The Bluebird Café in Chelsea is one of those places to see and be seen. Located on the King’s Road on the site of the old Bluebird garage, the café that Conran launched is a chic venue where celebrity spotters can get their fix of food and fascination.
Despite the name, the Bluebird Café is much more than that. The building has a café downstairs, a restaurant upstairs, a courtyard, a bakery, food store and wine cellar. The café and courtyard are excellent places to while away the hours sipping Pimms and enjoying life in the sunshine.
We ate in the café in the afternoon and did just that. The café menu is modern British with a mix of grill and a la carte dishes throughout. It’s a good mix of healthy and indulgent and reflected the new direction in British cooking. Local ingredients, simple preparation and flawless execution.
Starters were Hummus and a haloumi skewer. The Hummus was served with radishes and grilled bread. A simple but very elegant starter that suited the sunny weather perfectly. As did the haloumi skewer, which was served with courgette, red onion, red pepper and a light sauce.
Main course consisted of a sirloin steak and a rib-eye steak, both of which were lovely cuts of meat perfectly prepared and delivered. The both steaks were cooked exactly as ordered, were rich and juicy and glistened with lovely, meaty juices. Both were served with garlic butter and chips. Both of which were prepared exceptionally well.
“The Bluebird Café in Chelsea features local ingredients, simple preparation and flawless execution.”
Dessert was Eton mess and chocolate brownie. Eton mess is an English classic and ideal for a sunny day in Chelsea. The fresh strawberries complemented the Chantilly cream and fresh meringue to make it taste superb.
The chocolate brownie was warm, soft and still sticky in the middle, which is perfect as far as I’m concerned. It came with vanilla ice cream and a rich chocolate sauce.
Our meal was complemented by an aptly named Pretty Gorgeous rose wine from France. It was light, fruity and fresh enough to work wonders on the palate.
Overall, our experience at the Bluebird Café was excellent. We didn’t see anyone famous, but the food was superb, the service prompt and efficient and we would return here again in an instant.
The Bill: £54 per head
