A wining and dining haven away from ‘feral’ children – By Eddie Francis

I READ with interest recently that children have been branded as ?feral?, and that 53 percent of us think that children are beginning to behave like animals. Beginning? They?ve been doing it for years! As you will no doubt have heard, a study by children?s charity Bernardo?s found that, even though kids are statistically only responsible for 12% of crime, we think they?re all knife carrying, bike riding, track-suit wearing yobos ready to grab bags off pensioners and steal your cars.
I was coming home from work at around 9:30pm last week, and a hoard of chavs were cycling recklessly and with total idiocy on and off the kerb; weaving in and out of traffic with no regard for their ? or anyone else?s ? safety. One of them promptly got run over by a horrified elderly man who was clearly shaken up. As far as I?m concerned the little cretin got what he deserved: The stupid, spotty delinquent?s friends didn?t even stop to see if he was ok: Gutless pathetic little urchins.
Then last night I was crossing Notting Hill Gate on a green man, and 3 similar characters came speeding through a red light and nearly ran me over. When I gave one ?the look?, he stopped, told me that ?there was three of them and one of me and that I was an ?effing pr%@k. Charming!
Furthermore, since Ken introduced free travel for under sixteen?s on London?s buses ? turning them into shuttle services for spotty, cocky little mites everyday at school time ? peoples? journeys have been ruined by their boisterous bleating and unruly behaviour.
I could go on, but the point I am trying to make is that they may well only be responsible for 12% of crime, but to what misconceptions should Joe Public conclude when faced with daily occurrences of teen behaviour similar to those cited above? It?s not just behaviour statistically constituting crime that can form someone?s impression of a group of people and ruin their day, but a lack of civility, humility and consideration for others.
Where did it all go wrong? Parents? Teachers? Culture? P-diddy? Who is to blame? Whoever it is it is clearly too late for the brats of today. They must just ride the wave of adolescence, with their parents keeping their fingers crossed that it is ?just a phase?. Kids need to be taught respect, self-awareness and courtesy towards others, and as a country, we need to clamp down on these walking, talking, bus riding advertisements for today?s? youth; nationally tarring all under eighteens with the same brush is justifiable, but will only make matters worse.
Maybe someone should start a national campaign of action: If you see one of these gutter dwelling heathens whilst out in your car, ?accidently? run them over: BMX and all. Don?t kill them; that would be sad for the family. Just a short stint in hospital should sort them out. Slowly, high streets up and down the land will be cleansed of these little monsters, and then the good kids will come out of the woodwork and remind us all of why we want/wanted to reproduce in the first place.

Next time you are in London, and want to get away from the predatory homeland of the teenagers: Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street etc? I would like to draw your attention to a superb place for lunch or dinner in the relative sanctuary of Kingly Court and more specifically, Ganton Street. Kingly Court is a smart boutique-ee little development off Carnaby Street, and seems to feel much more grown up and less Essex girls? night ‘up West’ than surrounding sub districts. Definitely worth a look if you are in time for the shops.
As the younger sister of Fitzrovia?s Salt Yard, Dehesa is a small, but perfectly formed haven of culinary delights. I have visited several times and a chewy, floury portion of deep fried squid is the only criticism I have ever been able to muster. Seriously: This place is bloody good.

If you want to avoid a wait then booking is definitely advisable (although not available on weekend lunchtimes), and there is nowhere to wait for a table: This place is all about the serious business of food. The menu is an effortless fusion of Spanish Tapas, Italian Cichetti and excellent Charcuterie. Predictable bastions of each national cuisine sit alongside more original – and in some cases anglicised – creations: All executed to perfection and served by one of the friendliest, and most well trained front of house teams I have ever seen. Courgette flowers stuffed with Monte Enebro Goats? cheese are a fiendish delight drizzled with orange blossom honey, and the Chorizo Picante is damn good too. Confit Old Spot pork belly, with rosemary scented Cannellini beans came melt in the mouth juicy with a stunning crispy skin that shows real skill from the kitchen, and Scallops with caramelised cauliflower puree and caper dressing exceed all expectations with the Scallops cooked uncompromisingly spot on!

Seasonality and sourcing of the ingredients are keys to Dehesa?s philosophy. Where essential (and it frequently is), many ingredients come from the aforementioned nations – with an element of name-dropping providing the benchmark quality ? whilst other items are sourced locally and throughout the UK from artisan suppliers, and small ethical producers of rare breed meats and the like.
Oh! and the booze: Sherries by the glass (my new favourite aperitif) through to a stunning selection of Rare wines are all sourced using the same mantra as with the food. Rare, unknown grape varieties are in abundance here: Thank god the staff know their stuff. A particular favourite is the Cantine Carpentiere, Uva di Troia. This ?Grape of the Trojans? is a floral, herbaceous joy, with good acidity and a lengthy finish that stands up to the diverse flavours one will encounter whilst eating tapas-style. All this in a gorgeous, contemporary interior with a relaxed, buzzy vibe makes for a sensory culinary experience.

As is often the case with restaurants that revolve around sharing ? especially if like me you want to try everything on the menu ? prices can creep up if your not careful. Go all out on the wet stuff and a bill for 2 can, and has exceed