Lantana (Australian) – London, England (8.5/10)
Nov 24th, 2008 by admin
[UPDATE: January 2009 - I returned to Lantana for a late takeaway lunch. The music that was playing was a ballad, but cranked up as before. Luckily I was only there for under 5 minutes. I ordered the lamb tagine with pomegranate couscous (£5.50), but by the time I returned to the office (just a few minutes away), it was no more than luke-warm. It was lovely, but it would have been lovelier hot.]
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Ever since tasty treats! visited Lantana, it’s been on my restaurant wishlist. I’m always on the lookout for nice places to have lunch on the rare occasions when I can take a break, and Lantana seemed to fit the bill, as it’s located in Fitzrovia and serves breakfast until 12, then lunch. I finally made it there on Friday for lunch with a friend, only to discover that it’s where La Cantina used to be (I wrote a rather negative review of La Cantina a while back!).
This Australian café is tiny, with just a few tables and a communal counter at the front to accommodate three or so customers around it. I’m glad I insisted on lunch at noon, as it was already half full with people having work meetings there, and it was packed about 30 minutes later. The breakfast and lunch menus are displayed on separate blackboards, as are the drinks, but you can just sit down, have the menus brought to you and order when ready. There were around eight lunch items, all of which sounded delicious.
We ordered the Moroccan lamb skewers with flat bread and mini joghurt, served with 2 salads from the counter (£8.70), and the lemon & coriander infused chicken skewers served with 2 salads from the counter and tomato and red pepper chutney (£8.70). The portions were huge, and better still, the food superb – lamb and chicken tender and succulent, chickpea and cauliflower salads super fresh and tasty. Everything felt so healthy as well! Double espresso and hot chocolate were excellent (very similar to the ones we had at Milk Bar!), as were the blueberry friands – little almond cakes (90p each).
I have to mention the level of the music, as it’s been on my mind for the last couple of days. It was so loud that people had to shout to make themselves heard, and it wasn’t easy to have a conversation as the tables are very close together and you just end up with strangers’ voices ringing in your ears. The level of music seems quite incongruous with the atmosphere of Lantana, which otherwise could be a chilled out place to hang out in (off-peak of course). I’d love to make it my regular lunch haunt, but not at the risk of perforated eardrums! I did leave a comment about this on their blog, so let’s see what happens on my next visit. To sum up, I loved the food at Lantana, the friendly service and the cosiness of it. Please just turn the music down two notches…
Click here to see the rest of the Lantana photos.
10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average
All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide
Contact details:
Lantana
13 Charlotte Place
London W1T 1SN
Tel: 020 7637 3347
Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide
Good Sunday evening to you, Helen !
The blueberry friand looks delicious !
Pete must be quite pleased with all of the postivie reviews about the food and service and coziness.
And you are right about the music. Turning it down is a must.
The focus should be on enjoying your meal and your conversations with your friends. The music should be so soft that you don’t have to raise your voice at all to be heard over it.
Loving Annie
I will have to check this place out as I do get somewhat homesick for Australian style cafes – Lantana is a plant in Australia and there is a famous (and excellent) Australian movie called Lantana which is well worth seeking out.
The food looks great! Noisy places can be quite hectic, especially if you go for breakfast. Hopefully they’ll take heed…
Loving Annie – I hope he agrees and takes it as constructive criticism. I wouldn’t have bothered leaving a comment had I not thought so highly of Lantana. If the music levels were adjusted, it would be perfect!
Gourmet Chick – I loved Lantana (the film). Let me know what you think of it. Might go back soon for more food…
Lizzie – it’s close to your office, so you should definitely check it out!
Helen Yuet Ling
Hi Helen, I am an owner of Lantana (an invisible one – my sister Shelagh runs it). We have taken your feedback on board and as Shelagh says, she’ll ‘keep an ear on it’ . We definitely want it to be a place where people feel relaxed and can talk. Thanks for taking the time to rate us, and we’re so happy you loved the food. Please do come back. If the volume knob has gone wayward – let us know!
Caitlin – thanks so much for your response, it’s much appreciated! I really loved my lunch at Lantana, so I’m looking forward to returning very soon…
Helen Yuet Ling
I LOVE this place! I tell everyone I know to come in for the best, authentic coffee drinks in town. And, the service is impecable! They even know me by name- which is so welcoming in the midst of a bustling city. They introduce the epitome of the warm and relaxed Australian mentality to a cold London day.
shannon – high praise indeed! I’m looking forward to going back for a nice breakfast perhaps, or another lunch…
Helen Yuet Ling
I said something about the music when I went in there and they turned it down.
Had the best bacon sandwich I’ve had for a while there.
Also humming bird cakes – YUM!
eddie – hi there! Was the music really so loud that it had to be turned down? I haven’t been back since my first visit, and was hoping to hear that the music wasn’t loud anymore…but I’m glad you liked the food there!
Helen Yuet Ling
Just came across your website while searching for reviews of Baozi Inn where I’m going this evening. Interesting review of this café – I’ve missed Australian cafés here in London too so will check this out. Odd choice of name, however, as lantana is a weed in Australia that is not native to the country…Cheers, Adam.
I’ve been to Lantana a few times for breakfast or brunch and I’ve never even really noticed that they have music on to be honest. But I have read a few reviews where people found it a bit intrusive. It’s so great to see restaurant owners taking the customers opinions into account, Lantana’s still fairly new. One of the things I love about it is the relaxed aussie vibe and the food of course. Helen, these pictures are amazing. I must try lunch there, maybe I’ll take earplugs!
Boo – hello! Thanks for visiting. Lantana is still fairly new, but to be honest, it’s just not going to be a relaxing place for me to hang out in. I suppose some people can read or talk through any ambient noise, but I can’t. Not that I need to sit in silence, but if I want to listen to music at full volume, I’ll do it at home or in a club. I still want to stress that the lunch I had there was excellent and should be tried. The takeaway lunch was just warm on the other hand. Perhaps I’ll sit outside when the weather is warmer!
Helen Yuet Ling
Well, I visited today and I hate to say I found it pretty average and massively over-priced. It was pleasant enough, but I spent a tenner on a small tart with 2 salads and I didn’t even have a drink. It was also freezing in there.
You live and learn, I suppose.