This cute cafe-bar welcomes your tired feet for breakfast, lunch or cocktails. There is nothing elaborate or pretentious about this place so just sit down, take a deep breath, and relax.

The Venue
Coco Momo entices you with a beautiful and cheerful shade of olive green, the colour in which the outside of this pretty and historical building is painted, and some elegant wooden chairs and tables, ideal to people watch on the busy and upmarket Marylebone High Street.

Once inside, the decor is understated and somehow you wish it wasn’t that way since the venue - lively, busy and loved by locals - has a lot of personality which could be expressed in a more individual manner through the decor. The cafe-bar spreads over a square room: two sides look out through big windows (also ideal to people watch), one wall is made of red bricks and the last side has a bar and the kitchen.

The furnishing is very simple - wooden tables cut in square and round shapes are flanked by typical bistro chairs, both are stripped of their varnish to add a touch of personality. On one side, a large booth in grey leather can accommodate one large group or two smaller ones.

The only accents of decor are two glass-drop chandeliers, original wooden screens for the windows and two metal stars by a mirror on one wall. There is plenty of light even though the old wooden floor is very dark.

The Atmosphere
It is blatantly obvious that Coco Momo is loved by locals. The cafe is filled to capacity at lunchtime and the weekends are even busier, when the attractive shops on the high street entice a big crowd. At night Coco Momo serves only drinks and the cocktails are a good enough reason to stop by.

The clientele is composed of people in their thirties, just as interested in having a meal as they are in enjoying an afternoon coffee.

At times, you may have to fight for a table. Despite this the staff are attentive and quick and will help you find a seat even at the busiest times.

The Food
The menu is svelte yet well structured. For £6 you can grab a couple of dishes from the flexible lunch menu. Take your pick from soup of the day, salad or a hot wrap. For something more substantial, they serve one antipasti platter (£9), a selection of salads (£6.90-£9.95), sandwiches (£6.70-7.30) and a full list of mains.

There is space for healthy options like the ultimate salad (red chard, rocket, mung beans, soya beans, broccoli, mixed seeds and alfa alfa, with optional chicken and minute steak). The ingredients are super fresh and the broccoli steamed to perfection. Another great option is the grilled goat’s cheese, shredded red cabbage, red onion, beetroot and capers with balsamic vinegar. For something more comforting, the daily-changing soups are creamy and very flavourful especially if the parsnip soup is on.

For mains, you can pick from breakfast options, burgers and other dishes like salmon fish cakes, rib-eye steak and even steamed mussels. The spinach and ricotta risotto with lemon oil and parmesan is rich and smooth; it’s nothing like a stodgy risotto. The flavours are predictably delicate, as is often the case with rice cooked this way, but the whole thing is creamy and runny rather then stuck together. The cheese is a strong component and overpowers the spinach somewhat, but the dish, as a whole, is a success, although you may wish for a bit less oil drizzled on top.

If you are one of those persons using chips as a benchmark, CocoMomo scores well in this department: the hand cut chips (£2.75) are fat, fresh and well-cooked.

The desserts will finish you off nicely. There is nothing too elaborate here but you will find simple puds done well. Take your pick between chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream (£4.70), sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream (£4.70) and a selection of Judes ice creams (£3.50). The brownie is scrumptious, it is served soft in the middle and just a bit harder to the fork on the top. The vanilla ice cream shows signs of vanilla seeds and melts just like it should. There are no nasty chemicals in this product. Other ice creams include the tempting pistachio, a quality chocolate flavour with bits of dark chocolate shavings in it. And there are sorbets, including elderflower, if you want to freshen up your palette.

The Drink
Cocktails are popular in the evenings, while wine is a good option throughout the day. You can pick from a dozen whites, as many reds, a few rose (£3.65-£6.35 for a small glass; £4.90-£8.55 for a large; £14.65-£43.55 per bottle) and a selection of sparkling and Champagne (£24.55-£60 per bottle). Fancy a beer? Choose from Erdinger Leffe, Bitburger and Kirin on draught and bottled Corona and Duvel Brooklyn Lager (£3.35-£4.80).

The highlight of Coco Momo, though, is the short but well structured cocktail list. You can choose from a handful of classics, nicely priced at £6.50-£6.80. The Chocolate Truffle Martini (cream, chocolate, almond liqueur and Italian brandy) is not all that classic but forget technicalities and enjoy its rich smoothness. Other options include Orange Pop (vanilla vodka, fresh orange juice, lemonade and cinnamon) and Champagne cocktails (£7.50) like Bellini and Kir Royale. The non-alcoholic cocktails (£3) are also very good and a great addition to the menu of CocoMomo since the place is so popular during the day. Pick the Ginger Alert (pear and apple mixed with ginger ale) for something unusual. The pear makes the drink round and smooth but wait for the ginger kick at the end. The Mint Zing (made with cucumber) and the Raspberry Cooler are also popular options.

The Last Word
Coco Momo is an ideal stop when all you want to do is sit down, enjoy a bite to eat and sip a nice coffee. Perhaps the only thing this bar could do is add a few more individual flourishes to its design but, given the location, it is a great choice.

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