Restaurants

October 2009: The café formerly known as The Place Below has been renamed to Café Below. Other changes to the eatery include new menus which now also feature meat and fish alongside the usual daily-changing vegetarian options. Our original review is below.

Quiches, salads and filling breakfasts are the order of the day in this subterranean café below Bow Bells (St Mary-le-Bow) church in the Square Mile. The menu, dished out canteen-style before you retreat to a pew, varies daily but that old veggie staple the quiche is reliably churned out; scrumptious fillings might include mushroom and smoked cheddar, served with nondescript salad leaves and very good rosemary new potatoes. You can also choose from soups (displaying creative tinkerings like minestrone with Thai flavours); ‘healthbowls’ of rice and puy lentils in a tamari and sesame dressing; imaginative ciabatta sandwiches (sweet potato, olive tapenade and goat’s cheese); and a hot dish such as leek and lentil bake served with patatas bravas. The setting is key here – the cool, cavernous crypt offering a respite to overstretched City folk and older patrons who appreciate the calm atmosphere and simple, satisfying food. Take note, bargain hunters: prices are dropped either side of peak serving times (11.30am-noon and 1.30-2.30pm).

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009