With cold, gloomy weather drawing in, a moment of inspiration led to a decision to eat at Small and Beautiful on the Kilburn High Road. I had fond memories of my previous visit; getting totally mashed in complete anguish after missing the 1st half of a Pink Martini gig, donating a packet of Silk Cut to that tramp who used to sit under the bridge (oh – he seems to have disappeared since), and ending up eating as good a salmon dish as I’d had all week. Errm, all year I mean.

I never order risotto as not dead keen on it, so – I ordered seafood risotto (this is the kind of logic my life is based on). A nice dish; not a huge depth of flavour, but hearty enough, and with a decent texture to the rice. A side of Macedonian salad arrived, with tangy feta and soft, flavoursome olives.

Opposite me, a spaghetti bolognese was being enthusiastically tackled. More “mum’s” than “mama’s” –  a very generous portion of the sauce whacked unpretentiously on top of the pasta. I was assured this was appropriate and delicious.

House wine (something Italian) was tangy and fulsome, and a banoffee pie for dessert was eaten quickly even by my own disgraceful standards. As ever, the atmosphere was warm and cheery, balanced with one or two possibly shady characters present (aside from myself I mean).

So in summary, as with all my previous visits, I came out of Small and Beautiful a happy and satisfied diner, and with enough money left over to buy  a bottle of wine. Now that alone is surely good reason to eat there more often.