[title]
How much fun you have at Feya will depend almost entirely on your love of pink and tolerance of feyness. The café’s vibe is girly with a capital G; the ceiling is covered in cherry blossom, and the decor is all soft pinks and pale greys.
As for the food, everything looks a treat – delightfully arranged and very colourful, often finished with an edible nasturtium – but we’re talking assembling, rather than cooking. A short menu lists open sandwiches, salads and tarts; there are brunch dishes at weekends, such as a decent avocado on toast (its spin involves beet houmous) and a gimmicky ‘pinky promise’ (pink porridge with berries, coconut chips, pecans, pumpkin seeds and, yes, edible flowers). Much comes in gluten-free and vegan varieties, but gluten-free ‘happiness pancakes’ were disappointing discs, resembling shop-bought scotch pancakes, and not a patch on the regular version we could see on a neighbouring table. Things were slightly rescued by the topping: a medley of banana, blueberries, peanut butter, maple syrup and coloured whipped cream piped into flower shapes.
A better bet for the gluten-intolerant – and the nicest thing we tried – was a gooey chocolate cake, which more than lived up to its name. Owner Zahra Khan is particularly keen on baking, and cakes (regular, gluten-free and vegan) are a strength, baked offsite, but specifically by and for Feya; the selection includes salted caramel brownies, pasteis de nata, a variety of sponge cakes and a glass case of jewel-like patisserie.
Coffee is respectable stuff, made with Ozone beans on a Marzocco machine, and fine teas come from Kusmi, but at Sunday brunch off-beat lattes (gold turmeric, emerald matcha), juices and smoothies seemed more popular; a spritely glass of ‘good greens’ juice went down a treat.
Service was erratic, which, together with a very visible queue, made for a slightly stressful meal. Come prepared to pose, photograph your food, and revel in the artifice, but bear in mind that the experience will not come cheap – this is Marylebone, after all.