When Jo Brand branded Streatham ‘a sh**hole’, its ‘town centre manager’ (if not some residents who agreed with the comedian) blew a gasket. Was the mouthy old bint comparing SW16 unfavourably to her adopted Dulwich where chichi gift shops and dinky bars await Leftie luvvies fleeing grittier ‘hoods ? I’d be smug too if I had a House of Tippler in my manor. With its sleek 1960s Planet G Plan furniture (rescued from a Streatham semi whose owners aspire to wall-to-wall IKEA?) and a sprinkle of kitsch - dig the loos’ pole dancer wallpaper - Lordship Lane’s latest lounge could be in Notting Hill whose gilded classes, in turn, would deem Dulwich a dump... had they ever been there. Even in W11, you won’t better Tippler’s £7.50 ‘tails. Try classy (twisted) house Manhattan, Phony Negroni, Metro (thanks, guys!) or Tina: that’s a cognac and quail egg flip, not the Class A preference of some Streathamites. Imaginatively presented, owner Tim Oakley’s 3 for £10 ‘pinxtos’ - who knew Basque was big in the burbs? - include melty onglet with fat chips, fun mini hot dogs and peppered squid with ‘banga couda’(sic). If I were Jo, I’d park my big butt chez House of Tippler - or ‘HOT’ as I brand it - on a regular basis. 123 Lordship Lane, SE22 8HU 7998 4878 www.houseoftippler.com
