Somerstown Coffeehouse

We revisited Somerstown on January 7th to see what how the new owners and menu compared with previous visit. The atmosphere remains pleasant but the menu is sharply different . The owners refer to it as British Tapas and its a reasonably accurate description. The combinations are interesting and well made and reasonably priced. We will return but will think of it more as an eatery for when one is not famished or in need of haute cuisine.

How disappointing! This used to be a unique favourite – excellent French food in an unpretentious, cosy and quiet atmosphere. I went there yesterday – the management changed three weeks ago – and it's become a generic, try-hard, mildly tacky attempt at a gastropub. Food was nothing special – chewy chips, soggy salad, salty pie. Gone are most of the long-standing French staff, gone is the cosy, quietly sophisticated atmosphere. Worst of all, the new management keep making snide cracks about the previous owners. No way to ingratiate themselves to locals who were fond of the place. Yummy Pubs – Not Convinced.

A couple of us had a late bar meal, which is considerbly lighter than the next door restaurant. We both chose mousaka off the specials board, which came fairly promptly with a vibrant salad and some 'British' French bread which was more chewy and softer, but I prefer it that way. Accompanied with some Normandy butter, it was delicious to to mop up with. The Mousaka was, in my mind, a perfect consistency, well seasoned and had a cheesy topping as opposed toa thick bechamel. If anything, the potatoes were a lttle undercooked, but this was a minor point in an overall excellent value-for-money meal. The french staff couldn't have been more helpful (perhaps a bit flirty?) and with a couple of bottles of excellent viognier we had an exciting catch up in friendly atmosphere.