My partner and I live nearby and, after a long weekend of travelling, we headed out in search of something filling and satisfying. We headed to Preston Road as there are quite a few varied places to eat there. We had never really noticed Cafe Royale before, but it was open on a Monday afternoon and as we walked passed we thought why not?
The decor is probably something worth mentioning - dark wood tables and chairs, a wall of various paintings, placemats with Victorian(?) scenes on them. A really varied and unique mix. Some might call this a deal breaker, but we found it endearing. Just go with it, trust me.
The waitress was charming and friendly, the menu ranges from breakfast to sandwiches to roast dinners to pasta to...you get the idea: if you are craving it, they have it. 90% of the mains are under £10 too, so that's a massive selling point.
After much deliberation, she went for pasta with chicken and mushrooms in a creamy sauce, and I (not being particularly peckish) went for a Caesar salad. In addition, she had pineapple juice and I had a diet coke.
Sitting there...I began to wonder if we had wandered into the kind of place you find on Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares: dated decor, long menu, and (potentially) bad food.
The salad was nothing too special but it was exactly what I was craving: fresh salad items, hot chicken and dressing -generous in all areas.
My partner's pasta though...wowzers. The sauce was just perfect; I'm a keen (but not so good) cook and I've never replicated a sauce like that at home. lots of chicken, lots of mushrooms, parmesan and black pepper to add to taste. It looked amazing, it smelt amazing, and it tasted really good.
The coke was a coke, the pineapple juice probably came out of a carton but it was a generous glass.
Overall, we liked it. Cafe Royale is charming, a good escape from the busy streets, good food (excited to go try more!) cheap, and varied. We left satisfied and pleasantly surprised. Give it a go, don't expect the world, but give it a chance to win you over.
(and if you decide the decor is kitsch rather than tacky, suddenly the establishment has a real nostalgic, quirky, comforting atmosphere) read more