Manicomio Café

Food + drink: 3

Service: 3

Atmosphere: 3

Value: 3

When your little tootsies are sore from hobbling in your high heels up and down the Kings Road, shopping/Middleton spotting, then Manicomio is a good place for a civilised pitstop. Don't get confused by the Manicomio restaurant next door (which is also good but better for dinner), or put off by what appears to be a chi-chi deli which takes up the front part of Manicomio Poco. Totter through to the tightly-packed conservatory at the back where the menu has, no surprises, a range of waist-friendly salads, some small deli-ish items (grilled aubergine etc) and sourdough type sarnies. Ok the food here isn't going to fill you up to bursting, but who wants a bloated tum before trying on jeans in Joseph (er, or Zara) anyway? Actually my last salad, which was beautifully fresh tasting, was more substantial than I expected and enough to get the blood sugar levels back up to retail-raid-ready. Service is very friendly and will steer you to the buggy-friendly zone (a long bar of 6 seats in a marginally less awkward tight spot than all the awkward tight spots) if you have come en famille. Most of the clientele is female but it's a friendly place (it has to be with tables that close) so I'm sure boys and men would be welcome, if they can find it. Whilst you might spend a Gucci-clad arm and Louboutin-attired leg eating out in much of Chelsea, a lunch here won't bleed you completely dry of all your blue-blood: light lunch for two including soft drink/coffee and service clocked in at under £30 on my last visit. Plenty left in the wallet for a whistle-stop at Whistles then…