Marie's Cafe
British and Thai
90 Lower Marsh, Lambeth, London SE1 7AB
£
Marie's Cafe is one of those hidden and original gems serving up polar opposites of a hearty British fry up in the daytime and authentic and flavoursome Thai in the evenings.
I went to meet some friends in Marie's Cafe one Thursday after work. The guys had been studying in London for 2 years and had chanced upon this friendly little hangout which kept to their student budget. When we arrived at 7:30pm there was a queue, and as we were told, a long wait for a table for our party size of 8. Subsequently, we decided to grab a pint at a nearby pub and wait it out.
The interior of the restaurant is very small, seating no more than 20, so best to come with a smaller group than I turned up with if you are eager to be seated promptly. Don't let the bland decor and outdated interior scare you! The staff are very accommodating and friendly, and the whole feel to the cafe is incredibly pleasant.
Tom and I ordered the Thai Wings and Goong Choop (fried prawns) to start, as well as some prawn crackers for the table. Both were incredibly tasty and very reasonably priced at £4/£4.50 considering the generous portion size. We followed this with a Chicken Panang Curry £5.50 and Pad Thai £6.50, again the portion sizes didn't disappoint. Once ordered, the food arrived promptly and in bits and bobs meaning we did all end up eating at different times, but for a place as relaxed as this it made sense, and wasn't an issue at all. The food was decent, nothing spectacular but perfectly tasty, and at this price, who's complaining? Another great thing about Marie's Cafe is that it is BYOB - meaning that you save on spending even more.
Overall, a cosy and intimate cafe with friendly staff and very good food at even better prices. Go along with one or two friends and get there early if you want to secure a space. I haven't tried the breakfast options during the day but I've heard they're pretty popular too!
OVERALL RATING: ***
http://mariescafe.co.uk/
