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In any case, at least I have several nice pubs to pretend I'm still a skint student in. The most recently opened is The Draft House, fourth of its kind, which I was recently invited to for a burger and a beer.
Bedecked in its signature green furniture, I was amused to hear they'd used parcel paper for the wallpaper. 'Foot-long' pork scratchings are so before they're cooked; once puffed up and ready for munching, they're served poking out of a glass. Salty and with the right amount of squidge underneath the skin, these were a great little nibble.
The Draft House have their own take on the current on-trend soft-yolked scotch egg. Served with a curried mayonnaise, the meat around the egg is gently spiced with a little sweetness. A big beast, I managed 3/4 before I got scared I wouldn't be able to finish my burger. If I liked beer more - sorry, it's true - this would make a great Sunday afternoon snack with a pint. As it happens, it goes well with cider too.
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The menu is split into 3 burgers, with a few other salad / pasta mains. I went for The Poke; a burger with chillis, cheese and battered onion rings within. Requested medium, the burger was a bit overdone but the chillis had a proper kick. I squished the thinly battered onions into the cheese and patty for easy eating, and the salad came on the side so that you could construct your own. Besides the over-cooking issues, it was a decent burger in a sweet, sesame bun. Chips were thin and crisp - my favourite - and skin-on.
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With its wide selection of craft beers, The Draft House looks welcome to the scene; on a Wednesday night it was pleasantly busy, and not just with crusty-bearded beer nerds (I know, I know, beer is cool now). Now all I have to do is start loving beer and then The Draft House and I would be inseparable.
The Draft House
21 Lordship Lane,
London SE22 8EW
Oh em geeeeeeeee! That all looks delicious....especially the scotch egg...wowzers!
ReplyDeleteYour comments on the refined nature of East Dulwich remind me of how I felt about Clapham - I caved and moved back east! The Draft House is on my list of places to go - this has reconfirmed I need to try it, although I'm not a beer fan either. Will have to take someone with me who is.
ReplyDeleteI am moving to East Dulwich at the end of June and though very excited I am coming from Walworth Road, so I know what you mean about the change of scene and a adjustment period. Really good to know that you will be exploring the place though so I can read your recommendations and learn from your experiences.
ReplyDeleteHey you, welcome to the 'hood! There are some awesome places in E Dulwich, though I know what you mean about the yummy mummies! It's something I've grown to live with (just...) Let me know if you fancy a local beer at some point, there are a few excellent places that you really need to sample now you're in East Dulwich rather than New Cross!
ReplyDeleteRich
Ah, sometimes you really need to stick with your gut instinct right? Particularly if it's a well developed one. Never-the-less, bravo for going out on a limb and trying something new. Shame that it didn't work out. Still, y'know, you've got to get out there to see what's available right?
ReplyDeleteHey, maybe once you've done the ranking you could set up some sort of burger dating agency. People fill out a profile, you match them with their perfect burger/fries combo. God, what a startup idea! Ahem. Sorry, it's still a little early in the morning up here in the northern hemisphere.
Looking forward to the burger league table, it'll be filed away for the next Sydney visit. What i'd really like to know is how these babies stack up against Byron, Hawksmoor, Meatwagon, Goodman et al in the burger stakes (steaks?).
The scotch egg look particularly good! I'm definitely going to give the place a try next time I'm down in London.
ReplyDeleteYes there's plenty more to enjoy at the Draft Houses than beer - I've always thought the food was really good (and not too expensive) and they also have a really good collection of whiskies. If you like that kind of thing.
ReplyDeleteI certainly do like that kind of thing, although I'm no whisky connoisseur, and had the Draft House down on my 'Food List' as my reason to go. Looking forward to trying it...
ReplyDeleteDon't worry - there *is* a 24 hour Londis on Lordship Lane! And I'm sure they do instant noodles. It's at the bottom of North Cross Road.
ReplyDeleteAh thats a shame you haven't settled quite so quickly into E Dulwich. I too moved from New Cross to E. Dulwich about a week or two after you and have never felt more at home!! You should checkout some local going ons on the eastdulwichforum.co.uk (the gossip is hilarious!) and checkout the whats on section... I joined a baking club and a community garden project within the first couple of weeks which was a great way of meeting local people. I'm sure you have done it by now but i also strongly suggested doing a full east dulwich pub crawl as well to make sure you know all the pubs! The great exhibition is awesome although definitely not a patch on the montigue.
ReplyDeleteJon
Tried the Draft House for their burger deal. Really glad I did not pay any more. My burger was overcooked - like you I asked for medium and got medium/well done. The bun was strange, a bit dry, probably heated/toasted and dense. Chips were very good though. They only had one type of mustard - Colmans - which seemed very odd to me. They have feedback forms on the tables so I filled one out. The staff were very friendly and efficient. It wasn't very busy so don't know if that would be the same if there was a bigger crowd.
ReplyDeletei've lived in ED for more than 15 years and it never used to be like this!
ReplyDeleteYou must try the Great Exhibit formerly the CPT or the Rye which has just reopened for tasty affordable food.
nice blob
@manaiasmama