IN THE hustle and bustle of Kensington High Street, it's not difficult to find somewhere for a bite to eat at lunchtime.
But if you take away all of the chain coffee stores and cafes, it certainly becomes a little harder to find good, affordable food, somewhere you can sit and relax on your lunch break.
We stumbled across the Dryland, a cafe attached to a brand new private members club, where workers can go to hot desk and network.
There was a modern, funky feel to the interior, with clean lines and brightly coloured accents on the walls. Seats were positioned around a central plinth, with tables along the window, large booths down the side, and best of all, a huge array of cakes and pastries on display alongside the counter.
We sat in one of the booths, which continued to offer privacy, peace and quiet despite the lunchtime rush which began soon after we were seated.
The menu was impressive, with a selection of breakfasts, sandwiches and salads, afternoon teas, and desserts.
But for all of its meals, there was a limited choice for vegetarians, meaning my friend could only opt for one of the sandwiches. She could have had salad, but they didn't appeal to her.
She chose the hummus, carrot and spinach sandwich, while I opted for the chicken and bacon with garlic, almonds and cucumber sandwich. Both came in lightly toasted chunky white bread with a side salad, and both were delicious.
My friend's was crisp and fresh, while mine had no overbearing flavours but each of the ingredients combined beautifully to make a truly tasty butty.
While we were there, we thought we may as well take a look at the dessert menu, and decided a bit of a naughty treat was in order - we had worked hard all week, after all.
It took a while to decide as the choice was huge, but in the end, I picked out the strawberry and white chocolate cheesecake, while my friend had the chocolate brownie.
The cheesecake was served in a glass, with the biscuit layer normally found at the bottom of the cake, sprinkled throughout. The white chocolate was a little too much for me, but if you have a sweet tooth, it's perfect.
Chunks of fruit were also layered into the glass, making for a truly lovely dessert.
As for the brownie, my companion described it as 'the best ever.' Again, if you have a sweet tooth, it's perfect. Crumbly on the outside, sticky and sweet in the middle - it was just a bit too much to take on in one hit.
But I would definitely recommend dropping in to the Dryland for lunch. It is reasonably priced (sandwiches were less than £5), and has a very relaxed atmosphere, unlike some of its pretentious neighbours in Kensington High Street.
