Kansas Smitty's Bar

Whilst I've loved powering through my enormous London food, drink and fun to-do list since early 2013, my favourite posts are usually related to three ongoing stories:

- Paul & Jack (Anspach & Hobday) graduating from homebrewers to Bermondsey pros

- Joel Braham (The Good Egg) getting closer to his dream of opening a bricks and mortar restaurant

- The continued rise of the incredibly talented Kansas Smitty's on the London scene

Coincidentally, the first two also have musical backgrounds which ties this all together nicely. I first met Blues Brothers Banned trumpeter turned chef Joel on a jazz band tour to Rotterdam; and Paul & Jack may not have become Anspach & Hobday had they found success with Great Dover Street Productions - bit of a reach that one. Anyway, today I'm here to talk about Kansas Smitty's. 

"Putting the danger back in jazz"

I first become aware of them early last year after meeting band leader Giacomo Smith (sax / clarinet) at a gig at Battersea's hidden gem Le Quecumbar. Since then, I've seen them countless times, both as Smitty's Big Four and the full House Band, all over London, from The Dolls House to Ronnie Scott's.

"While the House Band draws its main inspiration from Count Basie’s hard swinging late night jam sessions in 1930s Kansas City, the Big Four is interested in the music of Sidney Bechet and the upbeat swing of New Orleans."

No two shows are ever the same, though the music making is always exceptional.  If there's a tighter swing band currently playing on the London circuit, I'd like to hear them.  Mad Mardi Gras gigs at The Vaults have been known to end with an impromptu victory lap around Waterloo Station, and alongside all of the live shows, an LP has been recorded and is awaiting release later this year.  But the Smitty's have always had their eyes on a bigger prize - their own bar.  

A magical, immersive Backyard BBQ event in Dalston last April proved that they were all over it on the Southern States food & drink front too, and a year later they finally unveiled the Kansas Smitty's Bar underneath Off Broadway on Broadway Market.

Their stripped back basement bar is now open for live jazz and juleps from Tuesday-Sunday, 6pm-midnight, with special "Basement Tapes" ticketed gigs every Wednesday featuring a different Smitty. You can't go wrong, from trumpeter & vocalist "Sweet" Pete Horsfall ("a cross between Billie Holiday and Tony Bennet") to multi-talented, dynamic percussionist Pedro Segundo.

Giacomo & Jack - Gentlemen of Jazz

Joe Webb's Piano

Dave Archer's Gibson

Dave Archer's Gibson

Now these juleps. In quite a coup, Milk & Honey bartender Sean Fennelly was brought in to set things in motion, and he's organised an 8-strong £8 julep jamboree ranging from the Smitty's Julep (Bourbon, Amaro Bitters, Raisin, Peach, Cassia Bark & Mint) to the Jesuit's Bark Julep (Rum, Clove, Pimento, Lime and Grapefruit Peel, Quinine Cordial & Mint).

The booze & botanicals are pre-mixed and left to blend in traditional julep fashion, before being poured over fresh mint and ice.  Bartenders just need to "clap that mint" first and your drink is good to go.

There's something for everyone on the list, but I'd recommend the Morning Joe-lep (Bourbon, Coffee Bean, Stem Ginger, Cardamom, Cocoa Nibs & Bitter Orange Marmalade) or the Sleepytime Julep (Scotch Whisky, Chamomile, Pink Peppercorn, Raspberry, Lemon Peel & Mint).  

If you want to save a few coins, you can stick to house wine and beers (currently New Orleans Dixie Beer with more local brews on the way).  Food is restricted to Giacomo's nuts at the moment, and that's all I'm going to say about that.

Most importantly though, it's a great venue for live music, with excellent acoustics and no need for amplification; and crucially, it means I always know where to go if I need a Kansas Smitty's fix, and so do you.  Get down there and support some of London's finest musicians, and don't forget your dancing shoes!

