Today on the blog - a quick round up of some fine eats from last week:
Wednesday 25th November - The Hour Glass was refurbished and reopened as a pub and dining room a few months ago by Dave Turcan and Luke Mackay, who also own Brompton Food Market, a highly-rated food shop and deli near South Kensington station. The ground floor pub is a traditional boozer - a nice place for a pint and a bar snack, though the beer selection is behind the times. Upstairs, you'll find Chef Luke Mackay's dining room, a calm and cosy space for unfussy, upmarket pub grub.
I only had 60 minutes to spare at The Hour Glass. Aside from being mathematically and thematically pleasing, this was a good test of their lunchtime efficiency. I just about managed to get through bar snacks, starters and a main, though an Uber was required to get me to my next destination in time.
Bar snacks arrived in no time. The pick of the bunch, unsurprisingly, were the Rare breed Cumberland Scotch egg and the Rare breed herb & pancetta sausage roll. Add in Triple cooked beef dripping chips and some Montgomery Cheddar Welsh Rarebit and you probably wouldn't need to order anything else.
Starters also impressed. Wood pigeon with pickled quince, black pudding and toasted hazelnuts was a quartet of our favourite foods, smartly combined, and Potted Rabbit with Bacon Butter, Toast & Gherkins was full of flavour and generously portioned.
By the time my Flat iron steak with dripping chips, bone marrow gravy & watercress arrived, I was looking at my watch - my fault not theirs. But I couldn't leave behind those chips. Or anything else on the plate for that matter. I'm so often underwhelmed by mains after exciting starters, but this was glorious. Shame I had to wolf it down! [Don't pretend you would have eaten it any slower]
So I departed, leaving Dad The List and our foodie friend Chris to enjoy dessert at their own pace. They were so full up at this stage that they shared a delicious pudding of blackberry and almond tart with crème fraîche. This was a first for them as they are more likely to order two puddings each than admit to being beaten. The other two puds on offer were buttermilk pudding, damsons and honey, and chocolate & porter cake with cornflake ice cream and honeycomb. As he wrote this after a light breakfast on a freezing morning, Dad the List cannot imagine how he failed to sample all three!
The Hour Glass - hourglasspub.co.uk
279-283 Brompton Road, SW3 2DY
Mon-Sat 12pm-11pm / Sun 12pm-10.30pm
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Thursday 26th November - Allan Pickett's Piquet arrived a couple of months ago, and handily picked up 4 stars from Fay Maschler not long after opening, and a great review more recently from Jay Rayner:
"...energetic, with an ear to the ground" - **** Evening Standard
"Piquet is terrific..." - The Guardian
Fay & Jay were referring to the downstairs dining room, which is only half of Piquet's premise. On the ground floor, you'll find The Fir Room where I spent most of an evening last week. Both levels show off Allan Pickett's combination of English and French cuisine, but The Fir Room is a more relaxed affair, perfect for a quick bite at lunch, sharing plates with friends, or even just a drink at the attractive bar.
We worked our way through some taster plates from The Fir Room's menu - photos you see below don't represent the larger portions that you would receive! Highlights included:
- Piquet Charcuterie Board - Rillette, Terrine, Ham, Coppa, Toast & Pickles - £12.00
- Le Piggy Burger - Smoked Patty, Pulled Pork, Streaky Bacon, Chips - £10.00
- Pork Crackling, Picked Crab with Espelette Pepper - £7.50
- Plancha Cooked Mackerel, Horseradish Cream - £6.50
- Pigs Head Croquettes with Sauce Gribiche - £5.00
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| Pork Crackling, Picked Crab with Espelette Pepper |
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| Pork Crackling, Picked Crab with Espelette Pepper |
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| Piquet Charcuterie Board - Rillette, Terrine, Ham, Coppa, Toast & Pickles |
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| Pigs Head Croquettes with Sauce Gribiche |
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| Pigs Head Croquettes with Sauce Gribiche |
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| Le Piggy Burger - Smoked Patty, Pulled Pork, Streaky Bacon, Chips |
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| Le Piggy Burger - Smoked Patty, Pulled Pork, Streaky Bacon, Chips |
The standout plate (or rather bowl) was a comforting Casserole of Cod Cheeks, Baby Squid, and Haricot Blanc which would set you back £9.50 in The Fir Room, or £16.50 downstairs. It prompted several cries of "Please Sir, I want some more". In this case, Sir was GM Alain Morice, a charming host and knowledgeable sommelier who kept us in line with several fine wines (and a sherry):
- Casa de Passarella, A Descoberta Branco, Dao,2014
- Santiago Ruiz, O'Rosal Albariño, Rias Baixas, 2014
- Ivo Pages, Me Gusta Tu, Tempranillo, Catalunya, 2013
- Gutierrez Colosia, Amontillado Seco, Sherry
There's plenty to enjoy at The Fir Room, and I hope to return soon for the full dining experience downstairs, especially when you can get 3 courses for £19.50 at lunch and pre-theatre.
The Fir Room at Piquet - piquet-restaurant.co.uk
92-94 Newman Street, W1T 3EZ
Mon-Sat 11am-11pm / Sun closed
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Monday 23rd November - Speaking of great value lunches, there aren't many better than those on offer at Jackson Boxer's Brunswick House in Vauxhall (whose "weekend lunch" I mentioned a month or so ago).
Two courses for £16, or three for £19, 12pm-3pm, Monday-Friday, surrounded by all manner of mirrors, chandeliers and decorative elephants? Don't mind if I do. Be sure to look around LASSCO's rooms and cellars if you have time - I got a a bit snap happy as you can see.
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| Mirrors and lighting at Brunswick House |
The menu changes regularly, but this is the sort of high-calibre food that you can expect:
- Squid, Charred Leek Puree, Confit Lemon
- Ox Tongue Pastrami, Radish & Capers
- Chanterelles & Smoked Egg Yolk
- Hake, Buttermilk Potato Puree, Bottarga
- Dexter Skirt Steak, Red Cabbage, Cauliflower & Yeast
- Salt Baked Celeriac, Parmesan Butter & Grellot Onion
- Roast Pumpkin, Marmite Butter
- Chocolate & Walnut
- Ardrahan, Quince, Thyme & Orange
The superb staff are always primed to expand on the economically described dishes. My standout dishes from lunch, in greater detail, would read as follows:
- Squid Noodles Sautéed in Coriander & Lime, Purée of Grilled Leeks and Squid Ink, Confit Lemon, Onion Ash
- Chargrilled Dexter Skirt, Yeasted Cauliflower Purée, Buttered Cavolo, Red Cabbage & Apple Mustard
I'm not sure which I'd prefer to see on the menu, but I'm always happy to have a chat with servers when they've got all the facts and more up their sleeves.
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| Squid, Charred Leek Puree, Confit Lemon |
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| Chandeliers at LASSCO's Brunswick House |
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| Chandeliers at LASSCO's Brunswick House |
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| Hake, Buttermilk Potato Puree, Bottarga |
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| The Cellars at Brunswick House |
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| The Cellars at Brunswick House |
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| Dexter Skirt Steak, Red Cabbage, Cauliflower & Yeast |
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| A grand room at Brunswick House |
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| The Cellars at Brunswick House |
Glorious food, beautiful surroundings, great service.
3 courses for £19.
Thanks.
Brunswick House - www.brunswickhouse.co
30 Wandsworth Road, Vauxhall, SW8 2LG