Dead Dolls House is set in a townhouse with a little eerie, Tim Burton-esque vibe that was oddly welcoming. The name itself caused some curiosity as I approached the restaurant.

A waitress seated us at a rather bizarre table - it faced the wall, preventing me from even viewing the restaurant and the decor. I asked to be seated at a different table. Apart from its awkward positioning, the table's chairs were awfully dirty. It had suspicious brown patches all over it, and a random coffee bean. Truth be told, I was quite uncomfortable having to sit down on that chair.

However, I brushed these thoughts aside and proceeded to peruse the menu with a friend. We asked for some recommendations from the slightly uncertain and not entirely friendly or welcoming waitress.

We decided on the BBQ'd Broccoli with Fried Egg and Strained Yoghurt (£6), and the Grilled Gem Hearts with Avocado and Smoked Bacon (£7) for appetisers. For mains, the Dirty Angel Burger with Pancetta, Smoked Cheese and Bone Marrow Butter (£14), and the Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Waffles, Maple Syrup and Smoked Bacon (£14) stood out for us. We ordered Sweet Potato Fries (£4.50) for a side and Dead Dolls Punch (£10) for a drink to share. The waitress didn't really know what to recommend for drinks either when I asked her. The total of the meal came up to £55.50.

The food all came at once, which is quite unheard of in a restaurant especially when you have ordered appetisers, sides and mains. This led to our table becoming uncomfortably cramped with plates, our mains getting cold by the time we got to them and a rather stressful experience of trying to eat as much food at one time so that it doesn't get cold.

BUT let's get on to the food for real. The service did not do the food justice is all I can say. I really enjoyed our appetisers of Broccoli and Gem Hearts. They were both paired with other ingredients in a very unique but complementary way, unlike anything I have eaten before. The strained yoghurt in the broccoli was strangely a great combination, and who knew barbequed broccoli would taste so delicious? The Gem Hearts were also a weirdly wonderful combination. I enjoyed their coriander lighting sprinkled on the top too, giving it a nice piquent taste. The softness of mouth feel of the gem hearts and avocado was nicely contrasted with the harder in texture smoked bacon.

I had high hopes for the Dirty Angel Burger. But I thought the patty was a bit dry and I could not really taste the bone marrow. It was quite disappointing.

The Fried Chicken was one of the better fried-chicken-waffle dishes I've had. The chicken, though breast, was tender enough (though my friend thought it was a bit dry and could have been more tender), and crispy and well-seasoned. I enjoyed the taste of the waffle with the chicken. The waffle was of a harder variety, drizzled with maple syrup. I thought that the taste of the waffle was quite unusual and it went well with the chicken.

The Punch was good - strong and refreshing. This is something for which we would easily come back for more.

The Sweet Potato Chips were one of the best I have had.

Conclusion

I would want to return to try more of their cocktails. This seemed to be a place where people mostly drank, instead of ate. But some of the food was really amazing and I would definitely return to order the Chicken Waffles, the Broccoli and the Gem Hearts.

Dead Dolls House 181 Upper St,

London N1 1RQ, UK

Opening hours:

Tues & Weds 5PM - 12AM

Thurs 5PM - 2AM Fri 5PM - 4AM Saturdays 11AM - 4AM Closed on Mondays

#London #UK