Amo La Food - With Alexander Baines
+3.5
Edit: the new management reached out to me and apologised for what happened below & offered me a coffee on the house as well as assuring me that it won't happen again.
I have been visiting C'est Ici on a regular basis for the last 6 months & I usually spend £3-12 per visit, sometimes more if I spend a few hours working in the cafe. Whilst the paninis and coffee's are quite expensive, I've always been content with paying that bit extra to support an independent cafe.
Recently I noticed their pricing model has a major flaw & I pointed it out to several staff before the message reaching someone in authority. They charge £2.10 for a coffee (with or without milk) & £2.85 for a small Iced Americano (coffee with ice). There is no justification for charging 75p extra to have 4 ice cubes added to my coffee. Starbucks charges £2.75 for a Venti Iced Americano (roughly double the size of their Iced Americano) to put it into perspective.
As a loyal customer that visits on a daily basis, I don't like the feeling that I'm constantly being overpriced with no justification. Whilst the staff have always been kind & attentive it seems that their pricing model & chain of command is flawed as despite several attempts of me providing them with constructive criticism of their pricing model nothing has changed and they appear to be unwilling to compromise. I've been a regular at other cafes in the area previously and been offered loyalty cards or similar for continued custom, it seems evident they are uninterested in customer retention.
Other than the issues listed above, the sandwiches & sweet goods are wide-ranging, fresh and flavoursome!
Great food and the best Chai Latte in town!! Everything is good here, from the pastries to the sandwiches. French/Italian mix of style. Also it's really well located near by the tube station.
The staff is lovely and very friendly.
We had a great lunch at C'est Ici. We all four chose paninis and baguettes which were fresh and tasty. One of my eating partners and I looking at the same two decided to share - one with brie and one with goats cheese. They were both delicious. There were plenty of fantastic looking cakes and desserts but I decided to leave these for another visit.
Excellent coffee. A pleasant place to sit outside for a few minutes for a great caffeine fix before diving into Baron's Court tube and the Piccadilly Line.
This is my local coffee shop and patisserie, it is a perfect coffee shop! Early risers will see the produce actually going in the ovens at about 6am. The coffee is good too, only weakness if your thoroughly British is that the sandwiches aren't world beaters but most French folk don't really focus on le sandwich so no great crime. Do visit and while away a satisfying moment al fresco if you are in the area
C’est Ici became much more than a passing affair. It was my go-to lunch spot on all the college weekends to come, and the celebratory mid-morning coffee place after my last Sunday assessment. And then my course ended, together with my reasons to venture to Barons Court again; until, a couple of Saturdays ago, I took an afternoon stroll with my partner as the long-awaited excuse to reignite the flame.
west kensington might sometimes be a hectic place for what to eat, and this coffee place where you can also find a proper lunch option and a piece of desert/cake to take away is such a life-saver when you are in a hurry.
Not the wi-fi coffee shop with the cool interiors to settle down and spend a considerable time with ever changing coffee cups on your table, though. ( I find myself rather attracted to the concept )
Once again, where the coffee is proper, it might really be hard to browse for something at least looking promisingly delicious, but C'est ici has quire crisp bakery, quite the tender taste in quick bites.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
As weekends are the only times I can afford sitting down and enjoying a hearty meal, lunch breaks during Saturday college classes were particularly challenging: nothing kills a joyous Saturday mood like a measly snack consumed on a classroom desk. A relatively easy task in a city like London; a treasure hunt in the surroundings of the Hammersmith Campus, offering students an unflattering view on Talgarth Road’s traffic congestions – and not even one supermarket in sight.
Uncertain, unprepared (“I will get lost. I haven’t consulted Great Little Place. I should have googled “West Kensington cute cosy tasty cheap cafe” beforehand. I’ll never make it back on time. Oh my, oh goodness, oh me”), I’d end up roaming around a small cafe near Barons Court station. The sign, reading “Cafe Patisserie”, couldn’t be more inviting. The word “quiche”, scribbled on a blackboard inside, got me hungry for more. The interiors, too, looked cosy and welcoming, with a bunch of bistro tables on the upper floor, and enough space for a large communal table in the basement. Peeking out, I saw a cute little garden: sadly not an option on my very first visit, on a March Saturday stormed by a heavy snowfall. I made a mental note of it, filed it under “Reasons to Return”. And then, as I set my eyes on the food, realised that list was only bound to grow.
Among the usual combinations of paninis and bagels – chicken and bacon, salmon and cream cheese, you name it – there was a roasted red pepper, houmous, spinach and falafel sandwich. Served in warm basil bread (never tasted before, forever craved afterwards), this glorious combination felt as far from a tasteless supermarket meal deal as I could possibly ask.
