I arrived to a restaurant walled in by frosted glass on all sides, blocking a view inside... it felt dull and empty but I decided to have a look inside... I halted in awe contemplating the details of the decor, the long bar, the wooden tables, the communal table surrounded by theatre seats, the open kitchen with the fresh sound of things being grilled... you're transported to a stables up the mountains.
A nice place serving below average food.
The Riding House Cafe is a five minutes walk from Soho, an amazing place that oozes with positive vibes. Look at the brushed green leather chairs, the rugged wooden tables, the brown brick walls, the canvas lanterns suspended from above and the metal pipes used to support lights and computers.
On the breakfast menu choose from their signature smoothies, special eggs including a lobster Benedict, chorizo and pork with beans, sides, sweets and the jockey's breakfast.
I ordered their buttermilk pancakes, the lobster Benedict and a plate of slow toasted pork shoulder with beans and a fried egg.
To start, the black coffee is too bitter for an early start.
The food:
- Pancakes... they look generous and tasty but in fact are too crunchy, lack fluffiness and are served with a cream that's way too sweet and a marmalade of red fruits that contains more sugar than fruit. Adding maple syrup didn't help, multiplying the sweetness by ten. A plate guaranteed to give you diabetes.
- Served in a metal pan, super sweet beans taste like ones served from a can mixed with pork cubes and covered with two sunny side up eggs. Good meat but can't say the same about the rest. Way too sweet.
- How can someone turn a majestic item like lobster into something disagreeable! Overcooked poached eggs laid on spongy and watery muffins with shredded lobster in between. Salty and unpleasant lobster.
Sad, I left sad from a place as beautiful as this one. The food is below average and doesn't encourage me to come back!
