The Beaufort Street Merchant
488-492 Beaufort Street, Highgate
Well, my faith in bistro food is restored by the memory of a recent great night out.
My god-daughter came to visit (oh yes, seeing as she's only 16 months old, her lovely parental units came too) from Kuala Lumpur, and we thought that the BSM would be a good venue for a casual night of fairy-god-mothering.
Our four mains included: the tasting platter (brilliant mix of flavours), two serves of the meatball dish (alas, they had run out of "The Pie") and the chicken tagine. OK, playing devil's advocate after the last post: yes it's predictable cafe fare. But done oh so well, and at cafe prices! The meatball sauce was balanced and robust, the tagine was a charming blend of spices, and the tasting platter comes with a Merchant twist...cream of balsamic dipping! Ahah! Our waiter was helpful, friendly and knew the menu very well. He pointed us towards the shelves for the cream of balsamic product, and we girls got lost wandering amongst the gourmet goodies. Mr Helpful came over to announce that dinner was served, that our menfolk had not only tucked in, but were furthermore already eyeing off our dishes. As we rushed back to the table, fellow shoppers remarked on such attentive service.
Recently licensed, the wine list is the bottleshop selection. Each time I returned to the shelves for another bottle of red, Mr Helpful was hovering discretely to whisk the bottle away to cork and pour at the table. Unless you have shifty friends, leave your wallet in their care at the table, as the Merchant staff simply add the bottles to your cafe tab.
We'd lingered too long over dinner, so, to my utmost disappointment, some lucky punters had scored the last brambleberry pie! Mr Helpful suggested we try the lemon tart instead...and it almost didn't warrant taking second place. It just oozed happiness and twinkly stars! I have photos, but they've gone to KL on someones iPhone...Princess Bossy, hint hint!! xo
Be warned - it's table service at night but counter service during the day, so if you expect to get in for weekend brunch, go early or wear comfy shoes, as the queue often snakes around the cafe and into the shop, but at least you can browse while you wait! Thankfully, they take table reservations for dinner, and the cafe layout is cozy but roomy enough for all-terrain pram manoeuvrability.
Verdict: magical! If only I could wave my wand and conjure up sparkly dining experiences all the time! Yes we'd go back, again and again!
I'm on the shop's mailing list for Scott Taylor's enthusiastic email updates, and it's obvious his passion extends to all aspects of the cafe and shop!
By the way Sarvelicious, a magical bottle of said cream of balsamic was in your cake-day hamper, let me know if the happiness carries over when we take it home, or if it only works on premises!
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