I don't often frequent the luscious, hilly streets of Hampstead on an evening out, as there isn't really much in the way of decent restaurants and even less in the way of nice bars. A Sunday lunch is just about all I'll manage and that, Hampstead does well.
So when I heard there was a trendy new bar and restaurant on Heath Street from the owners of Purl and The Worship Street Whistling Shop; both exemplary bars, I was itching to find out if it would be become a destination for me and my North London chums.
Dach and Sons takes over 3 floors and combines a restaurant, bar and roof terrace with stunning views over Hampstead. The name, a hommage to the humble hot dog is another kitsch and trendy American diner-style restaurant hot on the heels of the likes of Spuntino and Meat Liquor.
The interior is actually quite like Spuntino; a mixture of white tiles, slate and wood furnishings and the usual industrial lighting. Its a clean, stripped back and airy space with a few nice touches like giant Maris Piper potato tins for sitting on, wooden sharing tables and bright yellow high stools.
The menu is a cute selection of hotdogs and sliders along with some wacky sounding sides such as frickles, devils on horseback and bone marrow popcorn.
We started off with some beers. The drafts are sold by the 2/3 pint and they have an impressive selection of whiskeys that they like to pair with the beer. We then ordered an array of things to try and I was particularly looking forward to the "dachsund", an all beef frankfurter that comes with 10 day sauerkraut and ketchup (affectionately called "tommy-k" here). Everything came looking utterly fabulous - all presented immaculately in little jars, cages and on trays. The hotdog came, strangely, served on a white surgical glove, which one of the owners told me is a tribute to one of the supposed inventors of the hotdog in Louisiana who used to loan people white gloves to protect their hands from the hot sausage - thus the bun was then added.
But for all the visual delight, the tastes for me, unfortunatley didn't quite measure up. The sliders, a selection of salt beef, chilli and cheese burger all tasted juicy and were well cooked but they were all a bit tasteless. They all just tasted a bit samey and needed a good deal more seasoning. The hotdog, however was excellent and really really tasty but it was a bit small for £8 and I just wanted more. The chips that came vaccum dried with beef dripping were stunning. First class fries. But my biggest disappointment was with the frickles. An awesome sounding name for a side dish - pressure pickled cucumber with dill and beer batter. But, oh dear. Gherkins in batter - it was just sacrilige and not pleasant.
Saying that though, I kind of feel like the issues with the food are just teething problems and as the restaurant gains popularity, the food will develop to a much better standard.
We then moved upstairs to "Flat P", their Hampstead version of "Purl", a speakeasy bar. When you walk in you feel like you've entered another world. You're immediately hit with an elusive, almost forbidden feeling and there is scratchy 40's-style jazz music playing in the background. Its just cool. The furniture is all plush, royal blue velvet and there are lots of statement pieces like this globe bar sitting in pride of place.
The bar really is beautiful and what these guys clearly do best. The cocktail selection is short but unusual, highly conceptual and each drink comes as an entire experience, as supposed to just a thirst quencher.
