Cafe Rouge

Another day of staycation, and as we had been to the exhibition of funerary decorations at the Korean Cultural Centre at the top of Northumberland Avenue (well worth a visit before September), Cafe Rouge at the top of Villiers Street was a reasonable choice.
I have been to CR many times, and it represents predictable eating, sometimes with French flair. They all look pretty much the same as a mock French Bistro. I tried the set lunch at £8.95 for two courses.
I tried to check on line for exactly what I had, but what is on their website does not match.

I had a somewhat strange meal of mushrooms followed by mushroom. The starter as shown above is a sauteed mushroom in a light sauce with excellent French bread. This was followed by linguine with mushroom (not very French). The linguine dish was a trifle bland, but both dishes scored an 8 on the CHOF scale. Ruth had the Salmon fishcakes with chips, which was deemed to be excellent.
I came away with the feeling that I might have been better served by the main menu, and that having opted for the set lunch, I got something more suited to English taste. Given that London is awash with international olympic visitors, this may be what is being sought. I am pleased to see that unlike some cities, the Olympics have not been a reason to escalate prices noticeably. Others may think differently.
With one beer and a coffee, the bill came to £25 without service. I just had it in my head that it might be a bit more French, and I guess I should have gone for the main menu which looked a bit more promising. However at the price, it is difficult to complain. It made a change from sandwiches.