Tuba-man Theon Cross

Giacomo & "Sweet" Pete on the front line

Kansas Smitty's Bar is open 6pm-midnight, Tues - Sun, 63-65 Broadway Market, E8 4PH

Click here to book tickets for Wednesday night "Basement Tapes" gigs

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Summer Tales / Indian Ocean Islands Menu at Babur / 2010 Masterchef Winner Dhruv Baker at The Jolly Gardeners / Park Road Kitchen / Fu Manchu

Bibimbap - Andina - Monty's Deli

Guest Post from Jane - Mostly unplanned, the first couple of months of the new year have brought lots of opportunities to try new (for me) bars and restaurants.

Firstly, a quick eat before the theatre in January took me to the central, fast and cheap Bibimbap. A new fan of Korean food; I loved it. We ordered traditional Bibimbap - apparently 'court food' which is basically a mixture of what they promise is healthy rice, veg and meat, which comes in a very hot stone dish and if you choose, you can have a raw egg on top which cooks in the stone. We couldn't resist a bit of kimchee on the side as well (reputedly the food Korean's get most homesick for when abroad) - it's more or less pickled cabbage but tastes much better than it sounds.

The design and atmosphere of the place was very much in keeping with the other quick, cheap east Asian eats coming up around Soho - clean and small, with a young feel and an ever present but fast diminishing queue by the door. A friendly touch was a series of small photos of customers on the wall in the shape of a heart.

For under a tenner, you get a tasty, hearty meal. I'm quick becoming a fan of the up and coming Korean food trend.

Andina was my February treat. Having thoroughly enjoyed a previous visit to Martin Morales' Ceviche in Soho I was keen to get booked in as soon as I heard about it.

We sat down at 6.45pm on a Wednesday and were pleasantly surprised to find the place already quite full despite the ongoing tube strike. We started with a couple of house cocktails, which having tried the pisco sours in Ceviche were a slight disappointment, a little too sugary for my tastes. I stuck to beer thereafter.

The food, however, was a different story. Starting with a street eat and a ceviche, we ordered the prawn & quinoa chowder and the seabass ceviche. Both were tinged with chilli, warming and full of flavour. For mains we chose the lamb skewers and the three potato cakes with varieties of fish. Again, superb flavours and pleasing presentation.

Three potato cakes at Andina

For dessert I shared a brownie with cream ice cream. This was incredibly rich and could have done with something to balance it out. All in all, at nearly £80 for three courses, coffees and drinks for two this was great value, great tasting food with flavours and compositions that are still rare in London. Not to be missed.

The Music Room at Andina - a private dining room with 2000+ strong vinyl collection

Finally, I couldn't miss the opening of Monty's Deli's new premises on Druid Street (just behind Maltby Street Market). Having witnessed the queues when Monty's were on Rope Walk I was curious from the hype and had to try it but had never had the patience to wait out the queues before. On the Sunday lunch when I wandered over to Druid Street there was no queue and I was quite excited.

The menu at Monty's is simple and involves variations of salt beef and pastrami. We opted for one salt beef and one pastrami 'Reuben' which comes with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on rye bread. Portions here are ridiculous but at £7.50 a pop, they need to be.

The new premises are a success - the atmosphere is friendly and on Sundays slightly less 'yuppie-ish' than the usual Saturday Maltby St crowd.

Whilst we're talking about Druid Street, I have also popped into Anspach & Hobday a couple of times since it opened in January. This is the latest brewery on the Bermondsey Beer Mile and the closest yet to Maltby St. Market.  I highly recommend the Smoked Brown and the Porter. The brewery is open from 11am-5pm on Saturdays (and sometimes Sundays too), and there is occasionally live music. They also seem to be sharing the space with Bullfinch Brewery who had a 7.2% USA IPA for sale when I visited.  Bullfinch are technically a cuckoo brewery working off the A&H kit for the moment. Head there this Saturday (March 1st) from 11.00-19.00 for their "OPENING FESTIVAL OF BEER". Sounds good to me.  Matt will probably report some more on these two breweries soon.

