Pick N' Mix - Part 7

So, for the final Pick N' Mix of the year. On an uncharacteristically mild December evening, we stuck out the whole evening sitting outside under lamps at The Miller, a pub just a mere stones throw from London Bridge. The menu was devised by Street Kitchen; dominated by hot dogs, there are also salad boxes listed which were promptly disregarded. 

The 'Boston Hound' immediately grabbed my attention, and I'm fairly sure that's down to the mention of both pork belly and crackling. It was a big long smoked sausage (snigger), properly snappy skin and topped with pickled red cabbage, barbecue sauce and pickled cucumber. Slices of pork belly lined the bun. Too cumbersome to eat with hands, I was reduced to a knife and fork. 

Special mention should be made to the chicken wings, which were pretty freaking awesome. Some might recognise them as being quite similar to those at Patty & Bun, and I believe Street Kitchen helped them develop their menu. These were better though - they had more bite, more texture, more pull on the meat. For £3.50 a pot they were also great value. Skin-on chips were hot and crisp, though apple and celeriac slaw was just mush. I wasn't sure what I was expecting for £1 a pot, though. For £12.50 per head, it was a cracking dinner to soak up some booze. 

The Miller

96 Snowsfields Road
London Bridge
London SE1 3SS

Boopshi's in Fitzrovia has just opened. Specialising in schnitzel and spritzes, the dining room is almost Scandinavian in austere style. A basement bar, closed at lunch though open in the evenings, sounds less so. I went along for lunch with their PR contact (disclaimer it was free etc.) and tried a selection of the dishes. The schnitzel is offered as pork, rose veal or chicken variants and the rose veal was crisp and well fried. A variety of toppings, like an egg or capers are offered and we plumped for the anchovies. At £1 extra, they weren't the best quality specimens I've sampled, being a little dry and overly salty. The bill can soon rack up - a veal holstein (so, garnished with egg, capers and anchovies) would set you back £17.25. But well-sourced meat costs. 

Ox tongue, lentils and carrots was a delicious dish, boasting both tender meat and al dente lentils. The bratwurst was served with a pot of sweet mustard for dipping, and all the more interesting for it. I particularly enjoyed the spatzle n' cheese; it could have taken more salt, but was ultimately comforting and stodgy. Sauerkraut could have been sauerer, but pickles had a welcome tang. I'd go back for the schnitzel in bap form with a few (hundred) spritzes, which they're planning on introducing to the downstairs bar. 

Boopshi's

31 Windmill Street

London W1T 2JN

Lastly, I neglected to mention a dinner at Peckham Refreshment Rooms way back in October, I suppose due to all my photos coming out terribly. But! I had a wonderful mutton pie there, as well as some very decently sourced mozzarella that they put on a plate and drizzled heartily with a punchy salsa verde. Dish of the night was Sicilian aubergine with borlotti beans - the beans were creamy and soft, the aubergine sweet yet sour. I could have eaten buckets of this. All the stories are true - the stools are monstrously uncomfortable. 

Peckham Refreshment Rooms

12-16 Blenheim Grove 
London SE15 4QL 

(No reservations)

Pick n' Mix: Part 6

Pick n' Mix fell by the wayside somewhat but we're back on a roll with a smearing of butter. London's seeing several new restaurants opening at the moment, and Foxlow was one I was most excited about. From the team behind Hawksmoor, it's styled as more of a neighbourhood restaurant (I wish my neighbourhood was Farringdon...) and has a more casual vibe. I was invited along to their preview and the menu reads like a mash-up between Hawksmoor and Pitt Cue, with a lot of smoked meats on offer, as well as their usual steaks.

Crispy five pepper squid (£7) had the ideal crunchy exterior and tender innards. Garnished with tiny rounds of sliced lime, it was poshed-up salt n' pepper squid, accompanied with a ginger-spiked mayonnaise. Just the phrase 'baby back Iberico ribs' (£8.50) danced at you from the menu, wiggling their seductive hips, whispering "eat me" until there's nothing you can do but order them. They didn't disappoint; a sweet glaze covered the plump ribs, which crucially kept some bite. For me, there's nothing worse than floppy rib meat, you know the type; the stuff you can slide bones out of without disturbing the plate. I have perfectly functioning teeth, thank you.

