Out and About: The Hunter S. / Eggs, Milk, Butter

The Hunter S.

194 Southgate Road,

London, N1 3HT.

A bar named after the late, great Hunter S. Thompson? You had me at "a bar" to be frank.
The Hunter S. is located on Southgate Road in Dalston and from the outside it looks pretty much like any other pub, but step inside and you will soon realise you aren't in Wetherspoons any more.
The interior is a strange mix of grand furniture, taxidermy and modern art. You wouldn't expect anything less from an establishment named after the author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Prohibition style music tinkles away in the background and the whole vibe of the place put me in mind of Boardwalk Empire.
We sat at a banqueting style table on huge ornate chairs with a dramatic light centerpiece overhead. Quite something for a pub!

The menu is full of good, hearty meals - Beef Wellington, braised pork, risotto - and is reasonably priced with most of the mains priced between twelve and fifteen pounds. I opted for beer battered fish and chips, homemade mushy peas and tartar sauce priced at £12.50. I could not believe my eyes when a huge platter the size of which wouldn't have disappointed Henry VIII was placed in front of me. The chips were more like wedges they were cut so thick and they were the finest pub chips I've ever tasted. My fish was beautifully cooked and there was enough to feed me for a couple of days!

As if the whole experience wasn't surreal enough, I was amazed to find that the ladies loos had classical music playing in them, photographs of hunky men in various states of undress and some crazy artwork on display. My particular favourites were the bobble-head Sylvester Stallone and a photo that appears to show Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins inside a womb. Perfectly average, right?

But the men's urinals really are quite something and might just win the medal for the best loos in London!

The staff were uber friendly and the whole place is so spectacularly weird, I expect to become a regular visitor. Hunter S. Thompson would be proud!

Eggs Milk Butter

192 Southgate Road,

London, N1 3HU.

Eggs Milk Butter is a great new concept - coffee and comics in one place. The place is tiny but it has a lot going on. There is a small seating area and two huge bookshelves stacked with comics for you to peruse and purchase, alongside a small brunch menu.

I had the most delicious peanut butter smoothie and came away with three fab new comic books.

You could happily spend a couple of hours here browsing and it's worth noting all the cool little touches in the decor. Eggs Milk Butter also gets bonus points for friendly staff and it's proximity to the Hunter S. (Next door).

Now, for no other reason than the fact that I bought an Archies comic, lets all listen to 'Sugar, Sugar' and be happy...