Lost & Co.

The Lost Group have been bringing bars and restaurants inspired by Prohibition-era speakeasies and Victorian gin palaces to SW London for several years now; see as examples Gaslight Grill, Powder Keg Diplomacy and Lost Society. East Putney’s Lost & Co however sticks to being a contemporary bar serving comfort food, in this case hot dogs, pizzas and chicken wings washed down with robust cocktails and craft beers. Take the Gaelic Margarita, a whiskey-based drink with homemade orange brandy and lime juice, sweetened with honey. The craft beers may not be cheap costing over a fiver for a pint, but they’re a treat for fans; Scarlet Fever from Somerset-based Wild Beer Co is a full-flavoured deep red ale, and Brooklyn Lager produced in – you guessed it – Brooklyn, is fairly bitter for a lager, but still refreshing.

In terms of food, the Popeye’s Choice pizza has less spinach than the name would suggest, providing a foil for crumbled goat’s cheese, walnuts, caramelised pear and honey, it’s a very nice combo of salty and sweet, with a keen price of £11.50 for 12 inches. Additionally there are mixed platters designed for sharing and soaking up the booze, with a bog-standard assortment of cheeses, cold meats, olives and pizza bread.

So what else does Lost & Co have to offer? There’s kooky décor, consisting of drawers of different sizes stuck to the walls, while music is dancey at weekends and acoustic live acts are featured during the week. But most of all it strikes the balance between upmarket and friendly, the kind of place where you can dress to impress but no one’s bothered about the labels on your clothes.