Ten hour smoked beef short rib with kimchi (£16) was a hulking beast - excuse the photo, the lighting was... atmospheric. Often beef rib can be hugely fatty, but this was pure slow cooked meat. Flavoursome and smoky, the tart fermented cabbage was mandatory every few bites to cut through the richness. We actually asked for a little more. Monkfish was cooked in the Big Green Egg, a ceramic smoker made famous by the likes of The Smokehouse. The result was that the fish took on a delicate flavour of charcoal, but with the tenderness of it cooked to just-there.

Sides are never a sideline with these guys, we opted out of the salad bar (there's a salad bar) and instead went for bacon-salt fries, tenderstem broccoli with chilli and anchovy and sausage-stuffed onion (all between £3.50 - £4.50). I'm sad to say the onion, stuffed with mace-heavy beefy sausage, defeated us but we demolished the rest like a flood of locusts. Salted caramel popcorn and caramel bourbon soft-serve pushed our already meat-high brains into the sugar crazed territory. In short, I loved Foxlow.

Foxlow
69 - 73 St John Street
Clerkenwell
London EC1M 4AN

Burger & Lobster have set up shop on the fifth floor of Harvey Nichols. I fully expect it to be completely rammed as surely the ladies who lunch would get stuck right in to lobster rolls. They give you a buzzer if there's a wait for a table, and this way you can get on with your shopping and swan over to your table when summoned. I used the opportunity at the press preview to try the burger; beefy, well constructed, cooked to medium as requested - all ticks from me. But I'd never choose a burger over a lobster, made even more evident by the lobster roll and grilled lobster we also shared. I felt a twinge of guilt when I glanced over at their forlorn faces in the lobster tank as I left. They also mix a mean martini.

Speaking of Harvey Nichols, the Pizza Pilgrims' van is also on the 5th floor for the winter. Two internal walls were taken down to get this beast in. I'll be completely transparent here - one of the Pilgrims' is my boyfriend so you can take this at face value... but I wouldn't go out with someone who makes bad pizza so, you know, it's ace.

I was invited to an evening of pickles at One Leicester Street which was hugely exciting, given what a pickle fiend I am. Chef Tom Harris talked us through all their homemade pickles - salt pickles, sweet pickles (quince is a revelation), and sauerkraut-esque fermentations.

They also make their own hams, and a Middlewhite belly and tongue ham with sour cabbage was a particular favourite (above). Pig's cheek ham with celeriac and mustard showed how the marriage between rich fat and sharp vegetable works so well, and a smoked gamey duck breast, pink and tender, showcased the sweetness of aforementioned pickled quince (below).

We finished off with a brown sugar and honey tart; so obscenely wobbly and delicately made, I near-destroyed my piece filming this masterpiece. I enjoyed One Leicester Street hugely; Tom's passion for ingredients and skills he invests in his chefs to make their own pickles and hams is inspiring. Having retained his Michelin star after St John Hotel (where he was awarded it) closed, he's clearly got a lot of talent.

One Leicester Street
London WC2H 7BL

In a fit of hypocrisy, I went along to Manchester on a friend's invite-to-review both of Simon Rogan's places. I can't defend it - he needed a companion and I'd never been to Manchester before. That's me in Manchester's Chinatown, that is. We arrived at The Midland Hotel at around 9pm, wowed by its grandeur (and the next day, by the pool and gym). In contrast to The French, Mr Cooper's House & Garden is Rogan's casual restaurant; I had wondered if we would be seeing said gardens, but turns out it refers to the decor. Part garden shed, part leather banquette, it was an enormous place. The menu is a mish-mash of ingredients from other cuisines - I spotted wasabi, tofu and chorizo all in the first minute.

Chicken wings with pomegranate molasses were deboned and served on a tangle of 'sepia' (squid ink, then?) noodles. With an attractive glaze, they were a little too tart for my palate, but juicy and full of chicken flavour. For my main, the monkfish, mussel, and potato romesco was probably the least adventurous, ingredient-wise. But it was light and pretty, not overly daunting for a meal that late in the evening. Creamed kale and spinach with bacon sounds like my vegetal dream, but was disappointly salty. Rhubarb and custard, studded with dramatic black sesame wafers was a palate-cleansing, refreshing end to the meal.

