Both MJ and I have been eyeing Salvo’s Caffe for quite a few months. It’s such an intriguing looking spot, and its lunchtime menu offering three courses for £6.95 piqued our interest, considerably. On my way back from a meeting in the west of the city, I took the opportunity to stop off and pay it a visit.

Exterior

The place is full of character and charm, with photos and pictures from the classic era of Hollywood cinema. They have an excellent selection of books about the silver screen, for you to peruse as you dine, too. It has the air of a diner that should be full of Italian-American characters, eating meatballs and spaghetti.

In reality, it was a little sparsely populated, today, so my attention soon turned to their menu. It offered all-day breakfast options, a range of drinks and snacks, as well as their set lunch.

Soup

The options were quirky to the point of Quixotic. For starters, you could choose from soup, today minestrone or lentil, nachos, or potato wedges. The main courses were similarly diverse, with choices being veggie pasta, chicken curry, lasagne, fish & chips, or spaghetti bolognese.

I chose lentil soup, then veggie pasta. The third course was their dessert of the day, which turned out to be chocolate cake.

Interior

Soup arrived at a considerable rate of knots. It looked a little pale, but once I’d dived in it proved to be really good. Quite a light lentil broth was augmented with good chunks of carrot, celery and potato. It was beautifully seasoned, making it a complete joy to eat.

The main course was nowhere near the same quality. It was a simple plate of pasta sustenance, but little beyond.

Cake

I’m no great devotee of dessert, but the concluding piece of chocolate cake was really very good. The charming and understated owner, in between singing along to the wonderful soundtrack of 80s power ballads, modestly admitted it was bought in from a nearby bakery, rather than fashioned on the premises, but whatever the case I was very pleased with it.

So overall, I was delighted with Salvo’s Caffe. The food is quite good and the price is right, but it’s such a characterful spot that those considerations are almost secondary. This is just a great little place to hang out, while Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant and Richard Widmark look on. If you’ve not visited, or you have but not for a while, I’d urge you to pop in and sample its undoubted charms.

Scores

Blythe scores Salvo Caffe
3.5/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
4/5 for setting
3.5/5 for service
giving an overall 14/20

Today’s quester was: Blythe

I ate: lentil soup; pasta; chocolate cake

I drank: water

I wore: blue suit

Total bill: £6.95