Fernandez and Wells (Somerset House) - Focaccia of Serrano ham, Manchego cheese, rocket and Aioli. Flat White - £8.35

We visited Somerset House recently for a rather important meeting and afterwards relaxed and enjoyed ourselves in the plush surrounds of Fernandez and Wells. The Somerset House site in directly next door to the inland revenue, and you will be happy to know that a member of the HMRC was sat in the corner of the cafe in tears. What a genuine delight.

Yes it is over priced. Completely. But the sparse yet tasteful space was a treat to be in. Legs of ham hung from the walls and simplicity reigned regarding tables and chairs. Our sandwiches were toasted and brought over. The focaccia was ideally crisp with a salty edge that made I my mouth tremble. The cheese crumbled into a smooth lava and sat wonderfully with the aioli. The aforementioned was probably the only negative being rammed full of garlic. But it all added to the taste once combined with the peppery rocket and the thin slices of morish serrano ham. It was a demon to part with £5.75 for the sarnie, but it delivered on flavour and enjoyment, so therefore evened out. 

The coffee was pretty good to, perhaps a little bland. But you can’t win them all. The one thing that was annoying was the alternative names for coffees. A “mini” is a macchiato and a “stumpy” is a flat white, this was really quite unnecessary. Perhaps the coffee menu should take a leaf out of the interiors book and not over complicate a beautiful thing. Other than that its a winner, but a pricey one.

Rating: 7.7/10

Robbie