Regency Cafe, London - and a walk through Pimlico & Chelsea

A gem in Pimlico...suggested to us a couple years ago by our young friends from Australia. Truth be told, we expected the Regency to be posh, but surprise! surprise!  It's a classic cafe unchanged by time and fashion from it's original look of 1946.

Red-checked cafe curtains provide the colour theme, and the shiny tile walls provide the backdrop for a gallery of iconic cafe art and framed moments-of-acclaim for the Regency Cafe -- ads from Vogue and LK Bennett highlighting the cafe and numerous notable personalities enjoying their cuppa in front of the red-checked curtains. 

This is definitely a favourite London spot for photo shoots.  And a favourite spot for breakfast!  The queue snakes through the cafe packed with tables for 50.  This morning it's an all-male clientèle, many donned in business attire, others sporting reflector vests.

46-year-old owner, Marco Shiavetta serves a tasty meal -- no extra grease, everything cooked just right.  The day's fresh potatos are being peeled and piled by a diligent worker behind the counter.  Another focuses on the task of smacking minced beef into sausages and patties.

 Happy Husband enjoys the Full English Breakfast, while I stick to my standard -- 2 eggs on toast.  We welcome the absence of background music and TV, but the megaphone-voice from behind the counter calling out the orders (no table service) takes a bit of getting used to.

After our leisurely meal, we meander through Pimlico -- passing picturesque strips of terrace housing and overarching trees.

To our delight, we discover a gem in St James the Less church, hidden behind other buildings.  The ornate chancel glows in the morning light.  Musical instruments create a crucified Jesus -- clarinets, piano keys, flutes -- the death of music and joy, perhaps?  Makes me want to shake educators reminding them how important music is for children!  Don't eliminate joy from the curriculum!
To one side, there's an inviting children's area, a place children surely anticipate populating on a Sunday morning.  Just how welcoming are our churches to children? to families?  Where is their space in the church to which they clamour with glee?

On we go toward Royal Chelsea Hospital, the last resting place of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and home to retired soldiers. They are gathering for a VE Day photo decked out in full regalia.

My thoughts go to my father, an American Vet about the same age as many of those assembled here today.  While the cronies in his photos are Veterans for Peace, nonetheless he would have enjoyed being here today.





We pop into their chapel and dining room for a quick peek -- magnificent, as one might expect.  Amazing to realize that the retired men and women who call this home are here out of need, not out of entitlement.

London never lets us down!  Another wonderful Breakfast in Britain!