The Monocle Café
The Monocle Café is a chic small café nested in Marylebone opposite Chiltern Firehouse by the printed magazine with the same name Monocle. It offers great coffee and food with a Japanese flair, along with Swedish pastries and cakes from Lanka. Seating for the café is limited so if you want to sit in to eat you need to get there early. It can become crammed during lunchtimes with people coming in and out.
The Monocle Café
The Monocle Café interior palette is simply plain white walls, walnut coloured wood for countertops, tables and chairs with splashes of black accents for decoration. You order by the counter and get given an acrylic block with a number. Seats are first to come first serve, Japanese katsu sando is all the rage right now popularised by TA TA Eatery. A little quick google online for katsu sando led me to go check out The Monocle Café.
The main menu consists of Japanese food, from katsu sandos, to curries, open sandwiches, tacos and Japanese breakfast. Drinks, you have coffees, teas, and even cocktails. There are also sweet treats with lots of matcha flavoured goodies available.
Since I can make my own chicken & pork katsu easily at home, I’ve yet to master making prawn tempuras and breaded prawns. I went for the prawn option.
katsu sando
Shrimp katsu sandwich £8.50
How does it taste?
On the plate you get three prawn shrimps, layered in crisp iceberg lettuce and homemade tartar sauce, it is all sandwich between thick toasted pillowy bread. Accompanied by pickled flavour crisps, and gherkins. The combination of sharp tartare and acidic pickles really made the sandwiched instead of the usual Japanese mayo or Worchester sauce, made it more unique.
The Monocle Café does great matcha lattes, the matcha powder they use is decent quality and you even get a little piece of chocolate to have with your drink.
Overall, I really enjoyed the katsu sandos from The Monocle Café and eat time I visit for lunch I’m always getting the same dish.
The Monocle Café
Information
For more information, visit The Monocle Café site.
London Café
18 Chiltern Street
W1U 7QA
+44 20 7135 2040
