Problem
Where to get coffee and cake in Windsor and Eton?
Answer
We dashed along the pedestrian street where Windsor and Eton meet - very confusingly one side of the river is called Windsor, the other Eton, but the whole area is Windsor - I spent ages on the internet trying to work out which branch I had been in.
We opted for Caffe Nero because it's a big chain we know and other places looked like restaurants and we were' sure they would serve only coffee and cake.
We managed to spot chairs which suited us, as somebody was leaving, so I parked myself in the chair whilst my husband went to line up for the order. I had told him I wanted a cake and no coffee. It's awkward that you cannot see a menu at the table, because if one of you sits down first to bag a table, through tiredness, or so as not to clutter the queue, the one left sitting down can't see the menu and food choices, as there's a barrier between you and the cake counter window.
I found afterwards you can see their menu on line. I have now registered for their system, which you need to see details and opt in for the wifi. It takes several minutes, creating passwords, choosing your birthday from spinning numbers and so on.
So I grabbed my bag, leaving my husband's unguarded and rushed to the counter to point at what I wanted, whilst looking over my shoulder to be sure nobody pinched his stuff on their way to the staircase.
I made a quick decision of the mincemeat tart which looked smaller and cheaper than the larger carrot cake, which in retrospect would have been a better choice.
My husband ordered the same for himself and was quite happy with it, and also had a coffee with cream. We added some of the cream from the coffee to the tart, which was still too sweet. Now I'm a lover of sweets. I drink sweet wines. However, I felt the tart was like a jam tart, rather than a filling mince pie, poor value, not nutritious. (I prefer the almond slice at Costa which at least give you protein in the nuts.)
If I were to go back, I would have the cake. A larger cake, divided into two so I got half, would be better value and more sustaining than one of two little tarts.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
See my other blog :
www.luxurytravelforless.co.uk
Where to get coffee and cake in Windsor and Eton?
We dashed along the pedestrian street where Windsor and Eton meet - very confusingly one side of the river is called Windsor, the other Eton, but the whole area is Windsor - I spent ages on the internet trying to work out which branch I had been in.
We opted for Caffe Nero because it's a big chain we know and other places looked like restaurants and we were' sure they would serve only coffee and cake.
We managed to spot chairs which suited us, as somebody was leaving, so I parked myself in the chair whilst my husband went to line up for the order. I had told him I wanted a cake and no coffee. It's awkward that you cannot see a menu at the table, because if one of you sits down first to bag a table, through tiredness, or so as not to clutter the queue, the one left sitting down can't see the menu and food choices, as there's a barrier between you and the cake counter window.
I found afterwards you can see their menu on line. I have now registered for their system, which you need to see details and opt in for the wifi. It takes several minutes, creating passwords, choosing your birthday from spinning numbers and so on.
So I grabbed my bag, leaving my husband's unguarded and rushed to the counter to point at what I wanted, whilst looking over my shoulder to be sure nobody pinched his stuff on their way to the staircase.
I made a quick decision of the mincemeat tart which looked smaller and cheaper than the larger carrot cake, which in retrospect would have been a better choice.
Afterwards I wondered what you can do to choose cakes when you are sitting down. If the queue is short, you can run up to the counter, in relays, so as not to lose your seat.
Order First?
In Singapore when there are long queues and a shortage of seats signs often tell you to get your food and then find a table. Because you can find lots of tables occupied by people who don't have food, whilst people with food are standing with a tray and nowhere to put it.
Coffee First, Cake later?
Even if you both order coffee and sit down, and later go back for cake, the same dilemma applies. You have to leave the seat with your half drunk coffee and your bags and coat. You have to phone each other or shout.
Online Menu?
I thought, well, I should have logged in earlier and seen the online menu. However, the mincemeat tart was not on the online menu.
Send A Photo?
The alternative is for the person in the line for the food to take a picture and send it back to the person who is sitting down. Assuming you both have working phones.
Restarantants With Display Menus - Please Copy!
The Japanese and Chinese restaurants are better organised. They have either huge pictures of the food in panels around the room or over the counter, or a menu on every table, like at a Wetherspoons pub, so you can sit and choose and discuss and then send one person with everybody's order.
Where is the Caffè Nero which I visited? I found two branches in the area. The other branch is in the Windsor station.
Caffe Nero
42 Peascod Street
Windsor SL4 IDE
Tel:+44 1753 620092
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
See my other blog :
www.luxurytravelforless.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment