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…