close together smaller wooden tables (there are large tables down the centre) and we were left to our own devices – a little chilly from the nearby open door to the al fresco tables. The environment is OK – relaxed, no-fuss busy bistro style although the loos are a long way down some steps.

Finally, we were given drinks menus and told that the dinner menus were being printed and that the kitchens wouldn’t be ready until 6pm. It took a while for our drinks order to be taken and we both drank our table water until I was finally able to order a glass of wine – Colombard Sauvignon Blanc (£5.50) which was fine.

I read the menu I had been given – and made up my mind on the options available. But I had been looking at the lunch menu and neither the burger nor the salmon were available on the dinner menu and to be honest there was little I fancied on the dinner menu (they do not show menus on the web site) – which is unusual for me.

My friend chose the steak tartare (£9) and I opted for the pecorino cheese and honey (£4.50) with some fried potatoes (£3.50). It took a long time coming and I felt sorry for the couple sitting near us who had to contend with this slow service as well as a fractious five week old baby. Although they seemed content with the wooden boards and small plates of cold meats.

Frankly I was shocked at the food. The steak tartare was unseasoned and presented poorly – surrounded by some overcooked crisps that looked like rejects from Walkers. Neither my friend nor I found it palatable.

My small plate of cheese consisted of small, irregularly shaped lumps scattered over the plate with honey glopped over it. No salad or garnish. This would have been impossible to eat with fingers as a bar snack and was frankly ridiculous as a dish to eat with a knife and fork. I had to ask for some bread (£2.50) – twice - which was fresh at least. The potato slices were really almost too hard to cut and eat. And I had to request salt and pepper.

When I finally managed to attract attention I requested another glass of wine – the only good thing about the evening. I really couldn’t understand why the place was practically full by 7pm.

Our small meal didn’t cost much - £30.50 without service. Maybe I caught them on a bad evening – even so, it wasn’t a good experience. I was thoroughly relieved when we managed to escape around the corner for some friendly hospitality, decent service and a nice cup of coffee at Bedales. Wish we’d eaten there instead.

Monday	Open 07:00 - Closes 22:00
Tuesday	Open 07:00 - Closes 22:00
Wednesday	Open 07:00 - Closes 22:00
Thursday	Open 07:00 - Closes 22:00
Friday	Open 07:00 - Closes 22:00
Saturday	Open 07:00 - Closes 22:00
Sunday	Closed

Elliot's

All In London Review

User Reviews