I liked Mr Cooper's House & Garden well enough, but it didn't blow my socks off like The French did. You can read about that here, if you so wish, and my pictures are here. I suspect the ox rib tartare (above) with coal oil may well be one of my most memorable dishes of 2013.

Mr Cooper's House & Garden 
The Midland Hotel, 
Peter Street,
Manchester M60 2DS

Lastly, the Plusixfive Cookbook is out and it is a beauty. Packed full of amusing anecdotes, great pictures and quirky drawings, it's also got a recipe in there from me for cocktail sausage buns, a Hong Kong classic. You can buy it here. Do. It's lovely.  

Pick n' Mix: Part 4

 

Islington's got a new fish n' chip shop. Unlike more traditional joints where you might find a greasy ketchup bottle on a formica table top, The Fish & Chip Shop is a rather more snazzy affair. Filament lightbulbs hang above the bar, red leather banquettes line the bare brick walls and at the front of the restaurant there is another bar for raw seafood. Their menu is atypical to a chippie too - of course you get your requisites but that also sits side by side with crab salad, rock oysters and fish curry. We visited during their soft opening for a preview and, armed with a Lady Marmalade cocktail, enjoyed a lobster roll immensely. Scampi and cod were both well fried and greaseless in a crunchy batter, though I was slightly miffed that 'mushy peas' were in fact crushed petit pois. Their curry sauce which we ordered to go with our chips was properly excellent. I loved the place very much.   

189 Upper Street, London N1 1RQ

We made a brief, if slightly tipsy visit to Mayfields on Wilton Way, Hackney. The whitewashed room is stark and it only serves to make the beauty of the food stand out more - everything we ordered looked so pretty. Duck hearts with green sauce were tender and perfectly pink inside, intensely seasoned and had us scrabbling for more. Braised ox cheek with herbs and jersey royals was bathed in a light but flavoursome broth - so often a heavy and rich meat, on this one day we had some sun, it was light and refreshing. I fully intend on returning soon. Sober. 

52 Wilton Way, London E8 6GG

Feast are back in town from 4th - 7th July, this time at Brick Lane Yard. Always a brilliant day out (especially in warmer climes) - I recommend gathering friends to tackle and share dishes to ensure you get to try everything. They have some new vendors joining them - Bonnie Gull, Pig & Butcher, etc. You can buy tickets here.

We went for a quick dinner at Dishoom, Shoreditch. On a balmy evening it was lovely and cool in there, though I wasn't so keen on everything we ordered turning up all at once, crowding the table and even before my cocktail arrived. I suffer from a chronic dislike of my food becoming anything but optimal temperature, so you can imagine my indigestion after I tried to stuff everything in before it got cold. 

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the spiced skate cheeks with tamarind dip; a good portion size for £5.20. From their specials, a lamb raan bun (£12.50) pleased us greatly; stuffed full of tender, spiced slow-cooked lamb with pickles, it was served with fiery blistered chillis and a soothing slaw. 

7 Boundary Street, London E2 7JE

Forza Win's press launch showcased two fiercely burning wood-fired pizza ovens. Atop a new rooftop in Shoreditch with dramatic views of the city, we sampled all the pizzas they'll be serving as well as a lovely Summery, fresh starter. Tickets are £30 and include a cocktail, starter, more pizza than you can shake a stick at and dessert, as well as entertainment. Pre-sold tickets are gone now but they release 10 tickets every Monday - follow them @forzawin. https://twitter.com/forzawin

Pick n' Mix: Part 3

3-Cup Frogs Legs

Bao London has, as yet, no permanent home but they've been appearing all around the place. Serving Taiwanese snacks, I first came across them when I went to a dodgy old pub in Dalston. There, we ate the best pork buns I've come across (better than Momofuku's, even). Braised pork belly is shredded and stuffed into a soft bun, garnished with pickled vegetables, coriander and crushed peanuts. The second time round at Pacific Social, they even had their own holders. 3 cup frogs legs are inspired by a traditional Taiwanese dish, the three cups being soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine. These ones (above) had the lightest, crisp batter and an intense sweet and savoury sauce. 

