I really wasn’t sure about this place at all. I am not convinced it knows what it is or what it’s target audience is. I wasn’t a huge fan of the over glam decor though I recognise that lots of people will love it and the atmosphere was stuffy.

I found the service from the start a tiny bit stiff and not very welcoming. This was compounded when we were sat in the middle of a section of tables that were a wedding party (we the only ones not involved) which was a bit odd, especially as we had booked days in advance. It made the atmosphere very odd indeed and I’m really not sure why they did that. Do not sit near the bar, the loud coffee machine or whatever it is, makes it impossible to hold a conversation and it really is an atmosphere killer.

The fussy menu is also not really for me (and I like many types of cuisine and styles) but who really wants a champagne dressing on a jacket potato? It’s all a bit try hard. It also seems overpriced and all just a bit odd, like it was designed by the marketing department, not by the chef. Wine pricing by the glass is also not good, especially for something that describes itself occasionally as a wine bar. Only 25p difference between small and medium glass of wine. Most wine oriented places are a bit more favourable with their pricing. Very weird and not transparent pricing structure, designed solely to get you to have a large glass (£10.50). I like to try lots of different glasses with my food and this put me off doing so as it was poor value and I wasn’t going to sit there at lunch time having several large glasses of wine with my sandwich (who is??). Ultimately for them I ended up spending not as much as I would have.

For me, the food was nice, it was fine, I had a croque Madame (I knew it was Madame because I was corrected by the waiter), and it was tasty, if a bit dry, but we are talking about cafe food and at £14.50 it doesn’t reflect that.

I wouldn’t go again. We often go to the Cheese Rooms and I’d say their menu is much more exciting and food orientated and better value too. There are better places on Rochester High St.