Rate my Bistro

I found myself at Sheen Lane again this week and decided to try the bacon and egg rolls offered by Cafe Leo.

Now being an old fashioned Northerner born and bred, when I order a bacon and egg butty, I expect to get an egg with some bacon slapped between two slices of bread (served up by someone who reminds me of an old school dinner lady!). That was until Cafe Leo on Sheen Lane reeducated me. 

The bacon and egg roll was nothing short of delicious (fresh crunchy roll, perfectly cooked egg with good quality bacon) and the side salad made this lunchtime snack a real treat. (Cue Yorkshire accent) Followed up with a cup of tea, the bill came to under a fiver.

The staff made me feel like an old friend and the atmosphere was very relaxing. Their menu consisted of various sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes. Your typical cafe menu with added class and service.

28a Sheen Lane, London, SW14 8LW

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What I like about Cafe Rouge is that you can come here just for drinks or for a proper meal. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the staff don’t rush you in any manner. The red and white furniture complements the dark wooden surroundings. It does feel like a bistro that you would get in France!

The tea is always served by the pot and the coffee is also of a good quality. The butter biscuits are a nice accompaniment if you just want something small to go with the hot drinks.

Cafe Rouge do a soup of the day and the one that was on offer when we went was red pepper and aubergine soup. It was a  flavoursome soup with big chunks of aubergine. The soup came with half a baguette which was very fresh. A filling starter that could easily satisfy as a main meal.

Another good starter is the warm ciabatta style breadsticks which comes with three dips: hummus, tomato and aioli. You also get a  small amount of salad. The amount of dips is fairly small, but it suffices.

To finish the meal, a good choice is the assortment of desserts. These are smaller portions of the creme brulee, red fruit crumble and chocolate ganache. None of them disappointed and it was nice to get a taster of them all!

Cafe Rouge, 6-7 South Grove, Highgate, London, N6 6BP

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We’ve been to Le Pain Quotidien many a time and it is good at any time of the day! It’s great to go early in the morning when the pastries are all fresh.

They do good quality croissants and pain au chocolat. The granola with yogurt could have done with more yogurt to balance out the amount of granola. I’ve tried their muffins and thought that they were tasty and not overly sweet. The individual fresh fruit tarts always look tempting too!

The organic mezze platter is great to share. It comprises of hummus, babaganoush (aubergine salad) and aubergine and tomato. The bread that comes with it is usually rye bread but you can ask for any bread from their selection. It is all very moreish!

The coffees, teas and hot chocolates are all good. They do serve soy milk. Their freshly squeezed orange juice is OK. I did like the Luscombe bottled juices that they do.

I really like the wooden decor in Le Pain Quotidien and the rustic feel that this bistro has. It has a big communal table as well as individual seating. The staff are always friendly and accommodating to any special dietary requests.

Le Pain Quotidien, 18 Great Marlborough Street, London, W1F 7HS

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A great pizzeria tucked away from the busy streets of Covent Garden. This restaurant is quite small although it does have some tables downstairs. We were lucky to be seated upstairs!

The decor is pretty cool; nice artwork on the wall and strings of lights near the back of the restaurant. The staff were really friendly and the service was good.

Freshly baked pizzas with generous toppings is what we experienced. The food was tasty and it was nice that the atmosphere was fairly relaxed.

Sapori, 43 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RT

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We had good cafe cremes (latte) at this bistro. The croissants that we had were fresh and they were big too.

The seating area if you are having just drinks is at the front of the cafe and the back is for if you are ordering food.

The waiter was friendly and we enjoyed relaxing in this cafe. The view was nice over the place de la Republique.

Cafe Republique, 11 place de la Republique, 75003, Paris

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