Sitting on the corner of Regency Street, the fittingly named Regency Cafe is something of a hidden gem in this sleepy corner of Westminster. The cult 1940’s venue is rightly acknowledged as one of London’s most authentic ‘caffs’ and even made a cameo appearance in the British gangster movie Layer Cake.
Arriving at 11:45 on a Friday, we quickly joined the ever lengthening queue – a healthy mix of builders and public servants – and stood admiring the original cream tiled walls, adorned with various Tottenham Hotspurs memorabilia from the 1970’s and blackboard menus, handwritten in chalk.
Whilst fresh fish and chips seemed to be the order of the day, having debated on and dismissed the set breakfast, I was swiftly drawn to the two sausages, chips and beans at a modest £3.55. Three slices of white bread and a can of pop completed the order and saw the till ringing in at a fabulous £4.90.
By now, the queue had found its way onto the pavement outside, yet fortunately we were able to grab a table right in the thick of the action. The atmosphere at the Regency is incredible; a cacophony of noise being generated by all in this densely packed enclave of Formica tables and brown plastic chairs.
I was relieved to see that the tomato sauce was housed in squeezy bottles, ensuring that even if I did find myself in the highly unlikely position of the unfortunate Freddie Hurst in Layer Cake, having been (ketchup) bottled, it was equally doubtful that I would end up lying on the floor in a coma.
With any other cafe you might rightly expect your meal to be brought to your table, yet the Regency is no other cafe; here your order is boomed out as ‘sausages, chips and baked beans’ or if you’re really lucky they’ll just call out your name, whereby you’re expected to go up and collect your food.
Portions at the Regency are certainly generous and I found my plate piled high with chips of the ‘crisp und dry’ variety, as favoured by the much loved German U-boat Commander in Dad’s Army. A quick sprinkle of salt and vinegar and they were pretty much as perfect as you’re ever likely to find in London.
The baked beans were of a decent quality and similarly the sausages were proper pork, – with seasoning – certainly not your typical ‘chemical sausage’ found at many other London cafes, which admittedly I am rather fond of so I won’t pretend that there is anything wrong with such sausages.
All remaining bean juice was carefully mopped up by the thick pieces of white buttered bread to reveal a sparkling white dinner plate. Sinking the last of my Irn Bru, and I was done. Whilst I won’t pretend that what I had eaten was exactly healthy it was jolly delicious and faultless to boot.
The Regency is a magnificent example of London at its very best, an authentic cafe serving honest food at equally honest prices, with an atmosphere that the monotonous chains could never hope to recreate.
Arriving at 11:45 on a Friday, we quickly joined the ever lengthening queue – a healthy mix of builders and public servants – and stood admiring the original cream tiled walls, adorned with various Tottenham Hotspurs memorabilia from the 1970’s and blackboard menus, handwritten in chalk.
Whilst fresh fish and chips seemed to be the order of the day, having debated on and dismissed the set breakfast, I was swiftly drawn to the two sausages, chips and beans at a modest £3.55. Three slices of white bread and a can of pop completed the order and saw the till ringing in at a fabulous £4.90.
By now, the queue had found its way onto the pavement outside, yet fortunately we were able to grab a table right in the thick of the action. The atmosphere at the Regency is incredible; a cacophony of noise being generated by all in this densely packed enclave of Formica tables and brown plastic chairs.
I was relieved to see that the tomato sauce was housed in squeezy bottles, ensuring that even if I did find myself in the highly unlikely position of the unfortunate Freddie Hurst in Layer Cake, having been (ketchup) bottled, it was equally doubtful that I would end up lying on the floor in a coma.
With any other cafe you might rightly expect your meal to be brought to your table, yet the Regency is no other cafe; here your order is boomed out as ‘sausages, chips and baked beans’ or if you’re really lucky they’ll just call out your name, whereby you’re expected to go up and collect your food.
Portions at the Regency are certainly generous and I found my plate piled high with chips of the ‘crisp und dry’ variety, as favoured by the much loved German U-boat Commander in Dad’s Army. A quick sprinkle of salt and vinegar and they were pretty much as perfect as you’re ever likely to find in London.
The baked beans were of a decent quality and similarly the sausages were proper pork, – with seasoning – certainly not your typical ‘chemical sausage’ found at many other London cafes, which admittedly I am rather fond of so I won’t pretend that there is anything wrong with such sausages.
All remaining bean juice was carefully mopped up by the thick pieces of white buttered bread to reveal a sparkling white dinner plate. Sinking the last of my Irn Bru, and I was done. Whilst I won’t pretend that what I had eaten was exactly healthy it was jolly delicious and faultless to boot.
The Regency is a magnificent example of London at its very best, an authentic cafe serving honest food at equally honest prices, with an atmosphere that the monotonous chains could never hope to recreate.
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