Honest vegetarian goodness in the heart of the (Covent) Garden.

The Venue
If you can pry your attention away from the busy facade of brightly-painted windows and balconies overflowing with evergreen vines, you might find World Food Cafe's small entrance next to Neal's Yard Remedies.

The Cafe sits atop the Remedies store, in a bright and airy space overlooking the courtyard. An eatery today, this room was once part of the studios in which Monty Python's Flying Circus was produced. The kitchen sits in the middle of the room within a red bar enclave. Diners can sit on the black generic bar stools that line the wood-topped bar or plastic yellow chairs alongside the sturdy wooden tables that occupy the rest of the floor.

The Atmosphere
The walls are decorated according to the worldly theme: pictures, not unlike those found in National Geographic magazine, hang on the white walls. In the open kitchen, helpers seem to be always busy putting together salads and spooning heaps of pre-cooked foods onto plates for serving. The loud (but not jarring) ethnic music serves as a tempo for them to follow. Pick your desired dish off the menu board, order at the cashier and the helper will serve you when ready. Pay after you've eaten; the prices are what they are and, as indicated by the sign above the tip jar, service charge is included - but you’ll probably tip anyway, for their honesty.

The Food
It is clear why this place is popular with more than just vegetarians and vegans: the generous portions of meat-free dishes are not simply healthy, the flavours are robust. Served over steamed brown rice, the Spicy Indian Vegetable Masala (£7.25) is indeed spicy, and very tangy. This stew makes up for its concentrated zest with a wide variety of vegetables. The textures in this dish also hold well together - chewy husks of the brown rice compliment the soft-but-not-mushy vegetables. If the Indian Masala stew is too heavy for your palate, try the Mexican-style tacos or quesadilla - they come packed with large handfuls of raw vegetables. Alternatively, hop on to a dish of another region - the world is your garden here.

The Drink
World Food Cafe serves a variety of juices, smoothies and teas. There is also free self-serve tap water on the counter.

The Last Word
A good place for a healthy and filling lunch or tea. Prices are as good as it can get for such a central location.

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