You know what everybody wants? Everyone wants a local, the perfect little local; an expression of you down the road that makes you feel warm, welcomed. The place you go to feel at home in your hood, where you may recognize a neighbour or that fittie that works at the pub. You want a local that serves incredible food, but is small, intimate, friendly maybe even a little romantic after a day of urban ass-kicking. You want good music in the background that feels familiar and wholesome and an establishment that has effortlessly thrown these elements together for the perfect impromptu dining experience.

The Venue

Enter: Meat People. This is that understated hidden gem in Angel where you sit in an exquisitely lit, cosy and lovingly-serviced retro Parisian joint, sip a glass of wine behind rain-spattered French windows and watch the nightly buzz of London bustle by. Meat People pays homage to the French bistro, chic-ly blending a lovely ambience of candle light, retro mustard leather couches, untreated woods and fantastic mixes of familiar old skool hits to perfect your evening.

Cosy up in this chic Parisian den and let your stresses melt away.

Atmosphere and Clientele

I’m floored at the number of diverse groups of friends of all ages hanging out with endless bottles of organic wine served up with a lot of Bridget Jones type laughter, all seemingly soothed and satiated. The couple next to me are clearly headed for a night of well-flanked romance, and yet don’t stop to bop in their seats to Ain’t Nobody Love Me Better.  As I’m alone this evening, I’m getting a groovy feeling in the seat of my stomach.

Meat People's seductive, familiar feel makes it a cracking date night spot for Angel's loved-up couples.

Food and Drink

If I didn’t live in Angel, I’d come here anyway. Why? Because without well-thought out, exquisite food, your pretty little local is everything and nothing, sadly. Meat People’s chef turns out to be the ex-Head Chef at Gaucho (cue jaw-drop) and technical simplicity married with high-quality produce is what settles the score at Meat People.

Try the flavour-packed Argentinian rib-eye (£8.50 per 100g) accompanied by chimichurri with a subtle, tangy punch that posits you directly in Buenos Aires. Or the velvety Chateaubriand; a beautifully charred and marvellously-marbled spectacle that gives you that OH moment in your mouth. The quality of meat is brilliant. If you don’t believe me, try the carpaccio - nothing screams prize cow more than raw slivers of a bit of grass-fed Daisy. And for the less cow-inclined, the Raw Bass (£7) is a citrusy fresh haven of chilli, lime and mango that blows your socks off, while the chef enthusiastically cooks impromptu dishes for vegetarians at request. The showstopper, however, (yes, still to come) was the warm, delicate Passionfruit Madeleines with a very fine crunch of poppy seeds for dessert. The word marriage means everything here, from the menu to the wine list (try the Austrian wild wine), to the fact that I’m feeling relaxed, loved, and tucked away against the rain-spattered streets of London.

Mouth-watering meats and spontaneous veggie dishes are cooked to perfection here.

Summary

You want this experience. You want it again and again, even if you’re not a local. Simplicity oozing from well-curated culinary perfection in a cosy atmosphere, Meat People is an authentic bistro that demands attention. So if you don’t know, you better get to know, yo.