Breakfast at Lantana

Cult destination some said. So my Father’s Day treat was to choose a nice place to go for breakfast. I wanted to see what the fuss was about and sample my first antipodean brekkie in the foodie Charlotte Street part of town. Tucked away down a side street off of Goodge Street, first impressions of Lantana were disappointing. Space was limited and the place was full and noisy. Normally I point blank refuse to queue for a table, there are too many places in London to justify waiting whilst looking at people enjoying their food, casually chatting as you anxiously stand there silently willing them to move on. But, since the queue was just one guy, I was happy to make an exception. The guy in front was soon gone and there I stood contently waiting to be served. ‘Wait here to be seated’ it said on the sign. More like ‘wait here to be acknowledged’. Minutes annoyingly went by, before finally a laid back dude came over to tell me the obvious…there’d be a wait for table. ‘We’ll sit outside’ I said. ‘I’ll be right over with your drinks while you look over the menu?'. No you weren’t!

We sat on one of only two outside benches, and then laid-back dude brought my espresso minus any sugar and minus the teas. 'Be right back' he said. After a few minutes he was back with a bowl of granulated sugar in a pot that looked like it had been taken from his grandma’s house. Still no tea. By now I was starting to regret coming here. Laid back dude then treated himself to a coffee and a smoke just a few steps away from us. I was starting to wonder if he actually worked there. To make things worse, the waterworks company rocked up armed with a pneumatic drill and proceeded to dig up a nice patch of this quiet street right behind us. Eventually, what must have been a proper waiter finally asked what we wanted to order. Hallelujah.

The menu was interesting and not overwhelmingly long. Ranging from a basic sourdough with jam/vegemite to more complex sautéed mixed mushrooms on grain toast w poached eggs and lemon herb feta or baked eggs with roast mushrooms, spicy chickpeas and spinach served with whipped feta and toasted turkish bread.
Not fancying anything too OTT we opted for scrambled eggs on sourdough toast and Maple French toast with grilled bananas and pecan nuts. And when it came to the table I was immediately impressed by the size of the portions. So pleasing to find a place where the offerings were more than generous, and, to match, the quality of both dishes was more than excellent. The French toast married so well with the grilled banana and nuts. Everything on that plate worked together sweetly and the scrambled eggs were perfectly cooked and rested on a large chunky slice of the superb Gail’s sourdough with a garnish of rocket that could have easily made it in life as a salad. I like cracked pepper on my eggs and with no pepper on the table, I thought about looking for laid back dude then thought better of it. Also missing was the ‘is everything allright.’, ‘do you need any sauces with that.’ Nor, ‘would you like anything else…’

At £5 for the eggs and £9 for the French toast I thought Lantana gave really great value for money, which made up for the disctinct lack of service. Tea was so so but I did not rate their coffee. Would I go back? Not in a hurry. The brilliant food was let down by the lack of service and comfort. It's a shame that Lantana is not that bit bigger nor more importantly that much better with their so casual service because the food absolutely rocks.

LANTANA
13 Charlotte Place, London W1T 1SN
Tel: 0207 637 3347