Little sister to the Chelsea stalwart, Bluebird Café White City is a stylish all-day drinking and dining spot in the newly revamped Television Centre. Taking cues from its older sister, it’s well dressed in bold graphic patterns and airy accents of greenery with a menu to match. Expect contemporary British food that’s confident and light.
The ambience is so darling and the service so genuinely cheerful that we couldn’t help but want to like the food – and it didn’t disappoint. The pumpkin soup starter lingered in the memory thanks to its toasty candied hazelnuts and well-roasted, sweet ‘ironbark’ pumpkin, an heirloom variety. A main course of chicken schnitzel, accompanied by crisped green beans and a thick puddle of herby mayonnaise, delivered a generous garlicky hit that made this comfort food classic a must-order dish. There’s still some tweaking to do – there was nothing spiced (or otherwise exciting) about the spiced tuna poke bowl – but the warming bread and butter pudding for dessert ended the meal on an up note, proving that Bluebird Café White City is full of promise.