We rather enjoyed our short-lived ‘Best Sunday Lunch’ column, but it’s fallen by the wayside of late. Should we bring it back?
Anyway, one classic London restaurant we did swing by on a recent day of rest was the tres elegant Dean Street Townhouse. An impeccable pre-Chicken Shop outpost of the Soho House Group, we’ve been occasional customers over the years, admittedly more for a cocktail or nightcap than dinner in its dark, candle-lit surrounds.
Dean Street exemplifies that understated English-stately-home-meets-American-diner look: hard-backed armchairs, wooden paneling, roaring fire, white tablecloths. And as for the long bar? Well, on the weekend it begs you to pull up a stool, take your pick from a dozen Sunday newspapers, and order – what else? – a cheeky Negroni.
We were having lunch with my old university friend Emma, her husband George and two year old Harry (cutely fitted out in his Sunday best). So it was a good test all round of Dean Street’s potential to provide a glam afternoon for the adults whilst tending to the needs of an – as it turns out – impressively well-behaved toddler.
The atmosphere was buzzy – every stool occupied at the bar, tables full, a sense of rendezvous and plotting – yet a less rowdy feel than on weeknights.
A set two course menu is just over twenty quid, with house wine around the same price (although the drinks list is endless). So we all opted for that, a less exciting offering, as to be expected, than the full evening a la carte; whilst the traditional fare served won’t surprise anyone, the quality is undoubtedly there.
The beef? Pretty good – rare, seductively pink, tender, and packed with flavour. But Emma ordered chicken and regretted it. Not enough flavour; a bit ordinary, she said. The Yorkshire puddings, however, were textbook pillowy, the vegetables al dente, the cauliflower deliciously creamy.
Service was typically Soho: efficient, a bit icy, an occasional flash of a smile. But the staff were accommodating with Harry, and there was no question of being made to feel uncomfortable for bringing along a young child. But the cheery charm of front-of-house at Kentish Town’s Soho House outlets is inevitably missing in what is quite definitely not a neighbourhood hang-out.
Like many restaurants in W1, Dean St masterfully balances a sense of occasion and excitement with its slightly underwhelming food offering – and, inevitably, a queasy bill to see you off blinking into the daylight. Yet its allure is all-powerful; we know we’ll be back at some point, ideally on a rainy school night, a sense of mischief in the air.
Words & Pics: Stephen Emms
2 thoughts on “The Big Review: Sunday Lunch at Dean Street Townhouse”
Are you sure Kentishtowner wasn’t just set up for you and your families to scoff your way round eateries for free? (Have noticed the increasingly further afield and more pricey ones creeping in, too.) Might be time to get some of your readers to do the nominating & reviewing duties, a cocktail other than a Ne-groan-ie (yawn) might get a whirl, too.
With regards to our food section, we pay unless we state otherwise. And we forked out an almighty whack for the Townhouse I can tell you!
Geographically, we try to balance NW restaurants with the odd one elsewhere in London (we like to think that people who live in the locale will have no problem taking a 15 minute bus ride into town).
This week we have reviewed two local eating places, Camden Lock Food Market and Los Pollos, both very reasonably priced (incidentally, items were paid for). And all three food reviews this week have been by different writers, whose ages range from 20-40. (Next review, scheduled for Tues, is Tapping The Admiral’s £5 lunch.)
Finally, we are the first to admit we run the site with a very small core team and actively encourage all readers to get involved and contribute. So Susie – why don’t you join in and send us an idea? Email info@kentishtowner.co.uk. We’re always looking for new contributors. Fair?