Once upon a time there was a girl named Leighanne, and one day she put down a deposit for a fabulous flat in Muswell Hill. But all of her dreams were crushed when she found out that it had already been snapped up. She now lives in a less fabulous flat in another part of North London. If you haven’t already guessed it, that girl - yeah, she’s me. I missed the opportunity to live in this beautiful part of North London but I always find a way to pay it a visit. Cue Bodean’s.

The Venue

Perched at the top of Muswell Hill Broadway, Bodean’s is super simple to find. I have the enthusiasm of Buddy the Elf around this time of year and visiting them at the tail end of November meant the venue was already decked out with festive decorations; baubles, tinsel - the lot. I was delighted and actually had to stop myself from screaming 'Santa, I know him'. The space itself is largely made up of booths boasting shiny black leather seating while its four walls held up bone white coloured deer skulls. The bar resides at the back of the venue but you don’t have to worry about that, the table service here is spot on.

Oxbo Bankside's restaurant has plenty of character and style.

Food & Drink

Bodean’s cocktail menu is pretty impressive. They have loads of mixes to delve into; from beer based cocktails to those classics we all love to love. But there was one cocktail in particular that caught my attention, and that I continued to drink for my entire Bodean stay. It’s name? The Hudson Old Fashioned (£16). The Hudson whisky used in this cocktail was the first legal aged grain spirit to be produced in NYC since the Prohibition in the 1920s and is aged in oak barrels resulting in smooth vanilla notes. With a strong drink in hand, we ordered the assortment of teasers for two (£15.95) for starters which included Quesadilla, Wings, Spare Ribs and sauces. The wings came out dripping in BBQ sauce and we opted for the veggie Quesadilla which came out smothered in melted cheese. For mains, I lunged towards the Baby Back Ribs and Pulled Pork Combo (£15.95). How could it not? It came served with a side of fries that were dusted with sugar and a side of fresh and crunchy coleslaw. My dinner date went for the Chicken Buffalo Burger (£8.25). Although I focused on getting through my ribs, I got food envy from watching hot sauce and Monterey Jack Cheese running down the sides of my date’s mouth. We were so full that we didn’t make a dent at dessert; but hey, it gives me a valid excuse to return.

There are four hearty main courses to choose from at Oxbo Bankside's bottomless Sunday roast.

Atmosphere

Bodean’s atmosphere is exactly like its food; easy going and casual. Popping in midweek, there were families of four digging into comforting dishes, long bearded bikers hunched over bottles of Budweiser and a mish mash of couples and friends were scattered across random booths. This joint prides itself in showing all major American sports and sticking to their promise, American football was displayed on the venue’s TV. I’m not sure about the other Bodean’s around the city, but their Muswell Hill plot has that kind of atmosphere where you instantly unwind when your bottom hits the seat.

If you love cheese, you might want to reconsider your Sunday roast plans...for the rest of your life. 

Summary

From my somewhat dramatic intro, you know that I keep a list of reasons to hop on the bus back to Muswell Hill, and I’m only delighted to add Bodean’s to the end of it. The food was everything I hoped and the cocktail list was as long as my arm; every discerning drinkers' dream.