Barretts of Belsize - Englands Lane

The concept of a local butcher is not one that I've really experienced for several years I have to admit. Not since the hazy, lazy days of my childhood has meat come from anything but a sleek looking packet, ready chopped, pre-prepped and ready to go. So when I moved into the vicinity of Barretts of Belsize on England's Lane I was intrigued.

Given the area, my initial thought was that I'd be paying through the nose for what had now become the cool way to shop - £8 for a single sausage that kind of thing - but that was not the case. I started my exploration of Barrett's burgeoning meat counter with some fantastic sausages, fat and herbed, some plump chicken breasts and a pork chop. All were rewardingly delicious and no more than supermarket prices - but it's the roasting joint that really makes or breaks a butcher if you ask me and so the day came when I decided to try out their beef.

I bought a topside - £9 and enough for 4 - and it came complete with cheerfully delivered cooking instructions and a recipe for yorkshires (I obviously looked like a bit of a roasting novice when I asked if I could cook it on a baking tray). I was also told to pinch a little hole in the bag whilst the beef was in the fridge to let it breathe - all of which made me think 'these guys know why they're doing.'

Having managed not to incinerate the beef joint and having cooked and rested it exactly to instructions, it was time to eat it with yorkshires, peas, parsnips, green beans and carrots. I don't know if I was getting caught up in the whole experience but I swear the meet tasted better. Sweeter, juicier, more tender - it made sense as it hasn't been shut in a packet since being slaughtered. It looked nicer too and it didn't have that odd chemical smell when meat comes out of a packet.

So I would highly recommend Barretts of Belsize (as would the queues that snake out of the shop door every weekend...). Whether you want a roasting joint, fry up fare or a bit of sausage banter it's a great option for a meat n greet…

www.barrettsbutchers.co.uk/‎

Gaucho Hampstead - They Don't Just Do Steak

Yet again the issue of getting a decent cocktail on a Friday night in an environment that doesn't make you want to cover your ears and run away recently reared its ugly head. This time it was trying to find somewhere decent near Hampstead tube, a spot (quite insistently) selected by a friend for a quieter cocktail evening ('maybe with something more exciting to go on to after...'). Well we started at the now defunct Dach & Sons, an establishment which had a decent sized cocktail 'room' upstairs and a fairly sparse restaurant downstairs serving greasy sliders and a single cocktail option. We were denied access to the upstairs room in a rather snooty way and as we could no long stomach the unpleasant tasting 'grog' they were calling a cocktail downstairs we started walking back towards the tube.

'But what about Gaucho?' Said my friend as we walked past the steak restaurant that looked dark and glamorous and inviting. As I looked in a noticed that actually there was a fairly good sized bar area and there were seats....

So in we went and the relief of welcoming polite service in comparison to the snobby superiority of Dach & Sons was a welcome rush. We were presented with a range of drinks to delight even the most picky of cocktail lovers with all the usual accoutrements including the proper glasses (this is key to a good cocktail experience, trust me).

The drinks were divided into Buenos Aires Classics, Bloody & Rare and Gaucho's Own Cocktails and were created by Tato Giovannoni recently named Argentine barman of the decade. We opted for Argentine gimlets and then a concoction of cognac, cherry liquor and coffee that was an instant boosting burst of taste. The flavours were defined, the drinks were well mixed and the variety would no doubt give us terrible hangovers the next day but they were that good that you just didn't care. We paid through the nose for the service but I'd say overall it was worth it.

So if you're looking to go for cocktails around Hampstead and you want something a bit more glamorous than a pub then take a look at Gaucho. They don't just do steak you know.

Flatiron Soho

It seems to be the ‘thing’ now to make people sit on shared benches, drink out of tumblers and have a menu without choices. Flatiron in Soho is the latest restaurant I have visited where this slightly ‘emperors new clothes’ approach is being pushed and because of experiences at other establishments I wasn’t that much looking forward to it.

I began my evening with a quite unpleasant cocktail in the bar downstairs. Of course you can’t book here but we were happy to wait somewhere with a decent looking cocktail list. The fact that they offered the unusual approach of icing the drinks by chipping great chunks off a big block gave the impression of being consummate cocktail professionals but this was not the case. However, where the cocktail didn’t taste good it was strong (and it came in a Babycham glass – old school) and by the time our table was ready I was buoyed with booze.

So the menu choice here is basically a steak or a burger with a small selection of sides and sauces. Most of us opted for steak with one exception of the burger, and we all wanted it cooked different ways. In terms of the wine, there were two choices of Malbec on the menu, which was a pleasant surprise – and one wasn’t a bank breaker so we opted for that. It was good! Although having to drink it out of what was essentially a school squash glass did ruin the experience somewhat (get proper wine glasses!).

