We came here because my brunching companion works not far away and it was a good excuse for an outing.
Parking was easy on the roadside.
We walked in and immediately thought the animated coffee machine mural was rather cool and the place appeared to be furnished by second-hand stores- comfortably kitsch.
The most unusual thing on the menu was the Portuguese sardines with vine tomatoes, rocket, lemon and caper dressing on sourdough bruschetta ($14.50). They also offer two menus - one for the "peckish", the other for the "hungry".
We ordered the sardines and "Mushies" - mushrooms with lemon and thyme butter, baby spinach and creme fraiche on toast ($15). The sardines disappointed somewhat - just a fairly boring salad. The mushies were a tasty enough combination of field and button varieties but the dish was underwhelming in presentation.
The service was laid-back and friendly.
The coffee was slightly on the small side but okay. We liked the old collector-style spoons that came with the coffees. We had one from Great Yarmouth and one of an anonymous 1940 centennial exhibition. A nice touch.
We recommend if you come here pop down to Cheltenham beach for a stroll. The delicatessen across the road is worth a visit if you want to pick up something special for dinner.
Overall we thought Vauxhall works well as a local cafe to catch up in.
