Pavilion Café

Time Out says

Thu Oct 18 2012

This café has a captive market and knows it. Set in a clearing surrounded by the ancient trees of Highgate Wood, sporting a large terrace inside a picket fence, it’s pure English idyll. Families, joggers and walkers (with or without dogs) are its main customers, and it’s easy to see why complaints about service never register – a steady stream of punters continues to arrive despite long waits for attention, food and bills.

On a chilly lunchtime, with very few tables occupied, we still waited almost 50 minutes for our main courses, while later arrivals were already on their pudding. The menu lists the usual standards (burger and chips, pitta and dips, pasta), but the specials board tries harder. We oped for roast salmon steak stuffed with soft cheese and chives, and paprika-marinated rump steak with chips. Both were decently cooked, although the salmon was a stingy portion, padded out by a mountain of potatoes. More pleasing was lemon polenta cake (and their plum muffin is a local legend). If you’re in a hurry, the kiosk round the side serves ice-creams, coffees and snacks speedily in summer.