Pork Bun

Someone is obviously very good at frying as the soy milk fried chicken was light and greaseless. A salad of pomelo and other crispy bits was a good palate-cleanser and kept the scurvy at bay. They will be at the Gherkin on the 25th (lunchtime) and King's Cross on the 26th, with Kerb. Keep an eye on their twitter stream for other pop-ups: @bao_london

Tozino jamon

It was hammering it down with rain the first time I ducked into Bar Tozino on Maltby Street market. Looking something like an abattoir, huge hams hang from the ceiling, slightly swaying and the wood-heavy room is lit with red bulbs. Hams down one end are set up to carve from, and a black board lists their price. We spent a very enjoyable half hour slurping on sherry and gulping down expertly sliced Iberico jamon with a couple pieces of pan con tomate for good measure. 

Bar Tozino, Lassco Ropewalk, Maltby Street, London SE1 3PA. (Cash only)

Chicken kara-age burger

I was invited down to Tonkotsu on Dean Street to try out the new chicken kara-age burger. These are currently only served at sister restaurants Tsuru Sushi (Bishopsgate, SE1 and Mansion House - see link for address details) and are priced at £4.95. Sweet, sesame seeded brioche buns encase juicy fried chicken thigh meat. The meat has been marinaded in something magic as it is so flavoursome. Some lettuce and a smear or three of mayo complete the burger, but I strongly suggest you add some of Tsuru's famous 'eat the bits' chilli oil. Fairly mild as chilli oils go but so tasty nonetheless.

Soho Ramen

If you can't get to a Tsuru in your lunch break then Tonkotsu's Soho Ramen is pretty sexy too. This is a clear chicken and pork broth, served with a marinated egg and a gorgeous lightly smoked piece of haddock, topped with a little lumpfish caviar in a bed of properly springy, home-made ramen noodles. The above was a baby bowl (I had just eaten a burger...) - full size is £11.

Tonkotsu, 63 Dean Street, London W1D 4QG (no reservations)

Gizzi's Cottage Pie

I went to Gizzi Erskine's dinner at The Drapers Arms last week. A huge dinner for 60-odd people, Gizzi cooked recipes from her new cookbook, Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts. Happily it was the latter side she was cooking from. Looking completely unflustered despite cooking for so many (and served all at the same time!) we were treated to salmon tartare with chilli and rocket, amazing beetroot-pink devilled eggs, roasted chicken with truffled gnocchi and this cottage pie with bone marrow chimneys. Rich and indulgent, had I not stuffed myself so silly on the starters I'd have stolen the whole lot. We all got a copy of the book to take home with us and I immediately got stuck into making the tuna tartare on crispy rice recipe. 

Tuna tartare on crispy rice

It's a terrible picture - my housemates were not keen on waiting - but it basically consists of sashimi-grade tuna minced up with spring onions, mayonnaise, sriracha (a Thai garlicky chilli sauce) and sesame oil, left to marinate for an hour. You cook up some seasoned sushi rice and leave it to cool, then pack into blocks with oiled hands and fry in butter until browned. You're left with crispy rice blocks that you pile the tuna on top of (once cooled a bit). I went left-field and additionally topped it with ikura as I bloody love ikura. Crispy rice is a  beautiful revelation. The book is really great - you can buy it here. 

Pick n' Mix: Part 2

This week's pick n' mix edition is a combination of old favourites, new discoveries and ones to watch. 

Silk Road

Silk Road is probably my most frequented restaurant, with my first visit being way back in March 2010. Since then birthdays have been celebrated birthdays there, I've had girly catch-ups and reunion dinners and even a date (though going with more people is recommended - those dishes, they big). The old favourites are still as amazing as ever - home-style aubergine and home-style cabbage will always perplex me as to how they could be so tasty. Cucumbers in hot sauce, lamb skewers and fried dumplings are staples, and more recently we've branched out to other noodle dishes, most notably the one pictured; Xinjiang fried noodles with lamb. I've never spent more than £20 there - I've never left anything less than stuffed. 

49 Camberwell Church Street, London SE5 8TR

Ambriento

Staying local, Ambriento is a taco truck on North Cross road's Saturday market in East Dulwich. More Global-Mex than strictly traditional, they don't churn their tacos out quickly but the tequila-battered fish taco I had, garnished with julienned vegetables and hot salsas was brilliant. £5.50 for two makes a light meal or a good snack. 

