Tag: City Cafe

Eating and Drinking Guide (Westminster & Pimlico)

Westminster/Pimlico is not really the part of London you think of visiting for good restaurants.

WESTMINSTER

There a few that are actually worth a visit.

Osteria Dell’Angolo – upmarket Italian.

Quirinale –  upmarket Italian.

Rex Whistler Restaurant at Tate Britian – great wine cellar.

The Cinnamon Club, Great Smith Street – famous Indian restaurant.

The Rocks – something of a gem on Vauxhall Bridge Road.

and for information a couple of decent breakfast venues, see post

PIMLICO

A Wong – Highly acclaimed modern Chinese restaurant, has a Michelin Star. Booking essential.

Art of Tapas – Tapas bar that’s a bit of find.

Gastronomica – an interesting cafe/deli in the heart of Pimlico.

Goya – A popular and reliable Tapas bar.

 

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City Cafe – Winter in the City

January is a normally a quiet time for Hotels and Restaurants, so there does tend to be a lot of offers on the go. The City Inn for example are currently doing 2 for 1 meal offers in their City Cafe Restaurant.

We did not bother booking, we just turned up with our voucher and as expected the restaurant was not busy, only half a dozen tables were being used. Which is not a problem as the restaurant layout is split up nicely into separate sections.

The service was good and the food was nicely presented. Nothing stand out, but a pleasant meal for a winter evening. We started with a hearty Pumpkin Soup and a very nice Pork Belly dish, then Steak and Frites, finishing with a Raspberry Brulee and an apple tart with cinder toffee sauce. We also had two glasses of wine (the City Cafe has a reliable wine list and they do quite a few by the glass) and a bottle of mineral water. The two for one deal worked out well, our meal which should have been £50 a head, worked out at £25 a head, a good price for London.

For more on the City Cafe, see Post:-

Marks out of 10

Food 5.5

Service 5

Ambience 4

 

UPDATE : November 2010 – The City Inn has been rebranded and is now the Mint Hotel.

UPDATE : January 2012 – This hotel has now been rebranded as a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.

UPDATE : May 2013 – Not sure if Hilton are paying much attention to the restaurant now, when I have passed by it at lunch times during the week and weekends it has been completely empty.

 

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City Cafe – Summer in the City!

The City Inn’s restaurant is called City Cafe, it has an attractive covered outside seating area, great  for the summer, even when the evenings get cooler as there are plenty of heaters.

A large screen TV is usually wheeled out for Wimbledon and other major events. The food is above average for a Hotel Chain Restaurant and reasonably priced.  It has 2 AA Rosettes, which sounds about right. It was also recently featured on Celebrity Master Chef.

Art Street - The City Inns outdoor space
Art Street – The City Inns outdoor space
Not a good day to use the outdoor space
Not a good day to use the outdoor space

There are two bars, one next to the City Cafe and the main one on the first floor, the Millbank Lounge. The Millbank Lounge has waitress service and focuses on whiskeys and pretty good cocktails, food there can be a bit hit and miss.

1234y

I love the fact you can actually use the excellent Tate to Tate boat service as a means of getting to/from this hotel.

Picture 116

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Tate to Tate boat

Marks out of 10 – for City Cafe

Food – 5.8

Service 5.5

Ambience 5.5

Marks out of 10 – for Millbank Lounge

Food 5

Service 7

Ambience 6

UPDATE : November 2010 – The City Inn has been rebranded and is now the Mint Hotel.

UPDATE : January 2012 – This hotel has now been rebranded as a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel,

UPDATE : May 2013 – Not sure if Hilton are paying much attention to the restaurant now, when I have passed by it at lunch times during the week and weekends it has been completely empty.

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