I received a very suspicious text message telling me to meet at Earl's Court tube station at 5 pm. I was (due to bloody Jubilee line closure) slightly late, but ran to the designated meeting point in Earl's Court Square.
Cue being stood outside a very suspicious and inconspicuous black door which simply said, Evans and Peel, Detective Agency. Walking in through the door, everything had a close, wooden, vintage, 20s feel to it. I was, to say the very least, confused. Walking down some stairs, my friend stops us and says: "They won't let you in without a story".... what? What do you mean?! "You have to have a reason for coming to the detective agency! We need a story!" Right. So. We were three half-sisters who had all found each other because our father had been murdered and we thought the murderer might be one of our mothers. A bloody good story.
We are ushered in front of the detective, who listens to our case, and deciding it is worthy of investigation ushers into the bar through a door hidden behind a stair case. Phew. Once in, we were placed on a table with a bottle of the most gorgeously refreshing cucumber water, with a full view of the bar. I loved that all the waiters were inkeeping with the 20s speakeasy theme, and there was some seriously good jazz music playing.
Seeing the menu, it is tricky where to being. Mainly because it all sounds so delish. To begin with: a drink. Obviously. I went for the 'Go Figure', (£10) a fig daiquiri (sorry the pictures are dark, the restaurant was candlelit - of course, got to have some atmosphere)
Come on to food... As a vegetarian, I opted to not share with the meat eaters and grab a couple of smaller dishes all to myself - selfish bitch.
First up: the goats cheese fritter (£4). A decadent round of fried goats cheese, on a bed of rocket, drizzled in (wait for it) maple syrup. I was not at all sure about how this maple syrup would pan out with the goats cheese but it blew my mind. That sweetness just contrasted with the tangy cheese and peppery rocket stunningly.
It wouldn't be dinner out really without dessert now would it. And between us, myself and Amira shared the dark chocolate brownie (£4.50). Dark chocolate brownie is always a winner with me and one of my favourite puddings. Normally, I love it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to counteract the richness. This came with a whattleseed posset and a smoked strawberry granita. Whattleseed posset... Now I wasn't too sure about this one, I'm not going to lie but the kind of smoky creamy posset really cut through the dense, gooey brownie. Combined with the smoky strawberry granita, which was a strange taste initially but actually a perfect accompaniment. One you get your head around the smokiness, smoky + bitter choc = fan-bloody-tastic.
The only downside I would say is that, everyone else already bloody thinks so. Which means that you can only go in for a two hour slot, and that it is quite difficult to get a table for 7. Which actually is not a problem if you know your table is at 5:30 pm really. For such a special evening, with not just rigmarole and show, but actually really decent, delicious and different food. Not your everyday.
And the candlelight makes for crap instagramming.