Desperate to find a decent greasy spoon/British caff' in the centre of Stratford, I took a stroll down West Ham Lane.
Firstly, I was made aware that they had to change their name to 'Cafe Lympic' due to the Olympic trademark Nazis. Nevermind, they've managed to survive.
I think the best way to summarise my visit is in terms of 'Pros' and 'Could do better'.
Pros:
-Centrally located, not far off Broadway
-Cheap. Really cheap. Latte for £1.40. Wow. They serve a small menu of typical British caff fare: salads, toasted sandwiches, tuna, egg, ham sandwiches, a few hot dishes of the day like chicken tikka and lasagne for around £5. Portion sizes looked pretty good. The various cold meat salads on view under the counter all appeared fresh and were artfully displayed.
-Outside space: Ok, in London this is useful about 6 weeks a year, but it was nicely done, simple and inviting, with bench seating and hanging plants dotting the surrounding walls.
- Friendly staff
-Interior neat and clean.
Could do better:
-Breakfast until 11am. What? Even on a Saturday? Oh no. I really wanted a big Veg fry up but that was not to be.
-Ambience: Needs some music or ....something. It was a bit too quiet for me. I suppose if you come here looking for peace and quiet then it's probably suitable.
Stratford is in desperate need of decent breakfast/brunch places on the weekend. If they cracked it up a notch they'd probably be packed at the weekends. For 12.30 on a Saturday it was eerily empty, populated with one other table of a small family finishing lunch. Please guys.....up the ante on the breakfast/brunch menu. There are 2 giant apartment building being built nearby, I'm sure an improved menu will reap rewards soon. read more