the simple things in life: The Draft House, Clapham

I don't know about you, but there are times when I want to go out for a simple, tasty meal, cooked well, with something decent to drink on the side. And not to have to pay a ridiculous price for the privilege.

could this be the place?

For a big city, London has an awful lot of places that don't fit the bill. Yes, there are thousands of cafes, bistros, and restaurants in this huge metropolis, but a dismayingly large proportion of them disappoint on one criterion or another. For that reason, I'm always on the lookout for new (whether literally, or just new to me) venues that promise the holy grail.

A few months ago, Twitter was a-flutter with rumours of a venture that sounded as though the grail might be opening soon and, better still, opening near me. The omens were good - Charlie McVeigh, owner of the acclaimed Le Cafe Anglais, was the man with the vision to turn what was a branch of the Pitcher & Piano into something, well, rather less of a pig's ear. (Actually, that's rather unfair to pigs' ears which, despite one or two pronouncements on MasterChef, are quite a treat, as finalist Alex Rushmer can demonstrate.)

Initial reviews were favourable, with special mention going to the Draft House's excellent range of ales...

what you see in the picture amounts to about half the choice of ales on offer

... and its novel idea of offering them in third of a pint measures, as well as the traditional half and pint.

from l-r: Wandle (quite possibly THE holy grail), Bitter & Twisted, Porterhouse Red

I visited for the first time for lunch on New Year's Day, not least on the basis that you might as well start the year in the manner in which you intend to carry on. Baked eggs, chips, sprout tops (where else serves sprout tops, I ask you?) and a selection of ales went down rather well, to say the least. Dinner there a few weeks ago involving meaty steaks and burgers scored highly, too. After a third visit last week I thought it was time I should give this happy, cheery place a little shout-out.

Because what they do here is good. Very good. And at very reasonable prices. It's not frilly, complicated, smoke-and-mirrors stuff. Instead, it's rather joyous food made from wonderful, carefully selected (and thankfully seasonal - the menu changes accordingly) ingredients by chefs who evidently take pride in their cooking.

And so, this is the kind of nosh they come up with:

squid and chorizo in their liquor

eggs florentine, the uncut version

eggs florentine, the cut version

scrambled eggs and smoked salmon (well, obviously)

rhubarb jelly and cream. In a half pint glass. Yay! Definitely not for kids ;)

You'll be relieved to know that I'm not going to ramble on and give you my pronouncements on everything we ate. But let me just say this - these dishes might look simple, but a great many places make a bloomin' great hash of them. At the Draft House, they look good, are cooked to perfection, taste fantastic and just as they should. I seriously doubt whether anywhere in London does eggs or greens (apart from sprout tops, I've eaten their equally meaty and minerally spring greens and spinach) consistently as well as they do them here. The jelly was not only fun, but truly delicious - not too sharp, but full of rhubarby spritz and tang nonetheless. And far from being just a extraneous afterthought (as the ugly cynic in me rather expected), the addition of the rich, gloopy, buttery cream took the whole thing up another notch - the combination with the jelly was a glorious revelation. Jelly and cream? Who knew?

And then there's the ales... Which are probably worthy of a entirely new post. Let's just say they're worth the visit.

The only downside to all this is that, inevitably, The Draft House has become a very popular place in a very short space of time. But the good news is that the eaterie part (separate from the bar area) takes reservations, so if you can plan a little ahead, you can still get a table even at the busiest periods.

Just don't nick my table. Please.