Now onto the food!!! It all looked really fresh and of a high quality. It was nice that you could go see what was in the counter fridges and then make a decision on what to order. We were impressed with the quantity of items on the menu. Fresh food was constantly being put out in the covered counter fridges. 

Ca’puccino has a range of paninis and we opted for the catania. This toasted panini was made of sesame bread and was filled with grilled vegetables, sundried tomatoes and salad. It was of a good size which made it a filling lunch and was really tasty.

It was hard to decide which pastry or tart to go for. We finally decided to have the raspberry croissant and the mela e uvetta- apple, raisin and cinnamon tart. The croissant was great; flaky buttery pastry with just the right amount of fruit filling. The apple tart had the perfect sweetness and it was served with cream.

Another good sweet treat was the pane burro e crema Gianduja which was a small bread roll filled with butter and hazelnut Gianduja cream. It’s perfect if you fancy something to satisfy a chocolate craving but not too heavy. The bread roll was soft with a crusty top!

It was nice that effort was put into make all the dishes nicely presentable, making them even more scrumptious!

The staff were really friendly and efficient. It was nice that they knew the menu well and were helpful in answering our queries. They had no problem warming the desserts up for us and they made us feel really comfortable.

There were so many varieties of coffee and hot drinks on the menu. The soy latte was tasty and creamy! The tea was served by the pot and there was enough for a couple of cups. As well as all the great cakes, Ca’puccino has a very tempting ice-cream counter!

Ca’puccino, Lower Southern Terrace, Westfield London Shopping Centre, Ariel Way, London, W12 7GF

Our Rating:
5 out of 5 stars

The interior of Cafe Avenyn was fairly striking! It felt very chic with its floral pink chairs. The cafe was nice and clean as well as being spacious. There were a few outdoor seats as well.

Cafe Avenyn had a range of teas and it also had pastries, breads, salads. It all looked very fresh, especially the bakery items.

The Earl Grey tea was served by the cup and it was made with fresh tea leaves instead of tea bags. I was told by the friendly staff that the hot water and milk for the tea was just at the side of the counter and so I could help myself!

Cafe Avenyn was a relaxing cafe helped by the soft songs and music playing in the background!

Cafe Avenyn, Kungsgaten 51, Norrmalm, 11122, Stockholm

Our Rating:
4 out of 5 stars

There are two types of seating outside; one on the decking and the other is the seating that comes out onto the square. If you’re having a meal, then it is nicer to sit on the wooden chairs on the higher level. If you’re just wanting to have drinks, then sitting on the comfy wicker chairs is a better option.

Chokladkoppen does a range of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, lasagne, salads, soup, baked potatoes, pies, not to mention the big portions of cake!

I decided to have the tomato soup as I was in the need of a hearty lunch and soup always seems to be a good option. I was served with a big bowl of soup and was just expecting some bread on the side. Instead, the soup came with two open cheese sandwiches!

The soup had big chunks of tomato and it was quite creamy. The flavours of the herbs came through as well as the rich tomato flavour. The cheese was very thinly sliced so didn’t make the meal too heavy. The bread that it was came with was a light wholemeal roll. This lunch was perfect and it definitely filled me up until the evening!

The staff were really friendly and gave service with a smile. They were helpful and gave the customers their time, even though the cafe was really busy.

I can see why Chokladkoppen is a popular cafe! It has a great location  in the old town of Gamla Stan, and is so close to lots of attractions such as Storkyrkan (Stockholm’s 700 year old cathedral) and Nobelmuseet (the Nobel Museum).

Chokladkoppen, Stortoget 18-20, Gamla Stan, 11229, Stockholm

Our Rating:
4 out of 5 stars

The interior has a black and white theme with its black wooden chairs and chequered floor. It feels like quite an informal dining environment, perfect for a Sunday brunch!

The homemade tomato soup was flavoursome and thick but slightly peppery. It had basil pesto drizzled through it. The soup was served with a few slices of walnut and raisin bread. The bread was fresh and delicious!

The breakfast tea was served by the pot. The teacup was quite small compared to regular sized tea cups! The staff were really friendly and we got service with a smile! The food and drink were served fairly promptly as well!

The cafe is a good place to sit and watch the world go by on Kings Road. It is also nice as it at the quieter end of Kings Road!

Bluebird Cafe, 350 Kings Road, London, SW3 5UU

Our Rating:
3.5 out of 5 stars

The starter of foccacia bread was a big piece. It was a little heavy and plain to have as a starter dish even though it was served with olive oil to dip in.

