Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 10 and Version 6 of Cafe Below, EC2V 6AU
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| Cafe/restaurant in the crypt of St Mary Le Bow church on Cheapside in [[Locale City|the City]]. |
The Cafe Below is a cafe in the crypt of St Mary Le Bow church on Cheapside in [[Locale City|the City]]. |
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It used to be called The Place Below <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/2594643381/ photo]</small>, and was totally vegetarian for the first two decades of its life, but in autumn 2009 it started serving meat and fish dishes as well, and relaunched as the Cafe Below. It's still vegetarian friendly; about half of the lunch options are usually vegetarian, though there's less choice in the evenings. The (fairly substantial) salads are usually the only vegan option. |
It used to be called The Place Below, and was totally vegetarian for the first two decades of its life, but in autumn 2009 it started serving meat and fish dishes as well, and relaunched as the Cafe Below. It also now opens later in the evenings; it used to close at 3pm, but now stays open until 9pm for post-work drinks and/or dinner. (We're not sure if it opens on the weekends now — it used not to.) As before, the menu changes daily, and there are still a couple of vegetarian and vegan (marked as "dairy free") options. |
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As befits its location beneath a church, the seating area is quite atmospheric, with stone-flagged floor and arched ceiling. Stone pillars break up the space and offer extra privacy. The tables are a mix of small ones for 2-4 diners and larger communal ones. |
[[Kake]] last visited around 2004, when I was still vegan and the cafe was still vegetarian. I called in on a Friday morning at about 11am, and it was completely empty, unsurprisingly, although a few besuited types wandered in later for takeaway coffees. |
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[[Kake]] visited on a Monday lunchtime in December 2014. It was quite full at 12:45pm, but I didn't have to wait for a seat. No music was playing, but there was plenty of conversational background sound. |
Most of the breakfasty options were pastries and things, and not vegan, so I had the "Healthbowl", a concoction of short-grain brown rice, lentils, and various vegetables, served on a sheet of nori (price as of 2009 is £5.50 eat-in, £4.50 takeaway). I wasn't convinced by the raw mushrooms or almost-raw sugar snap peas in this; but I suppose that's what you get if you order something with "Health" in the name, and I did really like the lentil and rice bit. (Note that the Healthbowl isn't usually available until lunchtime, which begins at 11:30am, but they took pity on a hungry vegan and got the kitchen to do me one a bit early.) |
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I went for the four salads of the day with hummous and olives (£8.75) <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/15371418183/ photo]</small>. The dressings were light, and enhanced rather than masked the flavour of the ingredients. The four different salads — one based on giant couscous, another on puy lentils and brown rice, another on beetroot, and another on carrots — all had distinct flavours and textures. The hummous was light and flavourful and the olives added a good salty contrast. Overall, it was a nicely filling but non-stodgy lunch. |
They certainly used to have soya milk available for tea and coffee, and I expect they probably still do. |
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Service was efficient without being abrupt. My salads arrived very quickly, as did my requested tap water — in a generously-sized carafe, not just a small glass. A 12.5% service charge was added to the bill. |
They also do fresh juices (the apple juice I tried in 2004 was really good, and actually tasted of apples, unlike the stuff you buy in cartons from the supermarket) and what I hear is some very good home-made lemonade — in 2004, these were all £1.70 eat-in and £1.40 takeaway, not sure of current prices. They are now licensed too, and serve wine, Meantime beer, and Dunkerton's cider. |
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[[Kake]]'s verdict: I'd come back if I was looking for lunch in the City. Accessibility: Many mandatory steps to get in, as it's in a basement with no lift. |
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* Photos of the menu as of December 2014: [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/15991041615/ lunch], [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/15805319147/ drinks] * [http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/cafe-below Time Out review] |
* [http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/reviews/4624.html Time Out review] * [http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/restaurants/restaurant-183573-details/The+Place+Below/restaurantReview.do?reviewId=23368721 Charles Campion's review] |
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<div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[Kake]], December 2014.</div> |
<div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[Kake]], some time in 2004; though continued existence verified in October 2009. Opening hours and up-to-date prices taken from the Cafe Below website, October 2009.</div> |
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category='Breakfast,Cafes,Featured Article,Restaurants,Vegan Friendly,Vegetarian Friendly' edit_type='Minor tidying' fax='CafeBelow' formatted_website_text=' class="external">cafebelow.co.uk' host='2a00:1098:86:4d:c0ff:ee:15:900d' hours_text='' latitude='51.513701' |
category='Breakfast,Cafes,Sandwich Shops,Takeaway,Vegan Friendly,Vegetarian Friendly' edit_type='Normal edit' fax='' formatted_website_text='http://www.cafebelow...' host='213.165.225.132' hours_text='7:30am-9pm (possibly only Mon-Fri)' latitude='51.513189' |
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longitude='-0.093514' major_change='0' |
longitude='-0.091929' major_change='1' |
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node_image='https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7485/15371414953_0680a1ebbb_m_d.jpg' |
node_image='https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/2594643381_f2ee04256c_m.jpg' |
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node_image_url='https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/15371414953/' opening_hours_text='' |
node_image_url='https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/2594643381/' opening_hours_text='7:30am-9pm (possibly only Mon-Fri)' |
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summary='Cafe/restaurant in the crypt of St Mary le Bow on Cheapside.' |
summary='Cafe in the crypt of St Mary le Bow on Cheapside.' |
The Cafe Below is a cafe in the crypt of St Mary Le Bow church on Cheapside in the City.
It used to be called The Place Below, and was totally vegetarian for the first two decades of its life, but in autumn 2009 it started serving meat and fish dishes as well, and relaunched as the Cafe Below. It also now opens later in the evenings; it used to close at 3pm, but now stays open until 9pm for post-work drinks and/or dinner. (We're not sure if it opens on the weekends now — it used not to.) As before, the menu changes daily, and there are still a couple of vegetarian and vegan (marked as "dairy free") options.
Kake last visited around 2004, when I was still vegan and the cafe was still vegetarian. I called in on a Friday morning at about 11am, and it was completely empty, unsurprisingly, although a few besuited types wandered in later for takeaway coffees.
Most of the breakfasty options were pastries and things, and not vegan, so I had the "Healthbowl", a concoction of short-grain brown rice, lentils, and various vegetables, served on a sheet of nori (price as of 2009 is £5.50 eat-in, £4.50 takeaway). I wasn't convinced by the raw mushrooms or almost-raw sugar snap peas in this; but I suppose that's what you get if you order something with "Health" in the name, and I did really like the lentil and rice bit. (Note that the Healthbowl isn't usually available until lunchtime, which begins at 11:30am, but they took pity on a hungry vegan and got the kitchen to do me one a bit early.)
They certainly used to have soya milk available for tea and coffee, and I expect they probably still do.
They also do fresh juices (the apple juice I tried in 2004 was really good, and actually tasted of apples, unlike the stuff you buy in cartons from the supermarket) and what I hear is some very good home-made lemonade — in 2004, these were all £1.70 eat-in and £1.40 takeaway, not sure of current prices. They are now licensed too, and serve wine, Meantime beer, and Dunkerton's cider.
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