Restaurants

The granddaddy of London’s cool, New York-style bars (bare brick, battered sofas… it all started here), Cantaloupe is as popular as ever. Therein lies the problem. On a Wednesday night the place was packed to its exposed pipework – and as the eating area is only a step away from the drinking denizens, we were in for a noisy night. That said, the menu is simple and, in the main, well-executed. A starter salad of avocado, papaya, palmitos (palm hearts), grapefruit and toasted cashews had a wonderfully tangy lime and chilli dressing, yet a fish cake tasted odd and unfishy. Tender, juicy Argentinian steak came with good chunky chips. Moqueca (a Brazilian casserole with seafood, tomatoes and cashews) was well-spiced with the right balance of chilli to coconut-milk, but the accompanying moros y cristianos (rice and peas) were dry. The strong Latin wine list contains plenty of low-end bottles, though our waitress served us with a more expensive malbec than we’d chosen, and we were charged for it. Despite this, we reckon Cantaloupe to be a fine destination for stomach-fillers. Check the website for special offers.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009