Reviews by torsten-fc

Bar Italia (Cafe)
14 August 2009

A vaguely threatening air of overly-jocular machismo pervades this establishment. The staff are indifferent to their customers and, at times, not at all welcoming. The coffee is good, actually, but never served really hot - because, I suspect, they want you to bugger off pronto!! Weird, but really worth visiting because it is authentic, independent, old and, as an experience, really quite fabulous - particularly for the life-affirmingly noisey!!

Maison Bertaux (Cafe)
14 August 2009

An oasis of individuality in an encroaching corporate world. There is an honesty about the cakes, pastries and savouries on offer. Uniquely, they are all baked on site every day! That is why it is a little pricey, because the provenance of their food is within their own premises, not delivered daily from a remote factory. We must cherish difference wherever it still exists. If you think of it as an authentic one-off - like a 1950s rural French patisserie transplanted to the centre of Soho - then it makes for an altogether more pleasantly bizarre and endearing experience.

If the staff are grumpy, IGNORE them and report them to the lovely owners Tania and Michelle - the feuding sisters who despite their sometimes very theatrical disagreements are united in their love of the gem of an institution that is in their care. They are quite the memorable hostesses of a quirky and unique cafe, and I am utterly delighted that they are as unique and quirky and utterly welcoming as their fabulous establishment. Maison Bertaux has been trading since 1871! Hurrah!!