On one of many subsequent visits, planned on purpose outside of the 12.30 – 1pm rush hour, the cafe was pleasantly uncrowded. It being past two thirty, I wasn’t shocked to see that most sandwiches had sold out: after three years in this country, I’ve finally come to terms with the irreconcilable conflict between my Mediterranean habits and British meal times! The eating area was flooded by sunlight, and felt even more cosy than I remembered. However, nothing beats eating outdoors on a warm end-of-summer day: having lunch out on the balcony, watching the comings and goings of people around us, was a little weekend pleasure worth indulging in.
I had, of course, the usual falafel and basil bread sandwich. My partner went for a chicken, bacon and lettuce ciabatta, of which he offered me a little bite; the toasted crusty bread and the tender, juicy chicken tasted like a match made in heaven. Our experience overcame all objections on spending five pounds for an eat-in sandwich: a price we’d normally find unreasonable for a quick bite, but not at C’est Ici, where said quick bite has so consistently proven to be both flavoursome and filling.
A light meal that doesn’t leave me craving for more is not something I come across very often; and yet, at the end of my lunch at C’est Ici, I felt thoroughly sated. The desserts on display looked more like a treat than a necessity; their line in the “Reasons to Return” list remains yet to be ticked off. A wrong I should right by coming back for breakfast, having myself a frothy cappuccino, and getting some cake. Anyone care to join?
Full review on: http://whatevergetsyouthroughtheday.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/cest-ici-barons-court-review/
Such a cute cafe with a great atmosphere. The staff are so friendly and the service is great.
I come here most days to work on my assignments.
I highly recommend this place for coffee or a bite of something or to work downstairs and outside when the weather is great.
Just discovered this place having recently moved to the area and it’s a delight. A wide selection of French sandwiches and pastries, great coffee and its larger inside that you would expect with seating downstairs and a terrace at the back. The terrace wasn’t open when I visited but looks a lovely place to sit in the summer months. Staff were also very friendly. Highly recommended.
I found this little gem today near Baron’s court station. Impressed with their coffee, I quite enjoyed my medium latte.
Was quite busy, a few people in the queue but service was amazing and I got served fast. Food looked delicious, I will try it next time when in the area. They have a cute balcony where you can stay in the sun and enjoy your stay. Nice decor, I will definitely go back . Highly recommended if you are in the area.
Really cute cafe, the seating area outside is so lovely and feels very private. The staff are really friendly and the Goats Cheese Panini I had was very tasty too :)
Lovely place, open early. Fresh pastries, none of that dry, yesterday taste. Super-friendly service, and a nice little fresh-air balcony at the back. Perfect.
The café is a two minute walk from barons court station. At first, it does not appear to have much seating, but the entire basement area and back garden provide additional tables for those who want to bask in the sun or is in on a rainy day. Overall, there is a high standard of food and coffee with an excellent selection of salads, yogurts, and pastries.
We took out some breads as breakfast and were greated by a lovely girl and was very nice to us. Had a nice breakfast and a variety of foods
I always grab my favourite oat cappuccino here before catching my tube. Great service, delicious coffee, various sandwich and pastry options.
Cosy atmosphere.
A local institution that I've been going to for at least 25 years. Good coffee, good food, lovely balcony and garden in summer. I'm baffled by the reports of rude staff in other reviews. Perhaps they just don't suffer fools gladly?
Now Gales has taken some of the laptop brigade away, it's even better than it was.
This is one of my favourite cafe stops in West London. Background jazz and rock n roll music sets a relaxing atmosphere if you want to eat in. A good selection of fresh pastries, teapigs teas and lattes. Limited seating but very clean and light. Ideally situated right next to Barons Court tube station.
Love this place ....
It’s my local coffee shop and most days I’ll pop in and have my coffee fix on the way to work.
Great service with friendly staff, good coffee with a nice little balcony and garden area for summer days!
This is a lovely little cafe next to baron’s court tube station. Very polite stuff. Big selection of sandwiches and sweets. Spinach and cheese pies also available. The little garden at the back is a nice quiet pet friendly spot!
Their caffee latte is made in the french style (in between a regular latte and a flat white) and is particularly good when topped with cinnamon. Their chicken panini with tapenade is amazing when served hot (asks for it to be heated for a little longer so you get the crispy crust).
Cookies here are different from most other places - it's in between a biscotti and an American cookie. They also source really good madeleines filled with chocolate.
Bread-wise, they sell the dark rye baguettes which is great for tartines in the morning. As the rye bread is sweeter in taste than most wheat flour breads, it's particularly good for making a cheese sandwich with something peppery / spicy, e.g. rockets, sliced radishes, etc.
Lovely little cafe with good deli and pastry selection. The most delicious mocha I've had !
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes