The Attendant

The Attendant is a coffee shop which has taken over the relatively iconic Victorian gents’ outside of the Crown & Sceptre pub in Fitzrovia.

I’ve been to a few of these in the past as bars; Ginglik is cavernously tragic, the Spitalfields church bar is plain shite and Manchester’s Temple of Convenience is too small and smelly to work, even with a tapestry of preserved Victoriana.

But this definitely works as a café. The space needed is less than for a bar and the robust, warming smell of Caravan's roasts is better than stale beer at eliminating what thoughts of what might have been. How curious that we are so happy to sip lattes and munch pastries in a former den of bodily functions and knee-tremblers. London after all does reinvention better than that desperate bag of bones Madonna, perhaps why she persists in darkening our door...

Great care has been taken to preserve in some cases (check the fantastic repurposing of the urinals or the tiling upon entry) and improve in others (peppy new orange tiling along the ‘bar’) and it really succeeds as a space. Staff are lovely, offering both water and WiFi code unprompted, allaying fears of a subterranean lack of 3G.

For a tiny old bog, there is a pretty ambitious and tempting food menu. Foxcroft & Ginger may have a new challenger for the best sandwiches and lunch in London’s coffee scene. I was majorly eavesdropping and learned that the co-owner is versed in NY Jewish deli culture and so we can expect brisket, pastrami and turkey hand-sliced in situ as well as a brunch menu. Plans for future private dining hire and wine evenings excited this little pig too – there’s only so long you can sit in a basement before grape or grain spring to mind.

And as I enjoyed my perfect long black under the lampshades of an old cistern, my head nestled between the cheeks of  a formerly working urinal (voyeur no doubt to plenty of illicit head itself), I realised that in London's booming coffee-verse, duplication and choice have grown quicker than originality.

The Attendant dispels any plateauing of innovation resolutely, offering somewhere quite brilliantly conceived and executed. It certainly fuels the fire that Fitzrovia, now boasting Kaffeine, Gitane and the Scandi Kitchen even on Great Titchfield Street alone, is now firmly W1's underdog coffee hub. And a lot cooler about it than Berwick or Lexington Streets.

West End Coffee Round Up

Brief one really, but I thought I'd highlight some of the new cafés and coffee joints which have been springing up recently - three of which are in W1. Curiously recession-defying, especially with West End rents, the London coffee movement does seem to be defiantly marching on against the ubiquity of the chains.

Parisian goodies at Cafe Gourmand

Two of the three are actually second ventures by established coffee heavies, but with different names, vibes and directions. This isn't empire building - Nude, Foxcroft, Tapped & Packed - much as I love you all, take heed.

Sensory Lab is a new place on Wigmore Street by the St Ali team. It's not a huge, brooding undertaking such as theirs resplendent with vertical garden and roastery, but more of a clean, fresh, small outlet with similar coffee provenance. Think Tapped & Packed, but a little smaller. It's at the bottom of Marylebone High St, which actually doesn't have any great coffee beyond Providores, so could clean up.

Speakeasy is sneakily located on one of the alleyways between Carnaby and Newburgh Streets, but the discreet location is belied by what at first appears quite a clinical set up - tall counters, a lot of concrete and white, with very bright lighting. The staff are however extremely sociable and fun, which makes it a more relaxing place. Great food selection as well.

This is from Leather Lane's Department of Coffee and Social Affairs but is a wholly different concept. The basement is a little cosier, but this is more of a take away venue than a wi-fi doss-house.

Café Gourmand is a rather grand looking place - also new and contemporary, but with a classical approach to cakes and fantastic vintage signage, it looks as if it could have been there for years. They specialise in teas also, and this is definitely more of a place to lounge than the other two. It has more of a continental feel to it, with quirky touches inside.

So three new venues all in the same postcode. Tapped & Packed's newish second place up near Warren Street makes four. Big postcode mind.

London's coffee offerings are going from strength to strength, and it's great that people are confident enough to expand and establish new venues - that the desire for meaningful, informed or just plain stylish coffee places has not yet been saturated. The scene is now long past aping and imitating a few Antipodean venues as imports, and only attracting said Antipodeans as customers, and is now proliferating into a London-wide discernment for better.

