Lantana

We went to Lantana with high expectations.  Opened by Australian Shelagh Ryan about a year ago, it was recently crowned Best New Cafe by Time Out and the fancy website promised Monmouth coffee and fabulous brunch offerings.  It seemed a great place to catch up with our friend Katy in a slow, Saturday morning kind of way.  Unfortunately however everyone else had had the same idea.  The place was heaving with well-dressed, young things and Antipodean accents bubbled over the music.

Thankfully we were lucky and within five minutes we were seated at stools in the large, open window.  The stools are higher than the rest of the cafe, which steps down from the pavement, making a nice break between outside and inside.  It’s a stylish restrained place, with a lot of plywood and a patterned, insect-filled wall that adds a playful touch (albeit in an appropriately restrained monotone).

(apologies for the blurry pictures... I forgot my camera and these were the best my old phone could manage)

Ian and I both ordered eggs (mine scrambled with mushrooms, Ian’s poached with extra bacon).  Katy had toast with avocado and vegemite.  The food was okay but I was left wishing I’d tried one of the more unusual options on the menu and the scrambled egg was far too dry for my tastes.  The little macchiato however was superb and Ian’s chai latte was beautifully spiced and sweetened with a tiny jug of honey on the side.

In many ways Lantana is the kind of place that usually appeals to me.  The calm interior, the Monmouth coffee, jugs of tap water, newspapers on the table... but something about it just didn’t work.  It didn’t feel relaxed.  There were no smiles from the staff and I frequently felt like we were in their way.  I know we were there on a Saturday but I can’t help thinking that it’s a victim of its own success.  We left through a crowd of vulture-like socialites pushing forward for our table and it was a relief to get out into the open street.

Lantana
13 Charlotte Place, Fitzrovia, London, W1T 1SN