Opposite Smithfields Market is an all-day joint named after an obscure instrumental Beastie Boys track. The tune is a bit of a damp squib, but its namesake is well worth a bite. Post-work drinkers soaking up the early evening sun dominate the pavement tables, while indoors – a Brooklyn-esque mishmash of vintage classroom chairs, succulents and tacked-on polaroids – was filled with a laptop-tapping or cocktail-sipping crowd; some even combining both.
Despite stocking 42 different types of gin, the bar seems an afterthought, crammed at the back corner. Take note, though: Janice knows her cocktails and won’t rob you for them either. My Long Lane Sour (£9) was a frothy twist on the Aviation (gin, crème de violette and lemon juice). I almost ordered it twice.
The sharing plates menu is a vogueish mix of…everything – but trends feel shoehorned in without finesse. Black rice with tomatoes was slightly supermarket-salad-bar and a splodge of bland butter bean hummus with asparagus felt a pinch at £8. But my plump carrot fritters were sublime – proof that when Janice nails the simple things, she’s away. Food quibbles aside, I’d come here again to kick back with a coffee or something stronger. The Beasties would be proud.