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Café Rouge, 6-7 South Grove, Highgate, London N6 6BP

Café Rouge, 6-7 South Grove, Highgate, London N6 6BP

6-7 South Grove, Highgate, London N6 6BP

02083 429797

Twice recently I’ve been out with a friend, and they’ve suggested Café Rouge. The first time was the Hampstead branch, half an hour before they closed, and they didn’t have much food left, or much enthusiasm for serving it either. We paid over a tenner each for lamb chops and some lukewarm pasta in gloopy sauce with about four mushrooms. We shovelled it down because it was only minutes to closing time, and anyway we were hungry. It didn’t seem fair to make a judgement under the circumstances, there are many restaurants which won’t even sit you down at 10.30pm.

Yesterday, in Highgate with another friend, she said “You don’t mind Café Rouge, do you ? “ I wish I’d said “Actually, let’s go to the Rose and Crown, or Wetherspoons", but she seemed keen, so I just went along. After all, Café Rouge used to be OK, and this was a different branch.

I ordered a Salade aux Crevettes et Calamares “Sauteed king prawns and squid with garlic croutons & cherry tomatoes served on a mixed leaf, pepper & red onion salad with lime and chilli dressing” for £9.75 and JW had Moules du Café Rouge Moules du Café Rouge "Classic Café Rouge mussels cooked in white wine, herbs, garlic & cream served with French fries” for a similar amount. She was very happy with her bowl of moules and side of frites and mayonnaise. But I was dismayed at what I got. Great big white soup plate with a huge rim and in the centre a very small mixed leaf salad, some raw red onion, half a dozen cherry tomatoes and one – yes I counted it several times – ONE sliver of red pepper. On top of this was a very modest serving of calamares and crayfish (crevettes) and the warm lime and chilli dressing had made all the mixed leaves go soggy. I say “all the mixed leaves” in fact there weren’t enough of them to mix really. This left most of the white china before me entirely unsullied by food, so they had toasted three thin slices of yesterday’s baguette and perched them on the rim. The actual food content of this “portion” was less than in a Pret Crayfish Sandwich, which costs under £3 even if you eat in. I cannot believe they charge almost £10 for that. I cannot believe I paid it, either. But JW evidently loves the place, and as we finally escaped, promised the waiter she’d be back on Saturday !

Service was incredibly slow. JW had to take her white wine back, because it was room temperature. If she’d sat waiting for someone to come we’d never have got home. As it was, a simple, one course lunch, which should have been over in well under and hour, took almost two, and then we had to plead for the bill. Never again. Next time someone says “You don’t mind Café Rouge, do you ?“ I know the answer.

Arrived home ravenous, made myself a toasted bagel.


www.caferouge.co.uk