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!

Christmas buzz - Strood, Kent

Christmas buzz in the air -- delight, but a bit stressful, too -- so we decide to keep things simple today, heading east to Rochester, our favourite default Kent destination.  We park at the Castle Carpark and opt for adventure... walking back across the Medway River into Strood.  Ah, Strood, not on the touring coach itineraries!  Really, just the entry into Rochester with petrol stations, chain stores and...

an early-opening breakfast cafe!  The sign way up the side of a building catches our eye, but we're not sure where to enter.  Yes, The black metal door behind the dumpster is it!  
In we go.

Down the long corridor -- not to worry, we've entered by the back door!  Big smiles and cheery voices welcome us into the "Rest 'A' While Cafe" of Strood.  
Still dark outside, the cafe glows with florescent illumination and just enough tinsel to ring in the season.  The entire place shines with cleanliness.  No TVs and soft radio...yes!

Ozzy brings mugs of strong piping hot tea (indulging us with hot milk).  That makes for one Happy Husband, indeed!  Turns out Ozzy's home is Izmir, Turkey, where Global Ministries (http://globalministries.org) has sent missionaries for decades. We remember that in May we read of the death of missionary Fernie Scovel who served as a science and maths teacher from 1949 to 1991  (49 years!) at the American Collegiate Institute (Ozel Izmir Amerikan Lisesi) in Izmir. 

Back to Happy Husband at the Rest "A" While Cafe.  What does that "A" refer to anyway?  We puzzle over its significance, or lack thereof.  The eggs present a delightful design,  and HH's full breakfast includes fried bread, edible and delicious this time, thank goodness.

Thinking ahead to our next holiday, we inquire of Ozzy where we should visit in Turkey.  Without hesitation, he declares, "Nevsehir, Kapadokya,"  whips out his smart phone and proceeds to show us numerous YouTube videos of stunning 4000 year old rock formations in Kapadokya, including a cartoon version of the geological history -- with a Turkish narrative!  Luckily animated cartoon volcanoes look alike in any language.  If we write about breakfast in Nevsehir, you'll know when and by whom we were inspired to head in that direction!


 By the time we are ready to leave, the sun has risen and the day has arrived for Strood.  Ozzy offers to take our photo, and is happy to have us mention him on our Breakfast in Britain blog.


Strood greets us with local art, a couple charity shops, and a walk into the rising sun silhouetting Rochester Castle and Cathedral, across the Medway River again. It's a beautiful day in Britain!  

 People are out, but all the commuter cars are gone.  The tide has come in to fill the banks of the Medway.

So we look back at Strood on the Medway, stomachs full and spirits lifted.

Rendezvous Cafe in Beckenham - not quite bliss, but tasty

Another Happy Husband moment in Beckenham at the Rendezvous Cafe.  An early morning start means we arrive soon after the 7:00 am opening.  Already men-in-suits enjoy full breakfasts before catching the train into London and others in reflector jackets queue for take-away bacon sandwiches.  

For an extra 80p (about $1.25), the Full English Breakfast wins today.  The eggs run perfectly golden!  The host has a friendly word and big smile for everyone. But the radio volume is a touch intrusive. 

We watch the wintery sky turn from black to brilliant pink as the sunlight filters through at 8am.  Jolly Santa and Christmas wreaths express Christmas cheer pleasantly.  The wall of small window panes grants a wee touch of Old English to a modern eating joint.

After breakfast we enjoy Beckenham High Street, loaded with Charity shops, a small bookstore and more than one pharmacy.  That's part of the adventure each week, finding a High Street with a bit of charm -- yes, Beckenham boasts a few half-timber buildings, enough charity shops to entertain us with thrift-shop treasure-hunting, and a book store.  A bit of history is always fun, and today's High Street offers an intriguing old mile marker at the central intersection.

 
Few tourists, if any, head to Beckenham in southeast London, but for our Thursday morning breakfast jaunt, it's a winner.