The girls in my office clutching their Square Mile flat whites have probably never been close to Melbourne or a food blog, and are not what one might call hipsters, but regular people who recognise that the 'coffee-flavoured milk drinks' from the high street are just not cutting it anymore.

Iberica

I’d wanted to visit Iberica ever since Marina O’Loughlin of Metro fame gave it such a glowing review. I’m a massive tapas fan, as anybody going through this blog’s keywords would quickly realise. The appeal for me is the relaxed buzz and that it takes me back to warm nights in Spain, knocking back cañas and cava, and wolfing all manner of meats and cheeses. 

Of course, not all tapas is traditional and safe. El Pirata de Tapas in W2 and Barrafina are both more adventurous and urban, and the recent opening Copita offers another fresh take on it. Iberica is similarly slick with some creative use of ingredients and presentation.

The location is a little staid, being at the very top of Great Portland Street by the eponymous tube station. Its neighbours are the Portland Hospital and not too much in the way of foodie or coffee stuff (save Villandry) so it’s quite alone here.

The space is cavernous. A little disconcertingly so, especially with the lack of music and the bright lights. It does feel a little like it could be in a mall or an airport. Featureless high ceilings and mezzanine levels can do that.

Food itself was good though, a little punchy on the prices but excellent quality. Patatas bravas (£5.65 – eek) came with two options: the more paprika aioli sauce (Catalan?) or the more spicy tomato sauce. I liked this as it’s can be a bit Russian Roulette which one you get sometimes.

Fresh bread was warm and came with a very fruity oil.

Chorizo lollipops with pear aioli were delicious, inventive and fun (£5.60), and the padron peppers were perfect: hot and salty with a little zing. They were very pricey though at £6.90 - I'm used to them being among the cheapest staples on a tapas menu.

Asparagus tosta (bruschetta effectively) with truffle oil was fine and not overpowered. I’m not sure where it came from in December but it certainly wasn’t this hemisphere.

Jamon de teruel (£9.70) was silky and rich. They do many more high-end Jamon Iberico types – as can be witnessed at their deli counter.

The mixed cheese and meats platter (£12.30) gave a little more variety of the usual lomos, chorizos and manchegos – worthy of note was the Spanish blue (first piece alrerady eaten in the pic) which I’d not had before and was excellent.

Croquetas didn’t compare to José, but is there ever such a thing as a bad one? Sprinklings of paprika was a nice touch.

The apricot sorbet, chocolate, olive oil and strawberries was amazing. As was all the booze.

Overall, I liked Iberica but I didn’t love it. The food was thoughtful and well executed, and very carefully presented. The service was a little bit patchy considering the amount of staff on – I’ve been in tapas joints in Spain where one person has run the place with ease. Even though it was fairly busy, it felt quiet and a touch sterile. Lower lighting and decent music would help to bring some much-needed intimacy to the space.

One final event but probably the most memorable, and dare I say authentically Spanish: a couple of old gypsies came in begging at the tables! This goes on in Spain with a blind eye turned, and certainly when sitting outside, but I’d have expected a quicker reaction in London. The staff saw them enter and didn’t rush to evict them or appear very surprised – to the extent of “Oh, them again…”

Maybe the Spanish are a little more tolerant, but the diners were pretty astonished and I can’t imagine many them would return. No matter what kind of person or cuisine it is, you don’t expect beggars in a London restaurant.

Food – 8/10

Drink – 9/10

Service - 6/10

Value – 6/10

Tap water tales – 8/10

Staff Hotness – 8/10

 

The Lucky Pig

No pics and no food.

Not much to go on then, for a review. But I thought I should say a few words about The Lucky Pig, a new cocktail joint in deepest Fitzrovia.

It's ok. Instant reminder of The Worship Street Whistling Shop, but less designed. And it's not trying the whole prohibition thing, but it's not quite clear exactly what they're going for. It's still something of an underground speakeasy. I've since read it might be something New Orleans focused, which I didn't get at all.

Table service was attentive and the staff were generally very affable. The cocktails themselves were quite a compendious lot. These newfangled places usually only have about four on the list, made with weird bitters, tinctures, syrups and tonics you're never heard of. Often medicinal and minging too.

