Argentina meets New Zealand at Lola and Simon, a wonderful neighbourhood café-cum-restaurant that keeps locals satisfied from morning until night.

The Venue
This part of King Street in Hammersmith is much more interesting for foodies than its nearby chain-heavy neighbour Chiswick High Road. Whether its Indian Zing’s formidable cooking a few hundred yards to the left or 101 Thai Kitchen’s authentic menu to the right of Lola and Simon’s front door, you can find independent restaurants serving quality cuisine from all over the world. It’s a welcome antidote to the typical high street.

Lola and Simon has been around for 3 years or so, and with one Kiwi owner and one Argentinean owner, it’s built-up a much-loved relationship with locals. From first thing in the morning they knock out the best coffee (Monmouth) for miles around and they keep ticking along at a steady pace right through breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Special events are a regular feature - wine tasting, empanadas evenings and even tango-themed nights pull in the punters.

The Atmosphere
Like any good independent business, repeat custom is very much at the heart of the day-to-day. Eavesdrop fellow diners’ conversation and you may well hear one of them being reminded of the wine they ordered not just the night before but the night preceding that too.

Saturday lunchtimes are massively popular, as couples with babies and toddlers in tow squeeze themselves in alongside twentysomething girlfriends having a catch-up and a good spread of local residents of all ages who come for a hangover cure or a hearty bite to eat. During the day it feels more like a café/restaurant; come evening-time it's very much a restaurant and the pretty fairylights and candles create a very pleasant atmosphere, as do the efficient, courteous and professional staff.

The Food
The menu is influenced by New Zealand and Argentina but they co-exist rather than go for a full-on fusion. Probably for the best. The empanadas feature on the starter menu and come in two varieties: minced beef or sweetcorn and béchamel sauce. The meaty versions are like a spicy pasty and the sweet, seasoned mince is mixed with onion, egg and even raisins. They cost £5.95 for two, and go well with a leafy salad on the side.

Mains again represent both countries, with a pink and tender New Zealand lamb (£15.75) flecked in a crunchy dukkha seasoning (crushed nuts and seeds) impressing for both taste and presentation. It’s served on top of a bed of mashed sweet potato with a criss-cross of balsamic and pesto turning the plate into a mini work of art. Alternatively, a chicken breast (£14.45) served on a spicy bed of lentils, beans and sliced chorizo, or lentejas to give it its proper name, has a slick of sour cream around the edges to complement the spicy stew. Sides of salads or daily specials like the garlicky courgettes (£4.30) are fresh and more than enough for one portion to be shared by two people.

If you visit Lola and Simon during the day, the cakes may well start winking at you as they sit twinkling under the lights on the counter. A huge slab of ginger cake (£5.80) makes it onto the evening menu and it is not quite hot enough to make it into the groan-inducing category but it’s enjoyable all the same. Their remix of an Eton mess is a good choice. It’s served frozen and in a terrine-shape – long, rectangular, flat - with white chocolate and strawberries studded all the way through. A delightful little number.

The Drink
Lola and Simon excel on two parts of their drinks menu: coffee and wine. Hands-down the best coffee in the area, their flat whites have the power to transport you Down Under within a flash and show just why many of the best coffee houses in London are run by Aussies and Kiwis. The wine hits all the right buttons too. Selecting big, bold and juicy numbers from the New World, you can be sure to get plenty of bang for your buck. A bottle of the Luigi Bosco Malbec at £27 a pop is a case in point. The many Antipodeans who visit also love to slurp on the Mac’s Gold beer in bottles.

The Last Word
Argentina and New Zealand may not seem like the most obvious of bedfellows, but at Lola and Simon they combine to create a harmonious mix. In doing so, the owners have created a place that every foodie and wine fan hopes to find on their doorstep: an independent neighbourhood restaurant that makes you want to return time and time again.

venue information venue map view london review write a review image gallery (9) book a table