R.I.P Le Chandelier

[DulwichFox]

Never been in.. Could not work out what it was from the outside..

I do like to be able to see what's going on.. before going in.

I made the mistake of walking into a Carpet Shop in Turkey 25-30 years ago.. Took me 2 days to get out..

Foxy

[Jah Lush]

I did that at The Drum a few times.

Like yourself I've never been in Le Chandelier either. Just never appealed.

[kimp]

I will be sad to see it go. Had my first date with my now husband there. It was my go-to place for tea and cake but now I have started frequenting Toasted and Boulangerie Jade.

I do have to say that service has gone downhill. I have posted this before but the cutlery she was bringing to us fell on the floor and the waitress asked my guest whether he would like another one instead of replacing it. The same floor with dogs and pram wheels and dusty feet!

Having said that, I liked the selection of cakes and the coffee and the pancakes!

[d.b]

Sad to see it close, always found the tea and cakes delicious and the breakfasts the best around (but then where else does kedgeree?)

Some people clearly have an issue with the manager, not something I ever experienced and I'd always take a place on its merits rather than getting personal. Service was a bit random as they always seemed to have a lot of turnover, I guess hiring inexperienced/temporary staff a lot. But it never caused a problem for us.

Also liked the cozy upstairs room which we used for a couple of family events. Hope it's replaced with something else good...

[Bellenden Belle]

Agree with Seabag - awful cafe and the Brakes van pulling up outside gave a pretty good indication of the quality of their wares. I think I once said it was all coat and no knickers.

[titch juicy]

d.b Wrote:

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> Sad to see it close, always found the tea and

> cakes delicious and the breakfasts the best around

> (but then where else does kedgeree?)

>

> Some people clearly have an issue with the

> manager, not something I ever experienced and I'd

> always take a place on its merits rather than

> getting personal. Service was a bit random as they

> always seemed to have a lot of turnover, I guess

> hiring inexperienced/temporary staff a lot. But it

> never caused a problem for us.

>

> Also liked the cozy upstairs room which we used

> for a couple of family events. Hope it's replaced

> with something else good...

Duck Egg Cafe does Kedgeree.

And Eggs Royale.

And pretty much every breakfast option you can think of.

However; the quality isn't that of Le Chandelier. They serve Eggs Royale with a hash brown and grilled tomato and the HJollandaise is a little bland.

The Eggs Royale in Boulangerie Jade doesn't cut the mustard either- eggs consistently undercooked and last time I tried the Hollandaise was cold. Nothing worse than uncooked egg white sliding all over the plate and diluting the Hollandaise.

[titch juicy]

Christ- all that makes me sound incredibly fussy.

Badly cooked eggs is a bugbear. It's really not difficult to poach or boil eggs properly.

[d.b]

I like the stuff in Jade but it's small and always too crowded. Le C doesn't try and fit so many people in and has a much nicer more relaxed vibe.

[Laddy Muck]

The two times I went there, I didn't feel comfortable and left feeling short-changed. I just didn't like it there, but that doesn't mean it was necessarily bad. I certainly didn't realise that so many other people also didn't like it. Shame really, because it was different.

[anoTher]

The ?150k price tag is a premium cost which buys you in to a ?33k p/a FRI lease. ie you does your own refurb, maintainence and insurance. Still not bad considering the former HSBC on LL is on at ?100 grand a year... gulp. (Clearly negotiable)

[Seabag]

I prefer Gail's

Discuss

[maxxi]

Laddy Muck Wrote:

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> The two times I went there, I didn't feel

> comfortable and left feeling short-changed. I

> just didn't like it there, but that doesn't mean

> it was necessarily bad. I certainly didn't

> realise that so many other people also didn't like

> it. Shame really, because it was different.

Never ate in there - but that stupid little turd-stacking bike thing parked outside got up my nose in an irrational way. Any business still using a vintage bike outside deserves short shrift (Wm Rose think on)

[DovertheRoad]

Seabag Wrote:

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> I prefer Gail's

>

> Discuss

Well you know your sourdough Seabag. And Gails bread isn't all that good IMO. For the sd lover, Brickhouse, Jade and the place on NCR market all better...other attributes aside.

[first mate]

In my experience Brickhouse too clinical, Cafe Jade LL similarly characterless and, in my experience, indifferent service.

[DovertheRoad]

I was just talking purely about the sourdough....

[DulwichFox]

Appears that it's still open. ??

Maybe I should give it a go...

I'll take my tape measure with me.. :)

Foxy

[first mate]

Yesterday I was assured by one of the staff that they are definitely not closing.