The food was swift – the little thin strips of £10 steak arrived on blocks of wood accompanied by (small) portions of eggplant parm, chips and spinach. Everything was cooked exactly as we had asked and frankly the entire spread was delicious and lasted about five minutes – not what I had been expecting given the terrible cocktail. The diner in our party who had the burger even said it was the best he’d ever had.

When it came, the bill was not too extortionate either – a very reasonable £26 per head for a bottle and a carafe of Malbec, three steaks, a burger, four sauces and four sides. Pudding-wise there was one choice on the night that we went (I assume this is normal) and none of us fancied it so we left. We would probably have had a desert if there had been another option or two (we just didn't want chocolate) so they’re kind of cutting off a mini profit stream there.

All in all I would say that Flatiron is definitely worth a visit (just don’t have a martini downstairs). It’s tasty, the atmosphere is lively and you don’t walk away feeling like you’ve just been made a mug of by somewhere that is all style and no substance. But maybe take your own wine glass…

Cotswolds B&B: No. 12 Cirencester

We journeyed to Cirencester for a break. There's was nothing about the town that particularly attracted us other than that it wasn't london. We wanted to walk down streets we didn't know, get coffee from someone who didn't know our names and generally just tumble into anonymity for a few days.

We picked No 12 because we liked the look of the sleigh beds and the roll top bath, and because one of the reviews talked about an establishment scented with Diptyque candles. Perhaps not the most scientific of reasons but everyone's different.

When we arrived we were tired and it was dark, and walking inside the quaint townhouse on a typical Cotswolds esque street was like stepping into a hug. This is how most of the stay here felt - it was warm, comfortable and undemanding, like going back home only without the questions about when a grandchild is going to be produced or why you're still smoking at your age.

Our room, Room One, was positioned at the front the of house with possibly the biggest bed we had ever slept in (that's no joke - at one point when I woke in the night I couldn't even see my other half). Thickly carpeted floors, double glazed windows, beautiful vintage wallpaper and the heaviest of curtains make you feel like you're back in age when we didn't purchase everything from Ikea. The toilet was kind of in the wardrobe, which was slightly odd and not too private, but no doubt a space saving design and one that didn't intrude that much on comfort. The bath was in the bedroom - a thick shower curtain providing some privacy - with an immense shower, with the kind of jungle head that makes you feel ridiculously energised afterwards. The only thing I didn't like about the room was the picture above the bed - a woman cowering (in my interpretation anyway) which if you believe in that sort of thing seems like very bad relationship feng shui to place over a bed.

Cirencester itself is pretty enough - a sanitised version of a Cotswolds town with plenty of places to get a latte and a couple of wonderfully posh deli style restaurants where I had a lovely carpaccio of beef and sparkling crisp prosecco. But it was for No 12 that we had journeyed here and that's where we spent most of our time. If you're the kind of person who marks a B&B by its breakfasts then the spread on offer at No12 is top notch. Even when we arrived two minutes from the end of breakfast on the first morning they were still willing to make us something hot (and were nice about it).

I would highly recommend No 12 if you're visiting c=Cirencester - or anywhere in the Cotswolds - or if you're just looking for an escape. An hour from London then ten minutes in a taxi and you can immerse yourself in Diptyque fragrances, great bacon and the biggest bed on earth. 

69 Colebrooke Row

In a city so brimming with bars, it's often unexpectedly difficult to find a decent cocktail. Everyone thinks they're a mixologist these days and there are few places left where the true art of the cocktail is really practiced. 69 Colebrooke Row is one of those places. Sister venue to the Zetter Townhouse, which also has a mean team of mixologists, you'll pay the standard London £9 for a house cocktail here, but believe me you won't give a damn.

From the flexible menu that can be altered to accommodate just about any whim to the 'proper' cocktail glasses and the white coats of the waiters they do things properly at 69 Colebrooke Row. That's not to say it's in any way straight laced. Gawd no!  This is a tiny, sweaty noisy speakeasy, complete with a stealth pianist and a loud, buzzy atmosphere punctuated frequently by raucous laughter.

St James' Gate: Myers Rum, Guinness Reduction, Lemon, Sugar

The thing about 69 Colebrooke row is that it's not particularly sophisticated. You will probably have to wait even if you've booked (if you haven't booked then you could be there all night) and when you're waiting you won't know where to put yourself, as there isn't any space. But if you're the kind of person who likes to walk into a bar and say 'I'd like something refreshing. With tequila. That tastes amazing' and then have the best cocktail of your life made for you then you might just fall in love.

www.69colebrookerow.com