Café Review: Lantana

The first time I visited Lantana it had been nominated for London café of the year by Time Out.  The second time, the chalk board to the right of the entrance had been updated: Winner!  But does this award translate to a great coffee experience?  I've visited on several occasions and up until now haven't been sure whether or not to add this to my list of great London cafés...

 

 

First Impressions

Lantana sits on a side street and, from the exterior, it looks good: two picnic benches outside that each seat around six people, the impression of a very open shop front due to a window that fully opens by swinging upwards, and an island separating the interior from the exterior.

To the left as you enter, the centre island has a few magazines and papers scattered around, with three stools to sit at so you can people-watch to your hearts content (one of the best things about going to a café if you ask me).  Bench seating is against the left wall and tables and chairs provide a decent amount of seating for any visit - although this has recently been increased with the reduction in size of the bar, which sits to the right of the café, and the addition of a high table with room for another few people.

 

I really like the consistent design theme that runs through the café - a wooden rib over the island, bar, base of the bench seats and the stools. But it was starting to look quite worn as bits were falling off.  Thankfully, this was addressed when the refurb was done a few weeks ago and, along with a lick of paint and removal of a few too many posters, it now looks spot on.  

Some stand out points:

• The decor: cool but unpretentious

• The tables out front

• The island to sit at and people watch

• Open until 9pm on Thursday and Friday

• Sensational food

• An alcohol licence for that rare occasion when you need a substitute for coffee

All is living up to the Time Out accolade but will it continue?

Need to Know: Lantana 

Coffee: Monmouth - Lantana CoE 
Machine: La Marzzoco Linea
Grinder: Anfim Milano, Mazzer (model tbc)
Address: 14 Charlotte Place 
London, W1T 1SW, 020 7323 6601
Nearest Tube: Goodge Street. Map me...
Hours: Mon-Wed: 08:00 - 18:00.
Thu-Fri: 08:00 - 19:00. Sat: 09:00 - 17:00. 
Site: http://lantanacafe.co.uk

Details

If you are sitting in, you are encouraged to take a seat, after which a member of staff will come over to provide you with a menu and take your order - more restaurant style than café.

The service is generally good, and they have all the necessary equipment to produce high quality coffee: Anfim Milano & Mazzer grinders and a Marzzoco Linea machine.  The coffee is Monmouth sourced and, in a bid to develop a higher quality and a unique espresso, they now use a Lantana specific Cup of Excellence coffee.

Drinks

The coffee should be good, and we know the equipment is in place to get the best from it but, Charlotte Place, we have a problem: consistency.  The first time I visited, I had a cappuccino and it was okay, but not great.  The espresso was a little astringent and the milk was not steamed to the right consistency - it was a little thin.  The second time it was good and the last time the milk was really quite thin.  I only purchased a straight espresso on one occasion (before they changed the beans) and it was not a pleasure to drink as it was, again,  bitter.  The drinks situation didn't get much better with the tea as, on the first visit, my wife had a green tea but and it had been over brewed - I had to go and get a saucer to remove the filter to stop it getting even worse.

 

 

As I said earlier, Lantana are trying to increase the quality of coffee and that has to be applauded, but there is still some way to go.

Food

The food is great.  I won't go into excessive detail as this isn't a food blog but the food is well sourced, well prepared and is no doubt one of the main reasons that the Lantana is so popular - so much so that next door is now a Lantana take out.  There are a range of cakes and other foods, but I would recommend wholeheartedly that you order the charcuterie.  Both the veggie and meat option.  Together.  Delicious!

Conclusion

You may wonder why I keep visiting when the coffee is not up to a consistent standard but, the thing is, it's a cool place to hang out, the food is great, and the coffee can be good.  There is obviously a real passion for quality here and they are trying hard to improve the coffee offering: some support and/or training for the baristas could improve the situation, pretty swiftly bringing the quality of the caffeine up to the high standards of the food.

Lantana is currently a great restaurant that serves okay coffee.  With stunning coffee it would be a tough act to follow but, until then, it hasn't earned its place on the quality coffeehouse map of London.

Comments

[coffeeDiva]

It's a cool place to go on a Friday night when the pubs in this area are heaving, and full of loud music and people spilling beer on your shoes. You can sit down and have a civilized glass of wine in Lantana instead.

Not sure it's a 'coffee geek' place though. I think they need to get a lot better before they can be compared with tapped and packed or kaffeine, also in this area.

[johhny]

service incredibly slow - been twice to eat lunch and waited forever i.e. over half and hour for food to arrive. Good quality but avoid this place if you haven't got ages to spare.

[Tom]

This is a great place, but I fear they have been a victim of their own success since they won the Time Out award and "became known" - ie as Johnny points out, service can be slow, and a bit slapdash, and a few times I have seen wait-staff get pretty grouchy with customers when they are under pressure, which doesn't go down well when you have been waiting a good while.
Having said that, as an early morning person, I usually arrive shortly after opening when things haven't had chance to get too busy yet. Their breakfasts are a great way to start the day.
They deserve to do well because they have upped the game locally and given others in the area competition (and the Starbucks at the end of their street closed down - yay) and the owner has worked incredibly hard.