There are certain places relatively nearby my office that I’ve been saving up for occasions when I’m a little pressed for time, or feeling particularly lazy. When the second situation arose, today, I headed for one of them, in the shape of the Southern Cross Café, on Cockburn Street.

With the promise of Artisan Roast coffee and daily changing soups, I was confident that the place would be good, so crossed their threshold with a confident stride.

The welcome was warm, and I was seated at one of their shelf seats, next to a blasting radiator, which was entirely welcome as it was rather chilly outside.

The soup today was broccoli, which sounded good to me. I added a goat’s cheese salad, to accompany it, asking for both dishes to be delivered at the same time.

The attentive waiter soon delivered both plates, with the salad looking particularly bonnie. The soup looked good, too, and while it could have used a drop less cream and a twist more salt, it was pleasingly good.

The salad was a notch better, combining beautifully thin, crisp pieces of beetroot with fresh salad leaves, topped with a lightly-toasted round of goat’s cheese. The salad could have used just a little more of the vinaigrette dressing, but again this was a relatively minor quibble with what was a very tasty dish.

I rounded things out with a very good espresso.

So overall, I was impressed with the warmth of welcome and quality of dishes on offer at the Southern Cross Café. From their compact café, they’re doing fine work, with a nice array of dishes on offer. For a quick lunchtime stop, this is a really good option.

Scores
Blythe scores the Southern Cross Café
3.5/5 for food
3.5/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall 14.5/20

I ate: broccoli soup; goat’s cheese salad

I drank: water, espresso

I wore: black and blue

Total bill: £10.85