Randomness Guide to London Menu

Cafe/coffee shop in Beckenham.

The decor is clean and modern, with matte black tiles on the floor, pale grey walls, pale wood tables, and various decorations made from natural materials such as branches and pine cones. A fully glazed frontage allows the sunlight in, supplemented by lamps suspended on long flexes from the ceiling. Smaller tables are set out in the front part, with two long communal tables further back.

Kake visited on a Monday lunchtime in January 2015. There were three or four other customers in when I arrived a little before noon, and several others arrived while I was there, including a few children. Instrumental jazz was playing, not too loud. A metal cup of tap water was brought along with the menus as soon as I sat down, and my order was taken swiftly and efficiently.

A pot of "Earl Beckenham" tea (£2.40) was delicious, made from loose leaves and whole bergamot flowers. The presentation was good too photo, with the milk served in a mini glass milk bottle and a cup that was really nice to drink from — substantial but not too thick. Soya milk is available, though I didn't take up this option and don't know if it costs extra.

My roasted vegetable and hummous sandwich (£4) photo was a little less impressive. The bread ("sliced deli loaf") was good, with a well-developed texture and flavour, but the roasted vegetables weren't what I'd call roasted — only very lightly cooked, and with a bit too much remaining rawness — and the hummous was fairly uninteresting. The accompanying salad had little or no dressing, but the leaves were interesting enough to rescue it.

Kake's verdict: I'd come back for another pot of tea if I was in the area.

Child-friendliness: Children's books and toys are provided, and there's a reasonable amount of space to park pushchairs. They have several highchairs, though they're the type with no tray and very little back support. There's a pull-down baby change in the (unisex) toilet.

Accessibility: A shallow ramp to get in. No further steps to the toilet, which is a single unisex one with plenty of space, though there's somewhat narrow access to it through two doors.

See also:

• Damn Fine Joe review
• The Faerietale Foodie review
• Tendeter article on the interior design