A True Princess

Jason Grant seems to find all sorts of wonderful places...

Picture: The Commons

I finally made it to The Commons last week, and the time it took to get round to going didn’t lessen the enjoyment at all (unlike when you look forward to something for so long that the reality is almost always a disappointment). The over-eager table clearing and freezing draught through the room were perhaps another matter.

Picture: The Commons

There was hot mulled wine, which might be the perfect antidote to a wet miserable week, especially when paired with frivolous conversation. And there was sharing of pate, Brussels sprouts with bacon, and root vegetable stew with cheddar dumplings. Sounds ordinary... tasted amazing. The addition of bacon (and, I strongly suspect, copious amounts of butter) to the sprouts turned them into a dish that could easily stand by itself rather than just as a side order. And the dumplings were amazing. Light and cheesy and not too rich. The dumpling-to-stew ratio could cheerfully be increased (although I suspect I could eat dumplings until I turned into one myself, so am possibly biased).

I will definitely be back to The Commons. Preferably to a warmer corner of the room – going on a sunny and warm day might just detract from how well the warm, tasty homeliness of the food matches with a shivery day. Very different to the old days when Bono* was there, but a welcome and slightly unusual addition to the wine bar / restaurant / casual eating list.

Picture: Doshi Levien via Daily Imprint

Another of Jason Grant’s discoveries is Doshi Levien. I love this daybed... as long as there isn’t one very tiny green pea hidden away in those layers. Now, a bowl of bacon-covered sprouts, and that would be a very different matter. Although any princess who could miss a Brussels sprout would definitely not pass the test...

* The Italian restaurant, not the sunglasses-wearing singer