Sober Saturdays - 1251

Another date day edit, the husband and I headed to 1251 to sample their taster menu. This is the restaurant of Chef James Cochrane of Great British Menu fame. Cochrane infuses food with both his Scottish and Caribbean heritage. Menu staples such as jerk buttermilk fried chicken with signature scotch bonnet jam and tempura Whitstable oyster are testament to that (I wouldn't expect anything less from a Kent boy who started out at the legendary Wheelers Oyster Bar). The five course menu is reasonably priced for London at £49.

Highlights were hash brown with oyster cream, Aylesbury duck and rhubarb donut with creme fraiche ice cream. There was a bit of dud dish for me - the char of barbequed cabbage didn't sit well in a buttermilk sauce - but this didn't detract from how banging the other offerings were.

The alcohol free drinks menu is limited, but after a glass of the irresistibly named Wild Idol, we splashed out on a bottle. At £50, it's a splurge but quite simply, it was sublime.

Sparkling low alcohol wines can sometimes veer into Lambrini territory but this is impeccable. You honestly don't notice it is alcohol-free. Wild Idol retails at £29.99, so something to reserve for special occasions.

Restaurant 1251, 107 Upper Street, London N1 1QN