Tava, Lee, SE12

Official site of Tava - tava.london

Official site of Tava - tava.london

This is a somewhat out of the way cafe cum bar nowhere near a train station. Seemingly table service only, with the "wait to be seated" lectern just inside the front door, although I was told that I could sit anywhere. I obviously went for the table furthest away from the mums and babies table. I sat for a while, looked at the menu, and as nobody came to take my order Iwent to the bar to be told by the barman (or should that be barista?) that he would come and take my order - which he did straightaway. So, nothing much like a pub then. There's no real ale of course with just Amstel and Birra Morretti (both £5.20 a pint) on tap, with a couple of 330ml Brockley Brewery bottled beers at £4.50 a pop. There are plenty of different coffees available and food seemed to be mainly breakfast like stuff - my BLT sarny was £7.50. Not that I was interested in drinking it, but the cheapest wine was some rose stuff at £24.50 a bottle. The place was painted mainly navy blue, and furnished with cafe style normal tables and chairs. There's a lot of outside seating on the terrace, but it's a bit too near the busy main road to be truly comfortable outside. This must have been a magnificent pub in its heyday with its marvellous Dutch style frontage. It's fine if you want an upmarket caff, but it's nothing like the pub it must have been. As an upmarket caff it's fine, but as a pub I would rank it quite low.