[bodsier]

Good, glad to hear it first mate, their eggs royale and Benedictine are great, it's a great place to go for a relaxed breakfast. The service has always been nice and friendly when I have been there. Also I spoke to the owner once and mentioned cakes for people with allergies, and she listened and sorted it. She remembered me and approached me about it. I will always always visit an independent such as this rather than the chains. The saying if you don't like it tell us, if you do tell others is an important message, particularly for independent businesses who can really suffer with bad press. The fact that is being there for so long is a testament to the place I believe. Chains don't care about bad press, they can afford good marketing that will counteract it.

[Penguin68]

I doubt if the cafe will close voluntarily until and if the remaining lease is sold (as I have said above). Which is not to say that, if an acceptable offer were made, it wouldn't close like a shot. As time passes, the residual lease is worth increasingly less, so if the 'owner' is serious about selling, some review of the price being asked needs to be made. However, I am sure it is right that there are no immediate plans for closure. Even if there were, the management style frequently evidenced would suggest that the staff working there might well be the last to know.

[Seabag]

Will they be serving Hot X Buns ?

[Seabag]

DovertheRoad Wrote:

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> Seabag Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I prefer Gail's

> >

> > Discuss

>

> Well you know your sourdough Seabag. And Gails

> bread isn't all that good IMO. For the sd lover,

> Brickhouse, Jade and the place on NCR market all

> better...other attributes aside.

I've been scratching my head, humming and ar'ing...

Then I realised who you are DTR.......like DUH !

And other than the bread,which I'm not disliking, I do quite like 'Gail's World'

Fancy a coffee soon ?

[LadyNorwood]

Every loaf I've ever had from Gail's almost dislocated my jaw trying to eat - dry and inedible (no, I wasn't trying to eat it whole before the smartarse remarks); the staff in DV branch are too busy looking cool and aloof to clear tables or sweep the floor...

Seabag Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> DovertheRoad Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Seabag Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> > > I prefer Gail's

> > >

> > > Discuss

> >

> > Well you know your sourdough Seabag. And Gails

> > bread isn't all that good IMO. For the sd

> lover,

> > Brickhouse, Jade and the place on NCR market

> all

> > better...other attributes aside.

>

> I've been scratching my head, humming and

> ar'ing...

>

> Then I realised who you are DTR.......like DUH !

>

> And other than the bread,which I'm not disliking,

> I do quite like 'Gail's World'

>

> Fancy a coffee soon ?

[Mick Mac]

???? Wrote:

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> 2 reasons for me.

>

> Threatening the forum legally rather than

> responding or ignoring criticism - the Greek place

> did this too, so as a matter of principle I

> wouldn't go; secondly, rather than explicitly

> saying don't come in with babies/prams just making

> it really clear you weren't welcome, was really

> unpleasant to have been there for a few years no

> problem and then when you had kids - it was like a

> passive aggressive '@#$%& off' Couldn't be arsed

> with that. Not been in there for 10 years or so

Exactly my experience. They wouldn't let me and Mrs M have a seat in the front as we had a small buggy with sleeping baby, despite the fact that we had easily fitted it in a little corner and it wasn't in the way. There was no other space so it pretty much meant we had to get up again and reverse out. They could have told us this before we settled down.

5 years ago and chose not to go there again.

I think they had an "aspiration" in terms of what type of client they wanted - trouble is if you piss off enough people....

[bodsier]

Maybe they are conscious of being sued. I know that the 1 o'clock club in myatts field stopped serving coffee because there was an incident in the local library with a hot drink and a child. The council were sued. Admittedly I have never been there with a buggy, it didn't seem a good idea as there isn't that much space to put it anywhere safely, as is the case in many cafes. I use cafes as a place to relieve myself from parenting, (and still do, which is probably one of the reasons why I like it there. Park cafes seem better equipped for that, so I would go there. I went to the chandelier yesterday, staff were friendly, decent service. I sat by the door, and did notice someone trying to enter with a pram being turned away, I even suggested that the pram be. Tucked beside my single seat, but staff declined, politely, (admittedly it wasn't ideal, but I was just trying to be accommodating). Maybe a sign would be an idea just explaining their situation, but other than that I think they are a decent cafe.

[Nigello]

It is common sense that not everyone can accommodate a pushchair so I think it is fair for cafes to (sometimes) say no, politely - in the same way they would to someone who was carrying large amounts of luggage, for example. Nobody is going to run off with a buggy, especially if it is being eyed from the inside by the owner so it's not too much of an ordeal to be asked to not bring it in.

People shouldn't take it as a slight or an assault on their (or their baby's) sense of self (but I have seen reactions that fit that description, alas).