Not long ago, there actually was a
garage at number 1, Albert Road, Southsea, but it closed during 2011.
Albert Road is about ten minutes' walk from Southsea's main shopping
centre, and it's a street filled with small restaurants, pubs and
cafes, as well as a motley selection of shops, some of which are
pretty quirky. It's a residential area where many of the sizeable old
houses in the side streets have been turned into student housing. If
you just wanted to go for a coffee, it would be hard to find anywhere
in the evening, and during the day you would be more likely to head
to the Palmerston Road area. The Garage Lounge, however, has made it
possible to have breakfast, a light lunch, afternoon tea or a
non-alcoholic evening drink away from the shopping precinct.
My first visit to the Garage Lounge was
on a Sunday morning at around 11am. It was fairly busy, but my son
and I managed to find a table in a corner at the back. The lounge is
furnished in an unusually retro style unlike anywhere else locally.
There are old-fashioned sofas and chairs, even a chaise longue. Lamps
and flower vases are similarly from another era. Cream cakes and
fruit salad are displayed in a large, dark wooden cabinet with panes
of glass. Soft drinks are kept in old-style cooling boxes, and
there's a row of glass jars containing a variety of fruit and herb
teas. The coffee machine may be an ultra modern one, but the till on
the counter is delightfully old-fashioned.
Customers have to order and pay at the
counter, and food and drinks are then brought to the table by a
waitress. We both decided to have an Americano along with a granola
bar, and my son ordered an orange juice as well. The bill came to
about £12. The coffee was served in mis-matched china and tasted
wonderful, but we did have to request milk to go with it. The granola
bars were served on what appeared to be place mats, but these were
covered with a thin sheet of paper which seemed very hygienic and
presumably saves on washing up. A small garnish of yoghurt and fruit
salad came with the bars, which were so chunky that we had to eat
them with our fingers rather than the large forks we were given. They
were crammed with seeds and dried fruit and were very filling. We
noticed that most of the breakfast items were removed from display
soon after we arrived, and a little while later the cakes began to
appear. A mental note was made to make a second visit at a later
time. The waitresses are very quick to come and clear away empty cups
and plates or mats, but we were nevertheless able to linger for a
while and talk. My son noticed that there were covered sockets on the
floor; the Garage Lounge offers free wifi. As it is open until 11pm,
he thought it would be the ideal place to come in the evenings
occasionally. Even though he lives near to central Southsea, he was
quite envious that I live closer to the Garage Lounge than he does!
My second visit came the following
Saturday at 1pm, when I was meeting a friend. I went in a few days
beforehand to ask about booking a table. At first I was told that
wouldn't be necessary, but my request was eventually written in the
book and we were given a table by the front window that could
actually seat four people. I decided to try the cake this time. There
was a fair amount of choice, including butternut squash and coconut,
chocolate and beetroot, apple and rhubarb crumble and one or two more
creamy affairs. Not wishing to be too naughty, I chose parsnip,
walnut and apricot cake (£3.50) along with a large Americano
(£2.50). My friend looked at the quiches, where the choice was
between goats' cheese and caramelised onion or ham and leek.
Sandwiches included Toulouse sausage as well as roasted cherry
tomato, aubergine and halloumi with rocket pesto. In the end she
decided against those and went for a granola bar and an Americano,
just as I had on my first visit.
My cake was served once again on thin
paper on top of a mat, with the yoghurt and fruit salad garnish. It
was a thick slice with tiny chunks of dried fruit on top. The
consistency was just right, neither too soggy or too dry, so I was
happy with my choice. The coffee was just as good as it had been the
previous Sunday. My friend somehow managed to eat her granola bar
with a fork, so she had more success than me. She had said she was
very hungry, but the granola is so filling that she didn't quite
finish it. We weren't in a hurry to leave, so she ordered an apple
and lemon tea and I had a decaffeinated coffee. I was surprised that
the coffee tasted almost as good as the Americano, but my friend was
a bit disappointed with her tea, as she couldn't taste the apple at
all. Our table was reserved for another group at 3pm, so we left
about a quarter of an hour before this.
My friend wasn't quite as impressed
with the Garage Lounge as I had been. She used to run a tearoom
herself and was quick to notice that there was a crack in the sugar
bowl on our table, and that the spout of her teapot was chipped. I do
like the idea of the mismatched china, but it should be in good
condition. We also found on the Saturday afternoon that the music was
a little loud, although it hadn't been on the previous Sunday.
There is just one unisex toilet at the
Garage Lounge but I can't comment on it. I was waiting outside for
several minutes and was eventually invited to use the staff toilet
instead. The suggestion was appreciated!
The Garage Lounge doesn't have a
website, but I have had a look at their Facebook page. Most of the
comments are very favourable, and it seems to be a very popular
place. One commentator thought it was pretentious, which to me seems
a little unfair. Its décor is very different from anywhere else in
either Southsea or Portsmouth; the retro style won't please everyone,
but I'm glad that it stands out and makes a statement. Another issue
raised, however, is that some of the food on display is left
uncovered, and this may have to be addressed. It's true that
supermarkets have fresh bakery products on their shelves uncovered,
but in a coffee house it should be easy to display cakes in
containers with transparent lids.
On the Saturday evening I was in the
area again and the Garage Lounge was still crowded just after 6pm. At
around 8.15pm it was about half full. It stays open until 11pm, and I
think it's a great idea to have somewhere other than a pub serving
drinks in the evening. It may not be perfect, but it's stylish,
serves wonderful coffee, and for me, it's local. I'm sure I shall be
going there again.
The Garage Lounge
1 Albert Road Buildings
Southsea
PO5 2SP
Tel. 023 9282 8432
