One of my favorite places to visit is the Rainforest Café. The London branch is also located in Piccadilly Circus. The theme of the restaurant, in case you didn’t figure it out already, is the rain forest. Visitors are greeted with sounds of the rainforest about every 15 minutes. There are animatronics animals tucked in nooks and corners and hanging from the roof. The tables are made to resemble big slabs of wood. At the bar you can pull up a bar stool that looks very similar to animals such as a giraffe or zebra. The café also donates proceeds from the café to a number of charities involved in rain forest conservation. The food is a blend of African, Mexican, and Caribbean influences. We were lucky enough to have a table located right in front of one of several very large aquariums. Unfortunately, we were also located next to a rather large family with very misbehaved children and parents who didn’t seem to care.
There menu is delectable, and there are always plenty of vegetarian choices in case you are a vegetarian or vegan. I was shocked to see such items as duck and veal on the menu, which is not something you see on the American menus. It was a tough decision, but I went with the Rasta Pasta. It combines pasta, broccoli, peppers, and spinach. You get your choice of walnut pesto or Alfredo sauce and chicken or vegetarian accompaniments. I went with the chicken and pesto.
For dessert I went with the oh-so-yummy Citrus Ice Age. It is a knockout desert consisting of lemon and lime yogurt with cherry compote. To die for!
John went with a Rainforest Steak Burger. It is an 8-ounce Scottish beef party with Swiss cheese and served with fries. He said the Scottish beef was superb. To round off his meal, he went with Cha Cha Cheesecake. It is banana cheesecake on an amaretto biscuit and toffee-crunch ice cream. I stole a bite and can attest to its sublime quality.
This is a totally nonsmoking restaurant. They do accept credit cards. They do have a gift shop on the premises. For more information, visit www.rainforestcafe.com.