Bluebird Café

I wasn't going to come back here after a summer's lunch on the Bluebird terrace at which (amongst other service low points) I ended up having to collect my second-attempt steak myself from the serving counter. But being only in the market for a few early evening drinks and nibbles I let bygones be bygones. Inside it's more “caff” than “cafe”, with its bright chairs and lighting, but that doesn't seem to have stopped the fur wearing set from making this a regular haunt. Service was still a bit ropey even though it was quiet (it takes a while to catch the right eye to order). The nibbles we had were uneventful (how can they not get bread and olive oil right?) and we weren't inspired enough by the menu to risk upgrading to a full-on meal. The breakfast menu looked reasonably appealing and that time of day would probably suit the atmosphere in here best. One of my best friends swears by this place but I can't really see what all the fuss is about. Undoubtedly the grassed terrace is a brilliant location for summer lunch in London and great for spotting the whole gamut of celebrity (we were between a table seating a couple of Made in Chelsea stars and another with the still gorgeous Nigel Havers) but just be prepared for culinary and service disappointment.

The Bluebrid Café has its own rules. It is a seriously trendy spot, but if you get a table most things are possible. In summer this is one of the nicest terraces in west London. The food is good, but not the reason to come. The wine list could be a bit more “fun”, but a recent off bottle of poor Chablis was not charged to our bill. A truly nice place.

I visited the Bluebird Cafe with a girlfriend on Saturday morning. Despite arriving just after 11am, they agreed to serve us breakfast (they usually stop at 11am) and seated us. They also took our order. They then served us just the drinks from the order and refused to deliver the food, even though they had taken the order saying that we’d missed the breakfast ordering period. The manager blamed a new waiter and berated the poor guy in front of us. The manager also said the receptionist had seated us in error and blamed him too. For the sake of two servings of scrambled eggs on toast, the Manager made himself look like a complete idiot, his staff look poorly trained and the business look unprofessional. We walked out and went to another cafe nearby where the service was exemplary. We'll never go to Bluebird again. The weekend visit was all about chilling out with friends over good food in a relaxed and accommodating atmosphere. This seems to be the opposite of what Bluebird were aiming to present to their customers last Saturday. Shame on you Bluebird.

The setting is lovely but the food was distinctley average. I had a chicken caesar salad which consisted of four very small pieces of chicken on a few dishevelled lettuce leaves. Not what you'd expect for £12.50! My partner had a very small burger and cold chips. The staff were very nice but overall it was a disappointing experience and I wouldn't eat there again.

The only reason its taken me so long to visit Bluebird is its seriously out of the way location. which I pondered over whilst making the long trek from Sloane Square tube station a month ago.

With the sun streaming past 6pm, the terrace was packed so we headed inside. Upstairs you'll find a large room awash with red leather banquettes which start off empty but packs up pretty quickly, I imagine much to the dismay of the poor kitchen staff.

However, despite all the talk of Bluebird's cuisine, I did find the menu lacking any real inspiration or even seasonality. As odd as it sounds I opted for a fish pie and my friend a chicken pie and that too on a hot summer's day! Despite this oddity, the food was well cooked and my fish pie was amply packed with the flavours of the sea.

A bit of a hotch potch of ideas menu-wise but otherwise a good venue to drop into if you are in the area that is.