Calm Garden

People who have tried the dashimaki tamago sandwich remember that both the bread and the rolled omelette were warm, with just the right amount of salt. One diner who ordered after the usual lunchtime hour paired the sandwich with pistachio terrine and royal milk tea. If you are deciding between a light bite and a more filling lunch, options include porcini-scented mushroom cream pasta, served with bread, salad and soup, and a shrimp tomato-cream omurice doria, with salad and soup. The pasta combines plenty of mushrooms, porcini and house-made cream sauce, finished with freshly shaved Grana Padano. The doria is baked with cheese and mayonnaise over butter-rice omurice and a tomato-cream sauce with shrimp.

For something sweet, consider the scones that have stayed in visitors’ memories. They have been described as crunchy, or as both tender and crisp. The menu offers plain scones with clotted cream and jam, and caramel scones filled with caramel cream and whipped cream. Either makes a different kind of companion to tea. Seasonal sweets bring their own changes: the menu lists a strawberry and pistachio mille-feuille, as well as a seasonal trifle layered with sponge cake, custard, fruit and whipped cream. A strawberry parfait enjoyed by a visitor was layered with strawberry panna cotta, strawberry mascarpone ice cream, granola and strained yoghurt, among other elements. The changing seasonal combinations may be part of the appeal, with each layer offering something to discover.

There is more than one coffee to choose from, including speciality beans described by their flavour. Yirgacheffe is presented as having a sweet-and-sour mocha character and a fruity finish; Mandheling is described as full-bodied and bittersweet, with restrained acidity. Calm Garden works for a meal or a cup of tea: the café takes inspiration from an English country town, and its antique-furnished interior is a setting for Western-style mains, sweets and coffee. Reservations are recommended for lunch and brunch. Payment is cash only.