The reputation of Odette's Tearoom preceded it. For some weeks Wellington residents have called for the High Street tearoom to be reviewed by yours truly.

By noon of February 15, the pressure had reached fever pitch. The requests, which had by now become demands, could no longer be resisted. I knew there was only one thing for it.

I ordered a bacon, brie and cranberry sandwich and a pot of tea. The well loved local business, I discovered, was named after a female World War Two spy named Odette Sansom. A book about the eponymous spy, Odette: World War Two's Darling Spy, was available by my table.

The 2009 book tells the story of Odette's early life, entry into the world of espionage and her work behind enemy lines in Occupied France.

In the interests of time I skipped through the first third of the book and got stuck in to the action. This was the first occasion in which I had read words on something other than a screen in some time. My square eyes struggled to adjust.

The tea arrived with a full service. The pot had been made up with leaves, rather than bags, with a strainer on hand, as well as milk and sugar. Before too long it was joined by my sandwich.

The sandwich was interesting. The freshly cooked bacon was working magic on the cheese. The cheese was warmed by the bacon into a liminal state, somewhere between melted and solid. The sweetness of the cranberry sauce cut through the savoury sandwich as you'd expect.

The dish was garnished with some ready salted crisps, and a handful of rocket. The crisps were both salted and crispy and the rocket neither crispy nor salted.

I dispatched the lunch with ease, and washed it down with teas. Now for the hard part.

I had to take a selfie. And preferably not be seen doing it. I can't say quite why but the prospect of taking a selfie, alone, in a cafe, fills me with dread. I would sooner be caught stealing from the church poor box. To make matters worse the popular venue was virtually at full capacity. It would be tough to snap a stealthy selfie.

I drew my phone faster than Doc Holiday could a gun, and shot the picture, before plausibly deniably feigning to look at something in landscape mode in front of my face. The resultantly dour expression on my face belies the positive experience I enjoyed at Odette's.

Then came time to make my escape. I made my way to the till, settled my bill, and left. I wondered if like Odette, my own clandestine feat at the cafe would become the thing of books in the far flung future.

Odette's Tearoom is a popular local business. It's for good reason that the place is busy, and so many were keen to recommend it. My own experience was as pleasant as others have reported theirs to be. For fancy lunchtime tea, Odette's is the place to be.