Patisserie Valerie, Chelsea

Seriously bad value for money would be my overriding impression of this Patisserie Valerie.  A coffee with a friend ended up taking place at lunchtime and so we decided to order from their limited 'grilled snacks' menu.  A croque monsieur was made from average white sliced bread, some cheap ham and topped with a meagre offering of cheese.  Claire's toastie was just the same - cheap bread and no better than something you whip up in five minutes at home.  They had run out of fresh orange but tried to charge the same on the bill for one from the carton.

The best part of the meal was the coffee, which was very good.

I understand that the location demands high prices, and we sat in a very pleasant courtyard surrounded by beautiful shops and beautiful people, but it's just not that hard to make the food miles better.  Service was also slow and scatty.

One snack, an orange juice and a coffee: £11.50 per head

Value: 3/10

Service: 4/10

Atmosphere: 6/10

Food: 4/10

SCORE: 17/40

Patisserie Valerie, Left Wing Cafe, Duke of York Square, London, SW3 4LY.  Tel: 020 77307094.