Read more Guest Posts from @JaneSlocombe :

Bermondsey Street

Blackfoot - House of Ho - Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels
Restaurant Story

Anspach & Hobday Brewery - The Last Word

Wednesday 11th December - This isn't the first time I have written about Anspach & Hobday and it won't be the last, as I have been following their journey from home brewers to Bermondsey pros since March when I first met Jack (Hobday) handing out beer samples on a snowy Southbank.  I ran into them a couple more times at various pubs / breweries before attending a private tasting event run by the guys to celebrate their IBC Silver Medal win (for their Porter) with their team, and reveal their new branding.

Since then Paul (Anspach) & Jack have finally found a site to brew in, and it couldn't be better placed. They have set themselves up in an archway on Druid Street, just round the corner from four other top breweries (Kernel, Partizan, Brew by Numbers, and new kids on the block Fourpure) who together now form the "Bermondsey Beer Mile".  Maltby Street Market and the delights of Bermondsey Street are a short walk away, and they have Bea's of Bloomsbury and St.John's Bakery for neighbours. Saturdays in Bermondsey (when all the breweries, archways and markets welcome the public) are truly unmissable now - if you keep going to Borough Market instead, you are out of touch.

And so this brings me to last Wednesday, when the boys invited friends, family and some beer lovers over to 118 Druid Street for the Anspach & Hobday Brewery Commissioning.

I brought along 2nd-placed Lauren (who was on the Southbank with me 9 months ago) to check out their new premises, and we arrived bang on 6pm.  I was surprised to see that they actually have proper windows and a door, having spent a fair amount of time in open industrial archways this year - it would have been an unpleasantly cold evening without them.  The impressive space used to be a gym, and they have kept the leftover mirror wall to make it feel even bigger.  Benches and tables were laid out and attractively adorned with flowers and empty A&H bottles/candles.

We only had an hour before we both had to go our separate ways, so we wasted no time in getting a drink.  Paul was starting everyone off with tasters of their Christmas special - a 7% Pfeffernüsse Amber (spiced amber saison) inspired by the popular festive Pferffernüsse biscuits, which were readily available for comparison. Aroma - Christmas Spice including ginger, cinnamon & clove. Palate - Warming spices, fairly dry with a touch of biterness, but still light and fresh.  We were both very taken with it, and went back for several refills - hopefully it isn't a one off!

We moved on to the 6% IPA, brewed with American hops and British, German & Belgian malt. Aroma - Sweet orange, with a touch of grassy and resinous hop aroma. Palate - Caramel and toffee malt with citrus notes and a firm, balancing bitterness.  Another great brew, especially when paired with hoppy sausages!  Various food pairings turned up throughout the evening, including cheese, A&H smoked ale sausages and giant pretzels.

That left the 7% Smoked Brown and the award winning 6.7% Porter.  The Smoked Brown is the beer that drew me in all those months ago, so it is great to see it properly bottled up. Aroma - Bavarian smoked cheese, oaky vanilla, forest fruits. Palate - Hazelnuts and dark berries with an oaky mid palate and gentle smoke.  Many smoked beers take it too far to the extent that I can only think of salmon, but they have got the balance just right here. 

Finally there is their flagship Porter. Aroma - Freshly ground coffee, dark chocolate and dark berries. Palate - Smooth with a perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness.  Complex rich and roasty. Any beer brewed in a tiny kitchen that comes away from the International Beer Challenge with a Silver Medal deserves some attention.  In fact, with several great beers, stylish branding, and a great location, you are going to want to keep your eyes on Anspach & Hobday.  The brewery should be officially launching early next year, opening up to the public on Saturdays & Sundays in keeping with the new Bermondsey brewery tradition.  See you there!

I had in fact triple booked myself that evening, but luckily I managed to squeeze two events in.  I sent List regular (and contributor) Jane to cover the new pork restaurant Blackfoot in my absence - stay tuned for a write up on that soon.  Meanwhile, I grabbed a lift to the second location with Su-Lin, who rocked up to Anspach & Hobday with a congratulatory Christmas cake.  

