I have found a gem of a place for an ideal date in London.
Set in the ‘New Wing’ of beautiful Somerset House, Pennethorne Café Bar is sleek yet comfy, trendy but non pretentious and offers delicious food without a hefty price tag.
The Café itself is beautiful and spacious and it wasn’t long before we were greeted by a relaxed and friendly waiter who found us a perfect spot for an evening of delicious food, good wine and hopefully on your date – great company!
Unlike most venues, the layout of Pennthornes means you can sit across from one another or side by side. This for me was a real winning factor for a date. If the date is going well you may find your date sliding over to you (hello!) to create a more intimate setting but equally for a first date there is plenty of room to spread out.
Small plates – the answer to the ‘first date food’ quandary
The food is served in small plates which as any woman knows, is perfect for those initial dates. Yes we may well love our food but that doesn’t mean we want to shovel it down in front of our date!
I remember my first date with Christian, we went to an Italian and after the starter, thanks to nerves, I was stuffed. I had to wade my way through a massive bowl of spaghetti, slurping as I went! Small plates are ideal for a date. You can order a selection of things to graze on, it provides a perfect talking point and isn’t crazy expensive.
Specialist breads and pastries are made in house and would be the perfect accompaniment to an artesian coffee for a daytime date after a mooch along the Southbank. Or why not check out what’s going on at Somerset House itself? An arts and cultural hub, it has an ever changing exciting calendar of events.
Great service
Our waiter for the night was Freddie and he was brilliant. Despite the fact every time he came over to take our order we were still deep in conversation and had yet to even take a peek there was no eye rolling! He kept the reasonably prices Riesling wine flowing (they also have small carafes of wine available – a nice touch), the food coming and looked after us very well. When you’re on a date you want everything to run smooth, it’s hard enough getting the conversation going without having to flag the waiter down every 10 minutes, none of that at Pennethornes, they are on the ball without being imposing. We never felt rushed.
We didn’t have cocktails but I can safely say they looked amazing! A quick look at the drink menu tells me next time I’m there I’ll be ordering a Nutty Martini – though perhaps the name would scare off any ‘potential suitors’ 😀
[caption id="attachment_1932" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
My dates for the night!Sharing a selection of meats and cheeses with scrumptious homemade bread the nigt disappeared in a haze of good food, good wine and good conversation. What more could you want for a date?
Cx
Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar
Open Monday to Saturday for breakfast through to dinner in addition to a take-away coffee and bakery service.
For more information and menus visit the Pennethornes Cafe Bar website
Opening Hours
Monday – Friday 8.00-22.00
Saturday 10.00-22.00
Sunday Closed
Will check it out next time i’m at Somerset House. They never have enough places to relax and eat when it gets busy so it’s a welcome addition.