The London Reviewer

Trying to find a cafe to read your papers in, on Hampstead High Street, on a Sunday can be a bit of a dilemma – as the masses want a warm, comfy place to scarf pastries and coffee, read their papers and deny that Monday is coming.

After frequenting Hungarian patisserie Louis’ for nearly two hours one Sunday, we were turned out onto the High Street only to discover that ‘the inn was full’ at Starbucks, Nero, Costa, and other usual suspects. It came down to either Cafe Rouge or Base Bistro, and not wanting to stagger around anymore with heavy papers under our arms, we went for the nearest that had tables visibly free – Base.

From the outside, Base looks like a typical slapdash Mediterranean place* that tries to be uppercrust but noticeably skimps on the chic interior design. However, once we stepped in, ensconced ourselves at one of the tables under the spotlighting, and opened the menus, I quickly and happily overcame my prejudice of it being uninspired and having boring offerings.

Although the decor isn’t exciting, the menu is wonderfully inspired offering healthy and fresh ‘Euro-Meditteranean’ food without being too heavy on the olive oil or potatoes. With main courses between £10-15, side dishes at about £3-5 and a fantastic salad bar that changed its offering every day (about £10), there was loads to choose from. I opted for the salad bar and various teas, while my companion got a chilli and aubergine risotto.

The staff were attentive and very pleasant. And, since eating lunch there on Sunday, I’ve been dreaming of going back every night since for dinner – as it’s easy to get a variety of vegetarian dishes.

Definitely recommended for those who want an inexpensive yet nice dinner in North West London.