Crema Brewery - Central Dr, Hornchurch

Richly decorated in photo 's of classic blues and rock 'n ' roll musicians, with oodles of local artwork slathered all over the walls; La Provencal Café has a welcoming and addictive home spun atmosphere that is rather refreshing to see on the corner of a busy junction in Herne Hill. Surprised by this I didn 't really know what to expect as I sat down to my table, and I must confess I was quite enjoying the informal ambience that filled the air. The prices on the eclectic dinner menu (around £20 £25 a head for a three course meal with drinks), at a glance, seemed adequate in regards to what was on offer; on closer inspect however, once reading past the exciting offerings such as Moroccan Spices or Thai Fishcakes, I came to realise that what I was really looking at merely burgers and chips, or stuffed peppers, disguised with fancy trimmings. I opted for the Pan Fried Butterfish Fillet with Sauteed Butternut Squash and Spinach with Sun Dried Tomato and Olive Dressing, yet was severely disappointed to find that the fish was bland and far too over cooked, and that as much could be said for the vegetables. Despite it 's inviting wine menu, I was more than disappointed with La Provencal Café, and almost succumbed to feeling foolish for not paying heed to it 's garish orange sign. But if you 're not overly concerned with the quality (and choice for that matter) of your food, and opt for atmosphere and good service then maybe this is the place for you.

I dunno what it is about this place. I 've been by a number of times, always thinking I should pop in, seems a nice place to while away an afternoon with a book and a coffee and maybe some soup . So today, I finally went in. I don 't quite know how to describe it, but the mood was... frenetic. there was too much going on and too many people in such a small place, and the waitstaff and whatnot didn 't seem like they knew what was going on. I couldn 't move or get a seat or anything. I finally just ordered a coffee to go and stood there, dodging the waiters trying to get the bar staff to make their stuff, watching as a tray of drinks cooled on the bar. It seemed like a lot of ado, but not much actually happening. Finally got my coffee to go... in a polystyrene cup. Without a drinks lid sort of thing. Now, this is Herne Hill, all organic and/or fair trade and/or ethical, all the time. And it 's still, technically, the EU. I didn 't even know that polystyrene cups were still legal. And then I had to tear the lid to drink from it. And then it was the worst cup of coffee I can remember. Now, this is including several cups of instant I had while working in rural Uganda Zambia, when I was desperate for coffee after long terrible trips and hadn 't settled on just having tea. I wanted to like this place before I came in. That 's why it 's got 2 stars instead of 1.

I've often slow walked past this lovely local cafe restaurant so I could peek in at the interesting things they have on the walls, but my first proper visit wasn't until yesterday. I found the atmosphere as cosy and down to earth as the decor, there's absolutely loads to look at and my friend and I were made to feel very welcome the moment we entered. I had the vegetarian brunch minus eggs and it was good, if not amazing. £6.95 got me beans, portobello mushrooms, tomatoes and sauteed potatoes (no toast or hot drink, unfortunately and as they're relatively bland foods at the best of times I don't think it's fair to use the dish as an indicator of the others they serve. The decadent ****** Mary my friend and I each enjoyed was absolutely splendid though, with just the right amount of spice. I'd love to go back to Cafe Prov it's a short walk from my house, it's got a great buzz to it and a good ****** Mary can be hard to find but although they seem open to alternative diets, in reality there's very little on their menu that can be adapted for vegans. The rest of you should get down there though, I'll just amuse myself at the bar ;

Cafe, bar, restaurant, whatever, smack in the centre of Herne Hill. Lovely, lovely atmos chilled as you like, plenty of paintings on the walls, mismatched furniture you know the drill. Then there's toys for kids in the corner (mothers will be pleased), entertainment for adults hidden in the tables. There's a small menu for meals the food is great but rather expensive, and service is lovely but rather slow. It's an awesome place to come for a catchup with your ladyfriends particularly if you can secure one of the sofas but the money factor detracts a bit it seems a touch out of touch with the demographic and the feeling. Or maybe I'm just getting tight in my old age.

Sounds like it's french from its names, but its not, its a modern European cafe style resteraunt with quirky decor great music and good food. there was plenty of choice for me as a veggie and the staff are freindly.