REVIEW: Bluebirds Cafe, King's Road, Chelsea

This review is solely for their café dining/courtyard and not to be confused with the main restaurant.

Everyone I know has heard of Bluebirds, which is located on the King's Road in Chelsea, either by word of mouth, a stroll past or from the E4 TV programme Made in Chelsea as ‘the place to be seen’. During the week this place is pretty quiet but at the weekends it’s completely full with the Chelsea locals or tourists wanting a slice of this ‘exclusive’ hang-out. The fact that this place does have an amazingly large alfresco setting for central London is definitely its biggest attraction.

I have had breakfast here a couple of time and the full English is very nice utilizing good quality products and some delicious oven roasted tomatoes. The courtyard is a lovely spot in the summer for sipping cocktails and a great place for small groups, just be prepared to queue. The Café itself is also in some need of updating, uncomfortable chairs and most of the tables are a bit wobbly.

The food at Bluebirds was completely not what I was expecting, with it always being so busy I had high expectations, but unfortunately I was let down considerably. We decided to dine from the Evening Standard offer menu, which is a re-occurrence year after year and offers great value for money, usually.

The first starter out was the spiced parsnip soup, sour cream and flatbread, though the dish seems to be missing the sour cream, the soup itself was nicely seasoned and tasted OK, but personally I have had better from a carton in the supermarket. The flatbread was very plain and a little dry. Although this menu was very cheap, I already felt as if I had been robbed.

The Terrine de Campagne with onion marmalade, cornichons and toasted ciabatta was very enjoyable, meaty, rich, lots of flavor with a nice pile of pistachios in the center. Onion marmalade brought sweetness to the dish and the bread was the perfect amount to mop it all up with.

The Fish and Chips, whiting fillets, French fries and tartar sauce looked as though it had been cooked, then thrown from one end of the kitchen onto my plate, no thought was put into presentation, it looked very sad. Three tiny pieces of plain fish in an OK batter, accompanied by what tasted like frozen skinny fries and a subtle tasting tartar sauce. This dish completely wound me up; I thought the idea of the evening standard menu offer was to entice people in to then return?

The bluebird burger, English rump steak, cheddar cheese, gherkins and relish was very sad looking indeed, as you can see from the photo. Served in a basic soft flour bun, the burger itself according to the waitress could only be served well done due to the fact the meat is not minced on site, I know other places in London who do not mince on site but are able to offer their burgers nearly mooing on my plate, maybe this problem is down to poor sourcing of their meat? There is a burger bonanza in London these days as we all know and Bluebirds are far behind, perhaps they need to catch up? Also note the burger does not come with any chips and these need to be ordered separately, which given the price of the menu this is perfectly acceptable.

There was the option for desert but sadly I didn’t feel like hanging around any longer to try it, or paying the extra £5 for it. I truly hope that the Evening Standard Menu is not a true reflection of the food in the café, but with the same dishes on the a la carte, I think it is. So if it’s the middle of summer and a hot day I highly recommend a drink in its courtyard, as to the café, give it a miss and go somewhere else.

4/10