The Dovetail
9, Jerusalem Passage
EC1V 4JP
Date of Last Visit: Sunday, December 7, 2008
The Victims: Chris, Evelien, Seona, and a guy whose name I really didn't catch
The Damage: Not so much. £12 each or thereabouts?
The Background: I like having a Belgian friend. I use her for her Belgian-ness. Specifically, I'm talking beer. Evelien knows her Belgian beer.
Perhaps all Belgians know beer as well as Evelien does. Maybe it's a national trait. (Or at least, a Flemish trait.) But I don't know many other Belgians besides for Evelien. (And Damien, but I haven't seen him for ages.) Oh, and I suppose I've got at least one Belgian co-worker. OK, and a friend from grad school. So that's four. I know four Belgians.
So after our lunch at Mien Tay, our party disperses and the last of us head over to The Dovetail because it's baby friendly (indeed, there are many babies in The Dovetail while we're there), it's Belgian, and it's relatively close to home.
I'm presented with three different Belgian beers during our sojourn in The Dovetail. The only name I've written down is Leffe Radieuse. I wish I could present you with tasting notes, but we weren't being very serious. We were playing pass-the-baby while giving legal advice. Plus, there was all that MSG to contend with.
The Loos: Odd. Like they're under construction. But they're not. I think they're going for an industrial feel, but it just looks like plywood to me.
The Verdict: I've been here a few times. It's nice. But there's something a bit dirty-feeling about it. Like it's missing a crucial element of the decor. (Maybe it's the candles…with all the kiddies about, there were wisely no candles melting into Duval bottles.) But I like drinking Belgian beer with Evelien, so I'll probably be back.
4 comments
I love the Dovetail. I haven’t found time to go there enough recently, even though it’s only about 200 yards from my front door. The moules are always reliable.
At the moment, the beer to try is St Feuillien Cuvee de Noel on tap.
We spent the summer in the area, and the Dovetail was one of my favorite places. Try the tart made from goat cheese, leek and walnut. And of course, you can’t go wrong with Belgian beer!
Think my comment may have been rejected or fallen into spam, so here goes again…
I LOVE the Dovetail…I think that they may have/did have the best pies in London, and the sausage and mash is really really good too. And I know what you mean about the general shabbiness, but in the winter it’s really the perfect place!
I LOVE this place – they do/did some of the best pies in London in my opinion. And their sausage and mash is great too. I know what you mean about the general shabbiness of the place, but it’s such a good place in winter…really homely and welcoming.
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