The Arancini Di Riso Siciliani are two fried rice balls served with a red pepper sauce. One of the rice balls has a mozzarella filling and the other has meat ragu. I found that even just one of the rice balls is quite filling but what would complement this dish would be a salad.

The Pasta E Fagioli soup is described on the menu as being a thick soup with vegetables, borlotti beans and pasta. It was more of a broth based soup and not as rich as I would have expected it to be.

I have tried two different main dishes at Carluccios and definitely have a preference. I would recommend having the Penne Giardiniera. The pasta is served with a nice mixture of courgettes, fried spinach balls, chilli and comes with Parmesan and garlic. The flavours and textures of this dish really work together!

I really did not enjoy the homemade ravioli. The filling was spinach and ricotta. This dish was not at all filling. It tasted really bland even though it was served with butter and sage. Also, the side dish of spinach with garlic was average.

The Tiramisu is a fantastic dessert! It has the perfect combination of coffee, cream and chocolate. The portion was enough to share!

If you fancy something sweet, but don’t really want a dessert, then you should try the Ciocolatta. This is a satisfying thick hot chocolate with frothy milk on top. If you don’t want the spoonable hot chocolate, then you can always ask for extra hot milk on the side and dilute the chocolate down a bit!

The cappuccino is good and creamy and a nice drink to have at the end of the meal. Carluccios do not serve soy milk.

The staff were really friendly and the service was good. Carluccios have a shop on the ground floor where you can buy lots of Italian goodies and treats!

Carluccios, Garrick Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9BH

Our Rating:
3 out of 5 stars

We had the waffle with kiwi frozen yoghurt and banoffee ice cream. The waffle was quite disappointing as it was just microwaved. I’m not sure if it was because the waffle was stale or if it was because it had been over microwaved, but it resulted in it being very chewy. After a little while, it was way too hard to even cut.

The ice cream and frozen yoghurt were both good! The banoffee ice cream definitely tasted of banana and it had swirls of toffee through it. The green kiwi frozen yoghurt was fairly refreshing but not too sharp!

Rendezvous do coffees, teas and hot chocolates. The latte was creamy and tasted good. The hot chocolate is quite rich. It’s nice that it is made from the liquid chocolate and not drinking chocolate powder like some places.

The staff and the service were nice and friendly. They let us take our time when we couldn’t decide on the flavours of ice cream to choose! The only thing that we were concerned about was the hygiene levels. One of the staff coughed and didn’t wash his hands before serving the food and drinks.

Rendezvous has quite a big outdoor seating area in Leicester Square. It also has the outdoor heaters to keep you warm on the cold days!

Rendezvous, 48 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 2LT

Our Rating:
3 out of 5 stars

The waitress was really friendly and recommended lots of things on the menu including the Moroccan meatballs, sweet potato falafel and the original superfood salad! Although it was a busy time in the evening, there were a couple of tables free. I chose to sit in the middle part where they have the high chairs and this particular area separated the two halves of the seating area.

It was very dimly lit with some tealight candles! There were random books on the shelves, which I’m not sure if they were there just for decoration. It felt quite cosy and was the perfect place to warm up on a cold rainy day together with some hearty food! The atmosphere was very relaxed and there was some good jazz like music playing in the background.

I was more peckish than wanting a full blown meal so I was happy to see that Leon had a Kids menu! Some restaurants have age restrictions on their Kids menu but this was not the case with Leon.

The Leon Gobi was really good and as it was from the Kids menu, it was served with rice and peas instead of with fresh slaw. The Gobi was like a curry and consisted of chunks of cauliflower and sweet potato. The taste of the coconut milk definitely came through in this dish with the flavours of the spices being milder. The nutty taste of the brown rice was great and it went well with the peas, edamame and green beans! Even though it was a smaller portion than a main meal, I found that it was quite filling.

Leon is good if you have dietary restrictions. They specify on the menu which items are gluten free, wheat free, dairy free, low GI, vegetarian and low animal fat.

The way that it works in Leon is partly self service. Quite a few eateries seem to adopt this idea. The waitress gave me the menu and she also gave me a small paper with the menu on it. She told me that I just filled out my table number and specified which items I wanted. I should then take this to the counter and hand it there. I sometimes prefer this method as then you are not waiting around for the attention of staff and usually it is a quicker way to get your food! This was the case with Leon as in the food was served pretty fast!

Leon has a great range of salads, main dishes, wraps, snacks and desserts. They also do smoothies, juices, coffee and tea. The soups change daily and they also have a daily main special. In the time that I was there, the type of soup that they were serving, changed a couple of times! It’s nice that they have such a variety. All the food seemed really fresh and healthy and you can tell that Leon takes pride in its meals.

