Harden's says
The team behind 40 Maltby Street have teamed up with chef Anna Tobias (P Franco, Rochelle Canteen) at this site, which takes over a greasy spoon of the same name.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“A small but perfectly crafted menu” from former Rochelle Canteen chef Anna Tobias wins admirers for her revamped greasy spoon in Bloomsbury, opened five years ago with help from the 40 Maltby Street team. “The ingredients are the star and the dishes sing – everything is so deliciously scrumptious”, say fans – “there’s no frill or nonsense here, just Flavour with a capital F”. There’s an undercurrent of feeling, though, that the prices charged might justify a little more pizzazz.
Summary
“Really nice, and often outstanding dishes” are acclaimed by most reports on this former greasy spoon in Bloomsbury from ex-Rochelle Canteen chef Anna Tobias and the 40 Maltby Street team: and they say the simple, modern bistro dishes are backed up by a “very fair wine list” with a “good selection of natural wines”. (A more sceptical, minority view is that “although the place hits the nerve of the Zeitgeist – with food suggesting honesty and simplicity, complete with an air of sophistication – its success is a pricey London phenomenon possibly explained by the decline in home cooking”).
Summary
The “superb neighbourhood café we’d all love to have around the corner” – this upgraded greasy spoon “in a dead area of Bloomsbury” provides “particularly tasty, modern French fare” realised with a “delicious and light” touch by co-founder Anna Tobias, former head chef at Rochelle Canteen.
Summary
“It can feel a little uncomfortable” and “canteen-like”, but this converted greasy spoon in Bloomsbury (nowadays a ‘bar, restaurant and wine shop’) belies its looks by serving “imaginative seasonal cooking from a constantly changing menu reflecting the availability of ingredients”. The involvement of chef Anna Tobias (who’s worked with a host of star chefs) and the hip 40 Maltby Street team hasn’t harmed its PR – our feedback is positive, but not quite at the level of raves from the likes of Grace Dent and Tom Parker Bowles.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Café Deco?
43 Store Street, London, WC1E 7DB
Restaurant details
Café Deco Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Such a great place, very handy for the British Museum, it's small and quaint, the service is very good and the cooking is fantastic, they manage to make the simplest dishes sing. It's hard to choose what to have because you know it's all going to be great. We tend to order a mix of things and share it all. Some small plates to start with the iconic egg mayonaise with it's criss cross of anchovies is perfection. Radishes and a herby cheese also amazing. Salads always sound so simple here but they are totally wow factor and delicious, we had a cauliflower in a curry vinagrette. The menu changes every week. divine."
"We like the food"
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £39.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
43 Store Street, London, WC1E 7DB
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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