We were due at 7.30pm just over the river in Wapping for an evening of music, mixology and dining harking back to the golden age of swing & jazz at Trinity Presents "The Last Word".  Before you read the rest of my post, just head over here to reserve a table / book dinner at one of the last few dates of 2013 (19th-21st Dec) - trust me.  Dinner bookings must be received 48 hours in advance so get moving.

Had I not turned up with professional drinker Su-Lin, I might never have found the entrance to The Last Word, which was held at The Studio in a quiet backstreet in Wapping, near the Tobacco Dock. She assembled a dream team of food & drink enthusiasts that I was honoured to spend an evening with, including Simon Difford (Difford's Guide / London Cocktail Week), Ms S and Mr G aka The Cocktail Lovers, Clinton & Kate from Imbibe, Mark from Bar Magazine, Elsa from The London Sinner, Gavin from Blood, Sweat & Fashion, and Craig & Gareth representing Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur and Cellar Trends

We made our way into the the main bar which was decked out like a 1920s jazz club. Producer Zane informed me that The Studio (which used to be a nightclub) is used every day as a photography studio, so they painstakingly take it all down and put it all back up again each time - truly impressive! The decor and the overall atmosphere reminded me of the fantastic film sets of Punchdrunk's current show, albeit on a much smaller scale.  This was pure escapism.

We started with a welcome Prosecco cocktail, the first of many superb drinks from mixologist Deano Moncrieffe and his bar team, which eased us in as Benoit Viellefon & His Orchestra completed their soundcheck on stage.

Before too long, we made our way to our tables where we served up a sublime sharing feast of 12 dishes by the acclaimed Disappearing Dining Club, who are doing lots of exciting things across London at the moment.  The dining area was beautifully lit, smartly separated from the bar by a thin black curtain so that you could continue to enjoy the jazz with some privacy.

At this stage, we were brought The Last Word, the eponymous cocktail for the evening, made with Tanqueray Gin, Green Chartreuse, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, and fresh lime juice.  It was first tasted in the 1920s at Detroit Athletic Club (which Mr.Moncrieffe named another drink after for the evening).  It is a great vehicle for the Luxardo cherry liqueur, and was garnished with a Luxardo cherry - marasca cherries steeped in maraschino syrup.  I was lucky enough to walk away with a whole jar at the end of the evening.  Look no further for an easy Christmas gift for cocktail lovers - buy them here.

We were spoilt for choice on food.  Three starters included a delicious Black Bean and Smoked Sweet Corn Ceviche.  Of all the wonderful mains, the standouts were Brick Lane Warm Smoked Salmon, Pickled Kale & Swede Mash, and a Venison Stew with All Spice & Juniper.  Red and white vino flowed throughout as well, leading me to confess to Simon Difford that I am a huge fan of his cocktail tomes, and admit to Clinton from Imbibe that his magazine mysteriously turns up through my door every month thanks to a previous tenant.  

The standout dessert was a wonderfully realised The Last Word jelly complete again with a special Maraschino cherry.  That said the Chocolate Brownie with Maraschino compote and nougatine chantilly trays wasn't half bad either.  Cocktails continued to turn up, and I thoroughly enjoyed both the refreshing Gypsy Gin (Tanqueray Gin, Pink Grapefruit Juice, Tonic Water, Almond Syrup, Lemon Juice) and a very drinkable Whisky Flower (Johnnie Walker Black, fresh lemon juice, elderflower cordial, egg white).

The Last Word Jelly

With a drink in hand, I went on a wander with Su-Lin to discover two hidden bars in the studio.  One is more functional for overflow on a busy nights, but turn the right corner and you will find Whiskies & Cigars, possibly the smallest bar in the world!  Situated near to the outdoor smoking area, there is space for maybe 2 people at this bar - you may never leave once you have found it.

Smallest bar in the world?