Leon, 73-76 Strand, London, WC2R 0DE

Our Rating:
4.5 out of 5 stars

The tea and coffee were both served by the pot. The tea was served in a ceramic pot and the coffee in a metal one.

Richoux has its own blend of tea. This was an average tea and I don’t think that it tasted very different to other black teas. It was nice to get quite a few cups of tea from a single pot!

You can go here for breakfast, lunch or dinner as the menu includes soups, salads, sandwiches, meats, fish, pasta and risotto. They also do afternoon tea and have quite a few pastries, cakes and ice cream sundaes for people who have a sweet tooth!

The service was a little slow and we were there for quite a while before any of the staff came to take our order. On the other hand, it was nice that we did not feel rushed while we were having our drinks, even though the cafe got quite busy at some points!

The staff were pleasant enough but they just seemed that they were there to do their job. The service did not feel very personal.

We were seated at the front of the cafe which meant that there was the constant opening and closing of the door. Also, there were always people walking past and queues of people waiting to be seated. I think that the busyness of Richoux had a lot to do with its central London location.

Richoux, 172 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9EJ

Our Rating:
3 out of 5 stars

The original review from August 2008 can be seen here:

http://ratemybistro.co.uk/bfi-film-cafe/

The interior is all new and they have the separated seating areas: one for the restaurant and the other for the cafe/bar. I think that the bar area has tried to become all trendy and I don’t think it works. It has lost its charm, cosiness and its relaxed atmosphere. It is has become more of a bar than a cafe  and I think that they are enough bars around!

The lighting is dimmer, and its a real shame that they have taken away the high window seats that you could sit on and have views of the river. Also, the big wooden tables and benches that made up the outside seating have gone. This has been replaced with a hedge enclosed table and chairs area.

We used to love the hot chocolates from BFI but not any more. The hot chocolate tasted wooden and like cardboard. Not an indulgent drink at all. It was actually not very drinkable. We miss the rich, creamy hot chocolate that would not fail us, especially on a cold winter’s day. They now serve soy milk.

Now onto the restaurant area. This has actually improved and feels a lot cleaner and defined. There are huge wooden communal tables as well as individual seating. You can still see the open kitchen area.

We had the veggie burger which came with salad. The staff were happy to replace the salad with chips. The bowl of chips were good. They were more like chip shop chips which made a nice change. The veggie burger was really tasty and it was in a nice soft white bun. The veggie burger had a really nice tangy taste  and was very moreish. I would actually say that it is one of the best veggie burgers out there.

One major thing that we had a problem with was the hygiene standards that we could see going on in the kitchen area. This particular situation happened after we had eaten our food. There was a tray of fried onion rings on the shelf between the kitchen area and the restaurant area. One of the chefs was just eating these onion rings  and then in the next moment, he was cooking the food in the kitchen. He did not have any gloves on nor did he wash his hands before making the food. I think that this is quite unacceptable. More should be done to ensure good hygiene practice.

Another thing to mention is that we could see our food just waiting on the shelf, before it was served to us. It was there for a real long time and we were surprised that it was still hot when it was served. The service was quite slow. There seemed to be a lot of staff who did not seem to be very attentive.

All in all, we had a mixed experience. This cafe has lost all its charm. The original star rating, as can be seen from our original review was a fantastic 5 stars.

http://ratemybistro.co.uk/bfi-film-cafe/

We feel that this is no longer justified. BFI used to be one of our most trusted and favourite places. Now, we are not sure that we would really return to this establishment.

The Riverfront at BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XT

Our Rating:
2.5 out of 5 stars

Straightaway, what stood out was the friendliness of the staff and the welcoming atmosphere. We felt really relaxed and liked the fact that we could take our time deciding on our order.

So to start with, we were impressed with the range of teas. Something to note is that if you order the Yorkshire Tea, then it comes in a larger pot than the other teas! To accompany the tea, we indulged on the tasty coffee and walnut cake. It was a hard choice to make as the other cakes in the glass cabinet also looked so good. They also had lemon cake, chocolate cake, scones and flapjacks.

If you fancy something a little savoury, then the freshly cooked egg and bacon sandwich in a granary roll does not fail. They also do soups, sandwiches and other lunchtime items. It was quiet when we went at mid-morning, but became extremely busy by the afternoon. If you fancy something to take home, then they also sell jams and chutneys!

It is a shame that Victoria Tearooms is not located at street level as it would be really nice to have the natural daylight. They have tried to deter your attention away from its basement location by using net curtains and cute window displays.

Victoria Tearooms, 8 Victoria Road, Saltaire, Shipley, BD18 3LA

Our Rating:
4 out of 5 stars