But The Lucky Pig has a solid list of modern classics (not a Woo Woo in sight) as well as some more inventive numbers. I had about five or six, and can't quite remember each one. My favourite, the New York Sour was made correctly, but was a little bit weak. In New York, you'd get some grief for that.

My friends' cocktails also tasted like they'd been assiduously measured to 50ml rather than free-poured. At £10 and up and with 12.5% on top, it's not really in the, er, spirit of things.

The crowd was a W1 fun lot, party people who couldn't be arsed to head to Dalston so early. Special mention to the 80s pop soundtrack which was excellent.

It's a good effort, but I'm still not quite sure about The Lucky Pig. And I don't think it can get away from feeling like a damp basement, rather than the underground den of hedonism. Indeed, their New Year's Eve party was closed by flooding.

And finally, for a bar aspiring to The Lucky Pig's calibre, the £1 charge for coats at about 6:30pm is tacky and rapacious. I could happily have spun around and gone to Riding House. Given that is many people's first impression, it's pretty myopic and frankly dumb. Surely the aim is to be an alternative to the shit West End clubs?

Lantana

To welcome back some friends following an abandoned Canadian relocation, Lantana seemed the perfect spot to show off some of the Empire’s better attributes, Antipodean coffee and café/brunch culture being one of my favourites.

I’ve been to Lantana several times before, but not with my blog hat on so I was very much looking forward to it…and starving of course, being a touch hung-over as I am wont to be on Sundays. Coffee here is one of the drawcards (Square Mile) and although I don’t have one on this occasion, my friend’s espresso looks excellent. The fresh orange juice (£3.50 for a large) is good value too.

corn fritters

Food-wise, I try the ‘Croque Lantana’ -  a ham, gruyere and chilli jam creation (£7.50) which arrives with the cheese inside. That is a toastie, not a bloody croque! Argh! Big pet peeve of mine as dedicated readers will know – they should maybe look towards Out Of Town for a lesson.

the croque of shame

My usual choice - the homemade baked beans & sausages with feta and spinach (their full English I guess - £9) doesn’t dazzle my friend but it’s a solid choice here and the beans work well with the crumbled feta. It’s a great dish - I’ve had a fantastic version of for brunch in Sydney before (somewhere on Darlinghurst Road), and Bill Granger has a similar recipe I’ve tried unsuccessfully once.

The corn fritters (£9.80) with bacon, tomatoes and rocket go down very eagerly, and the grilled halloumi with poached egg (£8)  served with tomatoes and the ubiquitous rocket and sourdough is well received also, but not too memorable.

sausage, beans, feta, spinach, poached egg

I’m not sure quite what it is about the food on this occasion, but I’m left quite unenthused. The service is a little duff (more in a sec) but our friends who are Lantana virgins agree that it’s good but not amazing. I think standards, expectations and experiences have shot up in London ‘shabby-chic’ dining and Lantana just hasn’t kept up. The new ‘croque’ was a greasy disaster, and there aren’t many other signs of innovation. Prices are sneaking upwards though.

halloumi

Service is usually the laidback but attentive ANZ style, but on this occasion the team were overwhelmed. Our server was confused, spilled some of the OJ onto the floor, forgot a side dish and was generally a tad rubbish, I have to say. Service has always been great on my previous visits so possibly some element of the recruiting or management itself isn’t quite as tight as before.

Or maybe it was just a bad day, but I’ve seen it far busier.  Drinks and condiments were slammed down aggressively, and there were no pleasantries – although 12.5% service was added on automatically which I think is a little bit incongruous with the casual vibe (there is also a tip jar!?) and certainly with Antipodean tipping culture in general.

I’m off to (the vastly superior in my eyes) Caravan later for lunch, so I will keep an eye out for the service charge. As many London food bloggers and readers are Antipodeans or fans of their cafe scene, I’d be interested to hear thoughts and experiences on the tipping subject…

A shabby sign at the till pleads for investors for a second site – shouldn’t it be the other way round? Possibly a bad day as I said, but it seems my once-beloved, now slightly tired Lantana could do with some tinkering and TLC before dreams of the big roll-out. 

