Don’t Tell Dad
One of my truly favourite things in the world is a solo date day. Don’t get me wrong I love days or time, both at home and abroad, with my girls but this nothing quite like a day all to yourself doing all the things you love and doing whatever you want. Today’s line up, lunch, a deep tissue massage at Cowshed, a walk on Primerose Hill and a quick mooch through Marylebone.
Don’t Tell Dad in Queen’s Park in North West London. This place has been on my list for a while but being an East London girly it’s undeniably a bit of trek. Oh but what a worthwhile trek it was.
Tucked down a side street is “Don’t Tell Dad”. A white walled building, the property is split into two parts; a bakery on one side and a restaurant on the other.
I had booked the first sitting for lunch, so I went nice door to the bakery for a coffee which was a cold brew with some milk. It was heaving in the tiny space, as everyone was on their Saturday morning constitution and were in need of coffee and/or a sweet treat. The queue was out the door, the bakery floor was packed with adults, children and dogs waiting for the goods. The bakery is open so you can see the staff rolling pain au chocolat, weighing out portions of bread dough and people coming in and out of the back room with supplies or taking items away to be cooked.
I skipped the pastry as my lunch was imminent so I bopped round to the other door, which was now unlocked, and was greeted by the hostess. I was shown to my seat which I was glad was tucked into a corner with two tall chairs. As I was dining along, if felt private and a little secluded but gave me a great view of the bar and a bit of the open kitchen while not having my back to any traffic on the restaurant floor.
What I ordered:
Olives
Oxtail Crumpet, Dripping Crumb
Pork shoulder with Semolina and Tomatoes
I’ll confess, I wanted to have dessert but I was so full and I had a full body massage in two hours time that I needed to give my food a fighting chance of digesting. As it goes, it just means I have to return, and return I DEFINITELY will.
The olives were large and meaty in texture. Probably the largest olives I’ve had. They were perfectly brine-y and having the entire coupe to myself was a delight and I savoured each one.
I am part of team “check the menu for booking or going to a restaurant” so I knew I wanted the oxtail crumpet. Forget that famous supermarket brand of crumpet. This one blows it out of the water and onto another continent. It was as light as air and with the perfect crispy outside. The oxtail was rich and soft. The only downside, they are about the side of a mouthful and after tasting it, I wanted another three. Yes, three. I said it to the waitress that day but I will say it here public if they ever see this; please please please, never take it off your menu. It’s perfect and miraculous.
For mains, I had the pork shoulder. It was a large portion. I did worry I wasn’t going to finish it and also thought I should probably leave a little behind. However, it was too delicious so ended up eating almost all of it. The pork shoulder was tender in parts but others were tough. I enjoyed the semonlina instead of say mashed potatoes or a heavy carbohydrate as it balanced well. Pork cuts can often feel “dense” so it really did lighten the meal. This along with the jus and roasted tomatoes added much needed brightness and freshness to the plate. Another reason why it was irresistible to finish it off.
Now, I have to talk to you about the wine. I had been toying with a few options for my meal; an orange pinot gris, a pinot noir which looked great… in the end the waitress suggested I try the pinot gris and a different red they had which she thought I’d like after talking a bit about wine and what I fancied tha day. I can’t for the life of me remember it, I need to make notes and my brain is a sieve but it was an excellent choice which paired well with all the dishes I had so I thank her excellent recommendation! She was also just delightful to chat to between courses and this genuine warmth and cool- character vibe is felt throughout the restaurant.
Orders for pick up a confidently and calmly called out no more than once. Drinks out of the bar glide out to the restaurant. The staff even had their lunch together on the counter. This communal eating during service is something I’ve only seen one other time; Mountain, Soho.
The decor is perfectly fitting for the trends of the 2020’s. Hints of french bistro and mid-century furniture with modern lights and table wear and other furnishings we have come to expect of the current time.
Full, happy and feeling buoyant from a truly lovely time I left to walk off as much of my lunch as possible before my next appointment with a firm decision that I would be back. In fact I’ve booked table for a few weeks time. I can imagine having a long lunch or dinner with french. Taking our time to drink away more of their excellent wine options and at the end of it waddling out with full bellies and equally full hearts.
Don’t Tell Dad is a solid 5/5 and has earned a place on my absolute favourites list. I’m counting down the days until I get another bite of the crumpet.
