Fernandez & Wells - Somerset House WC2

I am a big fan of Fernandez & Wells, particularly the Lexington St store, selling delicious charcuterie, cheese and sherry (which is my idea of food perfection) so I was super excited to check out their latest outpost in beautiful Somerset House.  I actually went over the Christmas break, so the courtyard of Somerset House looked lovely with the giant Christmas tree as well as the ice skating rink in full flow (full skate?).  F&W have an amazing space on the left as you walk in from the Strand - with an open space in front that will apparently have tables as the weather gets warmer.  The inside is vast and seems to keep going on, room after room - I really like the first room as you walk in, with the main counter.  As

always the flat whites are great but for me the special thing about these guys is their sandwiches - they have sandwich making down to a fine art - their grilled cheese version is to die for but I could happily eat my way through the entire selection.  The only downside is that I never have room for one of their "pastel de natas" (Portugese custard tarts to the rest of us). I can't wait to hang out here in summer - there is always fun stuff going on in the courtyard at Somerset House during the summer months and I can't think of any better precursor than a tasty treat and a drink at the wonderful Fernandez & Wells.

Fernandez and Wells - W1

With three fantastic venues in Soho, Fernandez and Wells is an absolute gem in my book.  I love all three spaces but the food and wine bar in Lexington Street is my favourite.  There is something about sitting there having a charcuterie plate and a glass of sherry that makes you feel like you're in the Barri Gotic in Barcelona.  In Summer you can lounge outside, which does avoid the one pitfall of spending too much time in Ferenandez and Wells - you can end up smelling like chorizo and manchego (which is not a bad thing as far as I'm concerned!).  I love the legs of jamon propped on the counter and the piles of bocadillos and I really like the stripped back decor, fitting in perfectly with the Dickensian Lexington Street vibe (that block of Lexington is just perfect - as well as F and W you have the wonderful Andrew Edmunds restaurant, Mildreds for great veggie food and the good old John Snow pub).  Just round the corner in Beak Street is the cafe (I think there is a sneaky way to get from one to the other through the back doors but I've never actually done it).  The fact that the cafe is always so crowded is a good sign that there is something pretty special going on and that is indeed the case - top notch coffee and delicious cakes.  One thing that I love about their coffee selection is that they make one called a "stumpy" which is a short, strong latte - kind of like a posh version of a cafe cortado (which is my coffee of choice when I am in Spain).   The latest addition to the Fernandez and Wells family is a dinky espresso bar in St Anne's Court (the alley way that runs between Dean St and Wardour St).  Coffee and a donut here is an essential pit stop when you're roaming the streets of Soho.  I'm loving the fact there are so many great places for coffee and lunch and cakes in Soho but I am at the stage now where I need a roster - Monday morning at Milk Bar, Monday afternoon at Lantana, Tuesday lunchtime at Fernandez and Wells Lexington, coffee at Fernandez and Wells Beak St in the afternoon, Wednesday a walk to the London Review Bookshop Cafe....you get the idea.  Not a bad problem to have though.