The last few weeks I was doing a sewing class with Sew For Fun and had time to kill. Last Tuesday I had my heart set to have a nice pizza and opted for Cafe Bar Deli. I have been a few times – the last time was Summer 2010. Considering the time (5:30pm) the restaurant was empty apart from one couple inside and a few people outside. The waitresses were attentive so that I didn’t have that awkward moment to decide if I just plant myself somewhere or wait to be planted. I don’t mind going out to restaurants by myself – doing it for years – but I still giggle about the speed that waiters/waitresses remove the extra table settings.
The menu hasn’t changed – at least I couldn’t see any changes. Even the chef was the same – no smile for anyone, so I am trying not to take it personal when I look into the open kitchen and see his ‘sour’ face (he might be the funniest and nicest person on the planet – if so, he hides it well). I ordered the Pizza Quattro Fromagio (since I had my heart set on pizza I thought I go for the whole 9 yards) and since I was feeling kinda girlie, ordering a glass of prosecco was a total must.
The pizza came almost simultaneously with the prosecco which was no surprise as the pizza was a bit on the pale side (chef’s patience doesn’t seem to be his strong point). And as pale as my pizza was – as flat was my poor prosecco. And there it was – the other awkward moment; do I say anything, do I bare the pain of bad wine/food…… but then, life is too short to drink bad wine, so I asked for a new glass and this time the bubbly was actually bubbly. The waitress was nice about it, apologised and brought the glass very quickly.
The pizza was cooked – although without any TLC, which it needed – a bit of a higher top heat meant that the cheese would have gotten a little ‘tan’. Also a bit of green would have been nice to cheer the pizza up – just a little toss of shredded basil would have given the whole picture a lift. I actually forgot what I was eating and as my dad always says, when you are hungry you eat almost anything (gosh, I really don’t hope so).
Cafe Bar Deli has a lovely interior, dark timber bistro style chairs (they look a bit fragile tho) and with matching white-topped tables. A fake wooden pvc floor that is a bit slippy in some places and sticky in others. Part of the ceiling is covered with ‘silver’ tiles which I really liked. It gave the place a bit of flair. The place could do with an overhaul – especially the floor but also the plastic jugs in which the water came ( has seen better days in the last century I’d say). background music was the entire CD of Adele 21 and as much as I love and adore Adele, it didn’t fit the ambiance – The Rat Pack would have been a much better choice.
This restaurant has so much potential of being outstanding – a pity it isn’t. Saying that – if you go, try the pizzetta and the bread board with a selection of dips – the one thing they really get right. just don’t expect the chef to smile – nothing personal I am sure.
