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J&A Café
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Tricia de Courcy Ling
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By Guy Dimond
This Clerkenwell café, opened in autumn 2008, is housed in a former Victorian workshop used for cutting diamonds. As you’d expect it has lots of natural lighting, and the high ceilings, bare brick walls and large windows give it a surprisingly cosy feel, once fresh flowers and big bowls of fruit are used to decorate the bare wooden tables. The two young sisters who run this café, Johanna and Aoife Ledwidge, use good produce – organic meats, proper breads – to great effect in simple, home-style dishes. A chicken and vegetable soup is their grandmother’s recipe, and it’s rich and full-flavoured; a steak sandwich, the meat cooked rare, had all the right details with it, from a mustard and mayo dressing to ripe cherry tomatoes. The retro cakes are a hit too: Victoria sponge, coffee cake, carrot cake. J&A is now licensed (serving Languedoc wines), and is now open in the evenings Wed-Fri.
Time Out London May 2009
Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.
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Details
- 4 Sutton Lane, Clerkenwell, EC1M 5PU
- Area: Clerkenwell
- Tel: 020 7490 2992
- Category: Cafes
- Travel: Barbican tube/bus 55
- Times: 8am-6pm Mon-Fri; 10am-4pm Sat
- Price: Meal for two with wine and service: around £40
- Services:
- Available for hire: For hire in the evenings by arrangement
- Outdoor tables: Four small tables outdoors in alley
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This part always sounds a little egotistical - don't want to sound like that, so I might just tell the truth instead! I'm outgoing, impulsive,...
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I neglected to include my star rating in the earlier post, please amend.
Fantastic.
I have been to J & A twice in the past 3 weeks - entertaining my wine merchant.
Lunch was just superb, great atmosphere, wonderful location and decor. Food is perfect, home cooked style with very good service from charming attentive staff. Second visit was for the afternoon Champagne high tea - what an experience - wonderful food and scrummy home baked cakes.
My man was most impressed with the wines & fizz on offer.
Its a must for anyone with good taste.
over priced but quite nice food.
lacking atmoshphere and the staff seem to be over worked and rushed.
I love this place sooo much... food, coffee, atmosphere, staff... and most especially the victoria sponge!
J&A is amazing.
LOVE THIS PLACE & THE STAFF
This cafe is a real find, hidden off the busy road of Clerkenwell, The atmosphere is lovely and so are the staff. food is proper home cooking and real yummy cakes, upstairs they often offer some art to go browse around after lunch. 5 stars from me
I can only concur with this reviewer - excellent produce, outstanding baking, and good well presented flavours. Wine was excellent, and well priced. A friendly atmosphere and a great find.