Don't Tell Dad brings a twinkling atmosphere to Queen's Park - Review - London - The Infatuation

"A decent neighbourhood restaurant will have you wondering what life would be like around those bits. A very nice one will have you scrolling Rightmove on the train home. Don’t Tell Dad is the latter. With a picturesque setting on Lonsdale Road in Queen’s Park and a slick terracotta aesthetic, this bakery-cum-restaurant could easily fit into Soho. Instead, retired NW6 locals are splitting modern European plates and warm madeleines by 6:30pm, while frilly sock girlies clink grüner veltliner over rich oxtail crumpets. Said crumpet is a great way to kick things off—whether you’re pitching up at the counter with a brown butter hazelnut Old Fashioned, or cramming the kids into a booth. Forget dummies, use a cheddar and truffle beignet instead. photo credit: Don't Tell Dad photo credit: Don't Tell Dad photo credit: Don't Tell Dad Pause Unmute The menu is an unchallenging and approachable mixture of European-British things, and you should look out for dishes that have a baking element in them. A pungent crab tart with perfect, snapping pastry is superb. Real Hollywood handshake stuff. There’s some good bistro-ish cooking too, and we can’t remember the last time we had guinea fowl this tender. Some crowds in a restaurant are trendy, others are more serious. Here, everyone seems happy. Big hugs and warm smiles are a standard at every table. Maybe that isn’t just down to Don’t Tell Dad. Either way, a plate of piping hot madeleines with clotted cream certainly doesn’t hurt. Food Rundown Oxtail Crumpet, Dripping Crumb Is a crumpet still a crumpet if it doesn’t have any holes? An enormous question for modern times. Regardless, this crumpet-muffin with a generous handful of rich, shredded oxtail on top is very enjoyable. photo credit: Jake Missing Crab Tart, Crab Oil Mayonnaise, Watercress A slice of crab tart that’s so crabby it feels like the entire essence of crabbiness has been distilled and formed onto a brilliant, crumbly shortcrust pastry base. It’s served with a few sprigs of watercress and a dollop of (crab) mayonnaise for good measure. photo credit: Jake Missing Guinea Fowl, Celeriac, Chanterelles, Cavolo Nero There’s plenty of comfort on Don’t Tell Dad’s menu, but there’s some serious cooking too. This guinea fowl is evidence of that. There’s tender dark meat, juicy white meat and pool of a loose and sweet celeriac pureé. The just-cooked cavolo brings it all together. photo credit: Jake Missing Madeleines, Sour Cherries, Clotted Cream Patience is a virtue. Frankly, we’d wait all week for these madeleines if that’s what it took. Crisp on the edges, steaming hot, and with a lovely combination of dark cherries and clotted cream. photo credit: Jake Missing" - Jake Missing