Café Noir Bar Brasserie

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £11.95 (set lunch)
   £16 (evening meal)
• House wine: £13.95 per bottle

• High point: Flexible menu with appetising dishes
• Low point: It's in a shopping centre
• Food served: Mon-Sun noon-10.30pm
• Bar open: Mon-Sun 11am-midnight
• Private dining: Up to 45 covers
• Open since: 2007
• Also offers: Childrens portions, Childrens high chairs, Wheelchair access, Pre-theatre menu

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is from the 2007 edition.

Formerly Hemingway's (before Ernest's notoriously litigious estate insisted on a name change), Café Noir offers a bar-brasserie geared cleverly to serve anything from a quick tapa or sandwich to a full and sophisticated three-course dinner. As the day rolls on, the venture rather seamlessly progresses from shoppers' pitstop to destination restaurant. To start a meal, there are oysters au natural (you can order three, six or nine at a time). The fishy theme continues with gravadlax - a whole roast sea bream and a superlative take on fish and chips made with a light beer batter and served with basil-pea purée. There are also burgers, a rib-eye steak and a couple of vegetarian dishes, such as risotto with goat's cheese. A pleasing feature of the menu is a range of salads that can be ordered as starters or main courses - the classic Caesar is the real deal of crisp lettuce, tossed just before serving with fresh croutons and sharp, silver anchovies. Among the interesting sandwiches is a version of the BLT made with seared tuna and Parma ham.