Everyday, I try and think of somewhere imaginative / economical to have lunch. Everyday I end up here.
As Pret branches go it's a good size, and they have a decent seating area in the back (most folk don't seem to have realised this). Obviously, if you want the privilege of a seat you have to pay the eat-in tax on your food, which ramps a maple & pecan bar up to about £6.50 or something. Does this stop me going there every day? No. I'm an idiot.
The staff are oppressively cheerful and extremely efficient in a way only foreigners can be. It's nice, but tends to cast the glumness of the self-important clientele in an even harsher light. I feel guilty if I don't at least throw them a weak smile, which quite frankly is more guilt than I'm comfortable with on my lunch break.
My favourite member of staff is a pretty blonde girl who strikes just the right balance between cheerfulness and mania. Also, she's blonde and pretty. One of the girls behind the counter chirrups HELLO CAN I HELP? in quite a piercing manner constantly. She is not my favourite, and would indeed have trouble cracking my Top 5 Members Of Staff At Pret A Manger Long Acre list (I won't publish it here because it changes frequently depending on my most recent experiences).
The music conforms to a genre I think I'll call tripzak - an instrumental hybrid of trip-hop, jazz and muzak designed to assure you that you're chowing down in a hip yet unthreatening location.
The food and drink? I'm afraid repeated exposure has rendered me unable to quantify whether it's any good or not. Fills a hole, though. read more