It’s always a good idea to check out the neighbourhood before you move in. Some Sundays ago, I went to look at a house on Lennox Street, close to Portobello. With an hour to kill before I met a friend, I stumbled across Lennox Cafe Bistro, a very attractive, busy, and bustling little spot in the middle of a residential city centre street.
Time for cake. Cake and coffee for one. Lennox Cafe is unashamedly going for the urbanite / hipster/ yummy mummy/ metrosexual dollar (Do metrosexuals still exist, or have they been replaced by newbersexuals, or some other marketing shazzah? And they spend dollars, right?). Anyway, Lennox is a very pleasant, fresh, and clean place, full of fancy, swirly, light-coloured patterns against white walls. It reminded me a little of The Cake Cafe.
The service was relaxed and genuinely friendly. It’s the kind of place where the staff speak to you like you’re a person, and you respond in kind. This is the type of interaction that’s sadly lacking in customer-waiter relationships; too often these encounters are either aloof, condescending, or overbearing.
Oh yeah, the food. Lovely. I had for the jammy bakewell tart (€5.50) because it was the last dessert on the planet, but it was sweet, crumbly, and very fresh. It went very well with a delicious latte (€3.10) and a big glass of top quality orange juice (€3.50), the type that’s normally only found on holidays.
The Sunday brunch menu looked great, while the mains include bruschetta (€8.50), pan fried mackerel (€10.95), burger and chips or fish, chips, and mushy peas (both €14.95), or steak, mushrooms and chips for €19.95. Not the cheapest place, not too dear either. Everyone else’s food looked great, so I’ll check out the dinner sometime. We’ll see if I end up living close by.
Tuesday 27 July, 2010 at 11:08 am
Went here for a summery Sunday brunch a few weeks ago – and found it heavenly. I had pancakes and tea in the most adorable little tea cups! Thought the service was excellent too.
This is one spot I’ll be going back to!
Tuesday 27 July, 2010 at 11:41 am
I definitively recommend the area to live in!
Another place that you might want to check out next time you are around: Dolls / Bibi cafe on Ovoca road.
I like it even more!
Thursday 29 July, 2010 at 8:02 am
I have been here loads of times for lunch and always enjoy it. Food is really good quality and really tasty. Have had the club sandwich which is delicious and the fish and chips. Love the way they serve water with mint and lemon. Just makes tap water that bit more interesting! I would definitely recommend it
Friday 10 September, 2010 at 1:30 am
really great place…. been there a lot, however recently the service and menu have suffered. Kiwi manager is really nice, runs a tight professional ship… however when he’s not around the place tends to slug along.
Frozen chips and clouseau-esque waitering kept me away for a while…. this seems to have be remedied of late (01.09.2010)
Bring back the fish pie and the Chicken a broccoli bake!!