Yesterday evening started off superbly. Mosh and I decided to visit an old haunt, the Prince of Wales pub. It used to be a regular spot for a wee drinkie when I lived in Clapham proper, in fact it has poignant memories as Mosh and I went there for our first drink back in the days when we were just friends.
It is a small pub whose charm is the ever evolving collection of junk attached to the ceiling, walls and any other available surface.
We've not been for a while because it involves a bit of a walk and used to get stuffy with cigarette smoke. Now the fag ban has been enforced long enough for it to de-fug, it once again appeals and I'd forgotten what a characterful and pleasant drinking establishment it actually is.
Fast forward then to the chosen eatery for our evening meal: Bodean's. It is a London-based, American bbq-themed restaurant chain.
I've been to their branch in Soho with colleagues, back in the Wardour days, but wasn't eating meat then.
You'd think that a restaurant who's area of specialism is barbecued meat would actually do it quite well but, and here I must apologise to my American neighbours, it is in fact the epitome of everything that is bad about American dining.
Processed, fake and heart-attack inducing.
Even my side salad arrived greasy with dressing and smothered in cheese and croutons. I'm afraid the American-ness rubbed off and I sent it back.
The ribs appeared as if the meat had already been chewed then pressed back onto the bones in an wholly uniform and unnatural way, coated in something of which the dominant flavour was salt and then cooked in some indeterminate way so that the only barbecue flavour came from the brown ketchup-like substance that accompanied all meals.
The pulled-pork was a little better but still very salty. The coleslaw, although looking authentic, tasted like it was made with sugary mayonnaise.
Portion-sizes were obscene and the staff friendly to the level of obsequious. The themed decor was one step up from a McDonald's and I really can't see what all the fuss it about.
I've had much better ribs, in far more pleasant surroundings, at a much cheaper price.