Although my blog is named after the UK capital itself – and many of my reviews feature venues in and around Central London, the place I actually live most of the year is about 15 miles north. The city of St Albans is a lovely place although up until recently, fairly quiet. It’s a commuter residence really however in the last few years a number of really amazing restaurants and bars have popped up, making it a great place to come for an evening out as a standalone.
One of these aforementioned restaurants is The Snug, located in the heart of the city and always packed (whatever the time or day of the week) with a young, fashionable crowd. It’s a small but perfectly formed little venue with an outdoor garden for those sunny days (which are finally returning – hurrah) and an incredible cocktail menu. It takes a lot to entice me cocktails wise (most places stick to the same old boring classics) as I’m quite fussy, but The Snug is the one place where I go that I just know I’ll find something new (or old) I love. The frozen strawberry daiquiris and pornstar martini’s are my favourite, but it’s up to you…
However, despite returning on many occasions as my favourite drinks haunt – I’d actually never properly sat down and eaten there before, so when the opportunity arose – I couldn’t wait to sample their menu (which I’d had a peek at online – and looked delicious). Steering well clear from the usual pub and bar type cuisine – which tends to be boring, unexciting and a tad flavourless – The Snug have well and truly gone out of their way to prove they don’t just have one speciality (cocktails) as the food is superb too.
I ventured down last Wednesday, seizing the opportunity to catch up with two lovely friends – Dominic and Daniel, of whom I wish I could see more often but we always seem to miss each other on our various travels! The Snug is a firm favourite of all of ours in fact (we regularly meet there), so it was a treat to be able to eat too.
The menu itself is a mix of American diner style hot-dogs and sweet potato fries – mexican bites, proper burgers and salads. I’m a fairly fussy eater (as you’ll know if you’ve read my previous dinner reviews) with dairy and eggs firmly off the menu for me, so to have a wealth of choice at any restaurant is a bonus! After much deliberation, I went for the cajun chicken skewers and sweet chilli sauce, with a side of skinny fries…
Dominic and Daniel opted for a burger each, piled high with various delicious looking toppings and a side serving of coleslaw and skinny fries.
Each of our dishes were delicious – satisfying but not greasy (which is often the case with bar food) and a generous portion for the price tags. I could have devoured another pot of skinny fries however, I would advise to wait for the pudding menu. You know, just in case anything takes your fancy…
One is chocolate brownie and the other is Oreo…
I persuaded Dominic and Daniel to get a pudding each (I’ll admit, partly so I could photograph them) and very soon, these incredible creations arrived at our table.
Unfortunately my dairy/egg intolerance means that any kind of sundae is firmly off the menu for me. Dessert options can be a little tricky as they tend to always contain something dairy related, however I opted for another passionfruit fizz cocktail, which was pretty much a dessert in itself!
If you’re ever in the local area or looking for a great all-rounder for dinner and drinks with friends, The Snug is definitely somewhere to try. It’s a very popular place, especially during the evenings and on weekends so to avoid disappointment, I’d book in advance just to make sure you don’t miss out. They also have branches in Ware, Hertford and Hitchin – so if you fancy trying any of the above (and lots more) pop on over and let me know what you think!
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