Café Rouge Greenwich O2 Review
Café Rouge
Greenwich O2, London
Reviewed by Siobhan Bridgwater
What a wonderful afternoon we have just spent at the Cafe Rouge at the O2. I took along my parents and my 11 year old son, Sid, and we all thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality that the Café Rouge had to offer. The restaurant is very easy to find, situated on the ground floor of a large, eye-catching white, black and gold patterned building facing out towards the main entrance to the O2 Arena structure. It is a wonderful location: particularly on a sunny afternoon like today, with visitors mingling on the forecourt around the sunken water circles and the dome top walkers and airline cable carts in clear sight as you approach.
One warning: the O2 car parking, whilst plentiful, is very expensive. There are very good public transport links to this venue and Café Rouge is a stone’s throw from the train and bus station so there are several good transportation options available.
The restaurant has a large outdoor seating area, perfect for people-watching. The interior has its long-established red and brown, French café, signature style. The café has great disabled/pram access with no stairs or ramps to tackle although, unfortunately the automatic door opening post was not working during our visit.
The facilities were upstairs but there is also a disabled toilet/baby changing facility on the ground floor. Both were spotlessly clean with interesting decor and it was clear that they were regularly checked and maintained.
Once inside, we were warmly greeted by the café staff and seated in one of the several, leather booth tables along the far wall which was very comfortable. The rest of the seating is a mixture of square and circular wooden tables, all of which can to be moved to either allow greater access where needed or accommodate a variety of group sizes. The largely, windowed frontage allows a bright and open feel inside and there is a relaxed and friendly atmosphere feel to the place.
On arrival we were offered crusty bread and olives for the table and started with the warm breaded Camembert accompanied by a cranberry sauce, which was enjoyable, and also the shared Plateau au Fromage, which was exceptional. It came recommended to us by our waitress and we really loved it. I would suggest dispensing with everything else and just diving straight into the Plateau with its hot Camembert, baked with a sweet, spicy chutney and decorated with rosemary, surrounded by a selection of vegetable and fruit crudités, olives, mini baguettes and a chuck of rustic brown loaf. Visually it was gorgeous but the taste combinations were something else. It is a great starter to share easily between four people. On the children’s menu, the starter is a very simple bread and carrot/cucumber stick combo which was quite well received.
The house wine was pleasant enough and for a little extra, the Sauvignon Blanc was thought to be considerably smoother.
For our main meals, again we followed the staff recommendations and went for the:
Fillet steak, medium/rare, which was excellent and the minute steak which were both perfectly accompanied by a choice of warmed sauces, salad and frites.
Moules/mussels pot – plentiful in number, acceptable overall taste in a traditional creamy, white wine sauce
Lastly, we had the tomato and onion salad as an accompaniment – which was stylishly simple and very nice.
From the children’s menu – Sid thoroughly enjoyed his MASSIVE salmon fishcake which was delicately seasoned and very filling. It was served with mixed vegetables and frites.
Overall, we were greatly impressed by all our meals, made with fresh and flavoursome ingredients. The portion sizes were very generous and there were lots of chips. Our only issue was the chips were quite salty which we did like but questioned as to whether that should be left to the customer’s discretion.
And finally, on to the desserts:
Creme brûlée with a strawberry and peppercorn sorbet – so unusual but an awesome duo.
Fondant aux chocolats – a rich, moist, heated chocolate cake with saucy interior accompanied by a quality chocolate ice cream – every chocolate lover’s delight.
Parfait – frozen, salted caramel ice cream with malted pecan crumb and fresh raspberries side – totally delicious.
Children’s menu – salted caramel ice cream served with jelly beans. Marshmallows and popping candy were also offered. Big smiles all round.
So, in short, whether you are looking for a quiet place to sit and enjoy a decent cup of coffee or a more social place to gather with friends or family, you can’t go wrong with Cafe Rouge. They have an impressive range of vegetarian, fish and meat dishes, fantastic desserts and a very knowledgeable and helpful workforce. They offered a varied selection and excellent value for money on both the main and the children’s menu.
I would recommend a Chef’s Specials Board or a review of the overall menu layout to avoid some of the most delicious dishes from being overlooked. The staff are incredibly well informed and eager to help and I would recommend tapping their expertise to ensure you enjoy a wonderful dining experience from start to finish, just like we did.
Highly recommended.
Rating: 5/5 
For more information, to view menus or to book a table visit www.caferouge.com.
Café Rouge, Penrose Way, Greenwich Pennisula, London, SE10 0EN | 020 8305 0203
