The Dreamery

Ice cream first, wine close behind

Two things come out of this counter in London: scoops of ice cream from a rotation that keeps changing, and glasses of natural wine. It is an odd pairing on paper and an obvious one in practice, since both reward turning up without a plan and asking what has been churned or what is open.

Because the flavours rotate, there is no fixed list to study before you go. What is in the cabinet on the day is the menu, and the best order is usually whatever the person behind the counter is most pleased about.

A small room that commits to the idea

The Dreamery is small, and it spends the space on effect rather than on seating. The interior is colourful and dreamlike, with mirrored walls that push the room outwards and a playful retro soundtrack running underneath it. The result is artsy and intimate, closer to a set than to a parlour, and it stops the wine half of the operation from feeling like an afterthought.

Service is over the counter, which keeps the visit informal. It works as a dessert stop, as a nightcap, or as the thing you do instead of ordering pudding after eating somewhere else nearby.

Start with the current rotation

Ask what is in the rotation and order from that, rather than arriving set on a flavour you may not find. Then decide whether the wine follows. A glass of something natural after the scoop is how most people use the place, and it is the order that makes the two halves of the counter make sense together.