Taqueria

More traditional tacos are to be found on the other side of town at Taqueria in Westbourne Grove. The tacos were just like the ones I had in Mexico City (though several times the price). A busy little place, the staff were super-friendly and indulged our request for an off-menu mezcal margarita. Tacos al pastor (pictured) contained lovely spiced pork and barbecued pineapple and were the pick of an excellent bunch. 

139-143 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RS

Pitt Cue Co.

Is there any mashed potato finer than Pitt Cue Co.'s bone marrow mash? Admittedly not the most attractive of names if you're a touch squeamish but the hint of garlic and rich, meaty sauce that encircles the mound of mash makes this one of their finest sides. I lamented the loss of the burnt ends mash, but this is a more than ample replacement. 

1 Newburgh St  London W1F 7RB

Check On is a new venture from George Craig and (ex-Hix) Terry Edwards; they previously did a 2 night pop-up, Northern Invasion and are now doing Sunday lunches at The Endurance in the form of 'Hen Party'. Celebrating all things chicken, I was invited to the first one and the 4 course menu is a fun play on the bird - 'tea and dumplings' is a consomme served from a teapot, while the main event is a deboned chicken, stuffed and roasted. Served on a board to carve yourself, there are no fiddly bones to deal with, and skinny truffle chips to dip into the gravy. I'd recommend snagging the leg bit just above the gnarly claw as it was ridiculously tasty; and the dessert was a clever and delicious play on egg and soldiers. There are still tickets for their 28th April date and they're also on Twitter, for all upcoming events. 

Pick n' Mix: Part 1

I've been finding recently that I'm less motivated to update this poor little blog of mine, particularly in regards to restaurants. I suppose it has much to do with the pressure I put on myself in writing about them and a lot of the time I just want to recommend somewhere and direct you there, without all the guff of everything else that fills an entire blog post about it. So I'm trying something new; it might happen weekly, it might happen fortnightly, I guess it depends how often I eat out. There's no theme here, hence 'Pick n' Mix'; just places I went to and I liked. Unless I really didn't like it, and then you'll know about it. 

Quality Chop House 

This place has been slowly gathering momentum, and after a few stonking reviews from proper restaurant critics I suspect getting a table might be pretty tricky soon. Separated into two areas, the bookable main dining room operates a set 4 course menu for £35 while the no-reservations wine bar has a daily-changing menu to choose from. Sea urchin (pictured) were unadulterated, while lamb ribs cooked in mint sauce were crispy, tender and ridiculously addictive. You can rack up a fair old bill in the bar but apparently the wines are very interesting, says those in the know. We drank a very nice Albarino. I think. 

94 Farringdon Rd, London EC1R 3EA


Little Social

I was invited to the preview evening of Jason Atherton's new place, Little Social which is now open proper. He's a busy man this year what with opening up this Parisian-style bistro, as well as the larger Social Eating House later this year in Soho. Oysters from Fowey to start were briny and plump, though my date's slow-cooked egg with butternut squash and parmesan soup overshadowed them, as any slow-cooked egg would do. A cote de boeuf was a beast, served on a wooden board to share - well marbled, well charred and well seasoned, the meat was served with decent peppercorn and bearnaise sauces. Buzzy and bustling, the place will do well - at £15 for steak & frites, it's affordable Atherton cooking. 

5 Pollen Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 1ND



The Drapers Arms

I've written about The Drapers Arms a couple of times before, but mainly in a 'special event' sort of way. I've visited 3 times since Christmas now (which, given it's in North London, is actually pretty frequent for me) and it's quickly become a favourite. Definitely on the gastro side of the pub spectrum, I've had one-on-one's (beautiful and generous poussin dish), girls' night at Valentine's (an enormous steak), and, most recently, a ridiculously delicious veal lasagne (pictured) at leaving drinks. Truly a pub for every occasion. 

44 Barnsbury St.  London, N1 1ER


Fino's 10th Birthday

I'll admit that I've never visited Fino, but after their 10th birthday lunch they are firmly on my radar. Crab empinadas, braised ox tongue, pigs tails slow cooked with prawns, the above carabineros (red prawns) and the rest of the menu we were treated to were a masterclass in skillful Spanish cookery and careful ingredient sourcing. 

33 Charlotte St, London W1T 1RR