Villandry grand cafes are named after a French Chateau, with currently three spots in the UK. Villandry St James is in a good location, metres away from Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street. My friends and I usually park nearby and pass the St James area tons of times. I never knew it existed, situated inside a beautiful Edwardian building I always thought it was part of a hotel.
I was given a voucher to spend at Villandry, and it had many restrictions of when I can use it. Deciding to go for lunch on a weekend for friends I reserved a table. When we arrived I was told I only could use the voucher for a la carte, in my eyes if you’re given a voucher with cash value you should be able to spend it on anything you want. So afternoon tea was out of the question.
It took a long while to get attention from staff, which was busy chatting by the front door. My friends and I ordered are mains, bread and butter are given complimentary and we admired the interior whilst we waited. Villandry is stunning black and white checker floors, high ceilings, big light fixtures and red leather sofas.
How did my Dijon chicken supreme go down? Well it arrived on a large plate, grilled char vegetables with a big quarter of chicken. Marinated in bright yellow mustard sauce, the chicken was dry on some parts.
My friends ordered, the Villandry Burger, smoked haddock and salmon fishcake.
Villandry is a good spot for a quiet quick getaway, service is lacking, with pan-European food.
12 Waterloo Place,
London SW1Y 4AU
{google_map}12 Waterloo Place,
London SW1Y 4AU{/google_map}
