Recently reopened and bursting with creativity, the London Transport Museum cafe is a welcome addition to the brilliant museum in Covent Garden.

The Venue
Known as The Upper Deck, the museum’s cafe is located on the first floor and above the souvenir shop which is overwhelmed by brightly-coloured and overpriced London Transport-related paraphernalia such as shirts with the Tube map printed on them and handbags made of the patterned fabric that was once used as the seating on Tubes and buses. The Upper Deck has lots of attractive features and amusing touches such as mock support structures that you find underneath railway bridges fixed into the cafe’s ceiling. A number of the seats are also the kind you find on old-style Tube carriages - a nod to the past which is important to the museum and lapped up by many of the visitors here.

The Atmosphere
Young men and women rein in their tiny tots with undignified leashes as middle-aged train enthusiasts sip soup and talk about engines. The staff are bright eyed and eager to please, no doubt due to the museum’s impressive renovation. Soothing music tends to act as nothing more than a backdrop to the delighted (or frustrated) squeals of perky toddlers. However, the general feeling is one of warmth and positivism: that under this roof, an important part of the UK’s history is being celebrated in suitably enthusiastic fashion.

The Food
The portions of the main meals are small but pleasing and perfectly adequate for lunchtime, if perhaps a little pricey for a cafe at around £6.50 - £9.50. However, the lunch menu, dinner menu and special children’s menu demonstrate the cafe’s eagerness to deliver cuisine that merits the bill. As well as reliable lunchtime fare such as soups, baguettes, sandwiches and juicy omelettes, there are also more exciting offerings such as beetroot salmon gravadlax and pumpkin risotto. The risotto is consistent and creamy with the vibrant flavour of the pumpkin complemented nicely by the added sage, all presented satisfyingly under shaved parmesan squares. The spinach and ricotta ravioli is a safe choice from this sophisticated menu. The addition of red pesto sauce doesn’t really awaken the dish like you’d hope, but the generous strips of tasty parma ham in the mix provide a nice balance to the spinach. For dessert, there is a fine array of cakes including the ever-reliable carrot which has a splendidly creamy top and an extra-crumbly texture.

The Drink
There are a number of interesting fruity, non-alcoholic fusions on the drinks menu, together with a selection of spirits, wines, beers, cocktails and Champagnes. The wines are varied and interesting; the Tinpot Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand 2005) is a delicious blend of passionfruit and blackcurrant possessing a powerful zing and rewarding depth, and the Cotes du Rhone Rouge (Louis Bernard 2005) is a gorgeously soft tipple brimming with the aroma and taste of strawberry and with an unmistakable hint of spice.

The cafe also does a range of cocktails, with the best ones being transportation-themed. The Anorak is made with whisky, cherry liqueur, vermouth and orange juice, whilst the bubbly Metropolitan is a fizzy concoction of sloe gin, blackcurrant cordial, lime, cranberry and soda. Particularly recommended is the Routemaster, a hot pink, Martini-style cocktail with a sharp kick, made with gin, grenadine and raspberry puree and garnished with an ice cube in the shape of a roundel (aka the Tube symbol).

The Last Word
As the natural conclusion to a day of enlightening yourself to the wonders of transport in London, you’d be hard pushed to improve on the Upper Deck (Seating 40, Standing 65).

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