Food – 7/10
Drink – 8/10
Service – 5/10
Value – 7/10

Tap water tales – 5/10 (provided, nice and warm by the coffee machine, serve yourself)
Staff Hotness – 5/10 (bumbling and defeated by the service is never hot)

Lantana

13-14 Charlotte Place, W1

www.lantanacafe.co.uk

The Riding House Cafe

is not actually on Riding House Street, home of my favourite rock 'n roll cider pub, The Green Man, but actually in the old Ha Ha Bar and latterly some curry and beer place on Great Titchfield St.

We have a seat at the bar, with a good view of the room. It's huge, with a long bar and many tables alongside, and a separate, more desirable area nearer the entrance with blue leather booths. It's incredibly busy - could be because it's soft-launching with 50% off food, or because it's a Friday night... or possibly it's still being seen as an after-work boozer by some. Whether this is intentional or not, I'm not sure. But there are certainly other signs of accommodating any type of punter.

pork belly

The menu looks familiar, it's that boxy, sectioned, French-bistro-by-way-of-Keith McNally design, but horizontally laid out and less pastiche français - as at Village East, from the same people. It features snacks, salads, a huge selection of sharing dishes to share, full mains, mains to share and other bits and bobs. The drinks list is equally comprehensive.

Having had a couple already (it being about 9:30) we go straight onto the wine. A Languedoc Pinot Noir (La Boussole, £26) is bold and heavier than more temperate-climed Pinots, and so actually better with food in terms of applying the brakes. Sometimes Pinots, especially from Burgundy and NZ, can be so light and smooth, they just fly down your throat bottle by bottle - not always a wise choice in uptown establishments!

beetroot

We order some small dishes to start; the goat's curd and fig salad (£3) is creamy and summery although I'd like to know where the figs are coming from. Only occurred to me afterwards though.

Beetroot carpaccio (£3) was a bit too oily but decent enough, whilst the pork belly (£4) was a great snack - perfect crackling, and an excellent balance of fat and meat beneath.

Moorish lamb cutlets (£5) were juicy and pink, and great value actually. I'd definitely order these again.

lamb cutlets

The chateaubriand (£42) was a fair size for two. It was well cooked, and presented well on a stand with tomatoes, mushrooms and good bearnaise and bordelaise sauces. However the meat itself wasn't overly flavoursome and sadly a bit forgettable. The chips (ordered on the side, £3.50) were limp, soggy and quite miserly. Nice roast potatoes though (also £3.50).

chateaubriand

So it was a tad underwhelming, but it wasn't bad by any stretch and the other dishes I saw coming out (great view of the kitchen from some of the bar stools) looked excellent. We did enjoy The Riding House Cafe, and I would come back to try more of the extensive menu.

The service was good, very eager to please but a bit nervy. They seemed well trained and informed, so this is only set to improve. The beautiful blue leather bar stools were very comfy, but you do get bumped a lot being on the main thoroughfare, and by some staff too. It was a bit too packed - perhaps they could make the pints less visible to discourage pubby standing around (behind bar diners), or have it as table service only, unless sat at the bar obviously.

Which leads in to the question of the identity crisis. Confused? Desperate to please and cater? Or is it deftly all things to all men, in that effortless way New York does so well? That night it was after-work pub, tapas joint, haute bistro, cocktail bar...maybe in time it can pull all these things off  in harmony (and also breakfasts, coffee, power lunches...), but I think it might be too much, too soon.

It aspires to something in the mix of Dean Street Townhouse, the Electric or the fabulous Schiller's Liquor Bar, (not to mention Village East), and I don't doubt it will nestle in there and be around for some time. Slow down, and ditch the pubbiness, plenty of boozers nearby. And later opening hours with the full food menu would help further add to the New York feel.

Food – 7/10
Drink – 8/10
Service – 7/10
Value – 8/10 (50% off food made it excellent, but proposed prices as above are reasonable, especially the small plates)
Tap water tales – 7/10 (groovy Labour and Wait style jug and cool blue glasses)
Staff Hotness – 7/10 (young, enthusiastic and friendly)

The Riding House Cafe
43-51 Great Titchfield Street, W1
http://ridinghousecafe.co.uk/