We were playing croquet the other evening. Let's just leave that sentence hanging in the air for a moment - let it marinate in your mind to give you a better picture of the awesome existence we lead. Go ahead - be jealous. Croquet is, after all, the sport of Kings. To be honest, we worked hard to achieve this level of dignity - it is the fine living we have longed aspired to attain. That said, the atmosphere was dampened somewhat by the game being enjoyed whilst downing cans of tennants super (2 fingers for each missed hoop) and numerous examples of sledging ranging from gentle caress of your opponent in the lead up to his shot, to the more extreme screams of R18 swear-words in their ear during their backswing.
The real reason we want to play more croquet
With such frivolity and extravagance (plus the urgent need for toilets), we didn't wander far from our perch in the lofty hills of Golders Green. Instead we tumbled (whilst gently braying at passers by) into The Old Bull and Bush, one of Golders Green's favourite haunts for post-croquet (or any event really). It is something of an institution in these parts (no less illustrated by their efforts to declare themselves a North Hampstead public house which is, we think, tenuous - it's close certainly, but we've never heard of North Hampstead other than in connection with this place - then again, maybe it's so good it deserves its own unique location).
Actually, we're in no mood to criticise the B&B as it pleases on so many levels. For starters it offers a generally impressive wine list (though we were sceptical of one or two of the wines on their reserve list) and any pub that offers Vedettes and Kasteels by the bottle is fine by us. Mostly though, the food is something wonderful. To call this a gastropub would be to do it a disservice. On the strength of the food, it is a restaurant first and a pub second.
We ate pan-seared scallops to start (the scallops special of the day), along with a smattering of pizza (their brilliant bianco pizza drizzled in truffle oil) before moving on to their steak-night menu (Tuesdays) involving a tussle with a Cote de boeuf that would encourage beef-eating to a degree that cows would become an endangered species. The staff were brilliant and, mainly, the cooking was fantastic.
All in all, this is the only place to properly warm down after a croquet session - or after (or before) anything else really. It suits all occasions.
http://www.thebullandbush.co.uk/
The real reason we want to play more croquet
With such frivolity and extravagance (plus the urgent need for toilets), we didn't wander far from our perch in the lofty hills of Golders Green. Instead we tumbled (whilst gently braying at passers by) into The Old Bull and Bush, one of Golders Green's favourite haunts for post-croquet (or any event really). It is something of an institution in these parts (no less illustrated by their efforts to declare themselves a North Hampstead public house which is, we think, tenuous - it's close certainly, but we've never heard of North Hampstead other than in connection with this place - then again, maybe it's so good it deserves its own unique location).
Actually, we're in no mood to criticise the B&B as it pleases on so many levels. For starters it offers a generally impressive wine list (though we were sceptical of one or two of the wines on their reserve list) and any pub that offers Vedettes and Kasteels by the bottle is fine by us. Mostly though, the food is something wonderful. To call this a gastropub would be to do it a disservice. On the strength of the food, it is a restaurant first and a pub second.
We ate pan-seared scallops to start (the scallops special of the day), along with a smattering of pizza (their brilliant bianco pizza drizzled in truffle oil) before moving on to their steak-night menu (Tuesdays) involving a tussle with a Cote de boeuf that would encourage beef-eating to a degree that cows would become an endangered species. The staff were brilliant and, mainly, the cooking was fantastic.
All in all, this is the only place to properly warm down after a croquet session - or after (or before) anything else really. It suits all occasions.
http://www.thebullandbush.co.uk/
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