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| Café Deco, Bloomsbury |
Who would open a restaurant in 2020? Anna Tobias quietly opened the doors of Café Deco towards the end of November, In Bloomsbury, long a dining desert in a rather lovely part of town. That 'takeaway lunch/wine shop/traiteur' set-up that so many restaurants have morphed into to be able to survive in this craziest of years was the necessary starting point here, rather than the bar/restaurant intended. Since 4 December, lockdowns permitting, you can book for lunch and dinner. There was no flinging open the doors with a fanfare - though I doubt that was ever the intention for this beautiful, understated space that has the backing of the team behind the influential 40 Maltby Street.
Anna Tobias already has a solid following in London, having worked with Jeremy Lee at the Blueprint Café, at the River Café, as head chef at Rochelle Canteen, and then P.Franco plus many ‘stages’. Highly influenced by the likes of Simon Hopkinson, Jane Grigson and Elizabeth David, and with a deep understanding of middle European cuisines, it’s no wonder I love her food. She’s one of those chefs you know is worth following around and, here, she can cook what she wants to. Though, like all kitchens right now, there will be some figuring out of what people want and what can be achieved in these strange stop-start times. Tobias has already said there will be changes to the food and how it’s offered over the first few months but having eaten here twice, and bought several takeaways here’s an idea of what to expect.
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| Minestrone Soup at Café Deco, Bloomsbury |
A simple egg mayonnaise was punchy with really good mayo; Sweet & sour onions & radicchio could have tasted of nothing but pickle in lesser hands but the sweet/sour/bitter juices were mopped up greedily with good ‘Stockholm’ bread from E5 Bakery; a bowl of Winter Minestrone came thick with the season’s root veg, white and borlotti beans and their cooking stock, finished with twirly Spigariello broccoli and olive oil - deeply satisfying on a bitterly cold day. Mains included a bowl of Fish Stew (hake and mussels), fennel, and potatoes topped with a dollop of aioli and a shower of parsley that was not just there for decoration but for its pronounced flavour; Roast Duck, swede cake & watercress was a beautifully light dish of meltingly tender pink duck accompanied by thinly sliced swede cooked slowly in stock, a spoonful of translucent crab apple jelly on the side.
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| Sweet & sour onions and radicchio at Café Deco, Bloomsbury |
For pudding, were the classic Caramelised Oranges; a light, crunchy Apple Galette served with the best Jersey Cream; and a dense-with-dates Sticky Toffee pudding & vanilla ice cream – heaven for this pudding lover
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| Fish Stew at Café Deco, Bloomsbury |
Some of the wines will be familiar if you either visit 40 Maltby Street or order from Gergovie Wines but, as with the food, Anna Tobias is forging her own path and there are plenty of others, many by the glass Notable amongst the reds is a 1.9.8.4. Bodega La Senda, 2019 (Bierzo) and, on the After Dinner list, El Peluso, Verdevique, 1988.
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| Sticky Toffee Pudding at Café Deco, Bloomsbury |
Café Deco may be all hard surfaces but the colours are soft and the lighting warm. And raise your eyes above door height to take in the beautiful frieze running around the ground floor room, applied with the lightest of touches by artists Harry Darby and Anna Hodgson. A downstairs room by the kitchen and outdoor seating are to come later.
If you can’t get in to eat at this restrictive time, there are lovely things to take away like Mortadella in focaccia, the deepest, most flavourful frittata you are ever likely to encounter, mince pies, tarts, biscuits, wine and, of course, the kind of store cupboard things we’ve become familiar with seeing in café/restaurants this year. Yes, only the brave would be opening a restaurant in 2020 but I’ve a strong feeling this one will endure.
43 Store Street
London WC1E 7DB
Tel: +44 (0)208 091 2108
At time of writing:
Takeway lunch, wine shop & Traiteur Tues-Fri 12-6pm
Lunch Wed-Sat
Dinner Tues-Sat