We found our way back to the main bar for a last couple of drinks & some dancing in front of Benoit Viellefon and his talented band, who made it all look too easy.  Django would have been impressed as they coasted through jazz & swing standards from Caravan to It Don't Mean a Thing, keeping us very entertained with friendly chit chat in between songs.  There is different music every night, and I was assured that all the musicians are top notch.  If gypsy swing is your thing, make sure you also checknout my local, Le QuecumBar in Battersea, for an authentic gypsy jazz live experience in a lovely setting.

Benoit Viellefon & His Orchestra

To finish, we had a round of Filthy Swings (Don Julio Reposado, raisin water, fresh lime, agave syrup and chocolate bitters).  I might just have to buy a bottle of either Mozart or Aztec chocolate bitters, as they always seem to take cocktails to another level.  We also tried the special cocktail for the evening, made by one of our party - Gareth from Luxardo created the Zadar (a delicious boozy blend of whiskies and maraschino), named after the capital city of Dalmatia where maraschino was first produced by a Venetian merchant back in 1759.

A round of Filthy Swings

I stayed as long as I could before scampering off to catch the last Overground from Wapping.  The atmosphere and service was so consistently wonderful, I can't think of a better place to have a classy Christmas party this year.  You can just turn up for drinks (reserve a stage-side table for £6), but you would be a fool to miss out on the full Disappearing Dining Club experience.  Dinner (which includes the prosecco cocktail) will set you back £36 - a bargain considering the setting, and the 12 dish feast that awaits you.  Cocktails are mostly £10 and a range of spirits, wines and beers (including some London Fields Brewey offerings) are also available.

There are only three dates left in 2013 - 19th, 20th and 21st December - reserve a space now!

If you really can't make it, fear not - they are returning in April with "Death in the Afternoon".  Booking opens for that on January 31st.  

Whilst I'm plugging boozy things, I recommend that you check out Bring A Bottle - a very handy new price comparison site for alcohol of all shapes and sizes, perfect for last minute bargain hunting for Christmas and NYE.  It's free to use and leads you straight to the top drinks savings at supermarkets and other retailers

Two very new brands that won't be up there yet should be on your Christmas wish-list:

Moonshine Kid - Dogs Nose Dry Hop Gin - created by "Talented Mr.Fox / Moonshine Kid" Matt Whitley, this has only gone on sale this week (just under £30) and is a delicious, innovative gin.  Email Matt at bringmeliquor@moonshinekid.com to order.  Read more here.

Cleveland Bay Vodka - a brand new British vodka distilled using small copper pot stills by the entrepeneurial James Luwagga.  Cleveland bay is citrusy and slightly earthy on the nose with hints of pepper.  Very smooth when it hits the palate, with a creamy long lasting flavour thus culminating in a slightly floral finish.  I took James up on his recommendation, and drank it with Copella apple juice which was excellent, before drinking it neat on the rocks.  I don't often drink vodka (with the exception of Zubrowka) and I definitely don't drink it neat, but I could happily sip on Cleveland Bay all evening.  It would also make a very quaffable Martini.  Maybe Cleveland Bay (along with Chase, Sipsmiths and Vestal) will lead a vodka revolution next year.  Find out more on the website.

Cleveland Bay Vodka

Buffalo Trace Empire - American Bar at The Savoy - Anspach & Hobday

Thursday 17th October - Thursday nights off are a rare treat for me as I am normally rehearsing with Kensington Symphony Orchestra, so it was fortunate that Barchick decided to have their London Cocktail Week after party at the Buffalo Trace Empire popup bar on my only free Thursday in October. In keeping with London Cocktail Week (post to come soon), cocktails were priced at £4, but hardly any money changed hands all evening.  

Lauren and I turned up at 18.15 to take advantage of the free drink before 18.30 offer, but this seemed to go on for most of the night.  We had vague plans to head off elsewhere later on, but we soon gave up on those.  We immediately ran into other drink bloggers Wilkes, Louis (Tuck and Vine) and Amy, who had also found their way on to the guestlist, and settled down with some Figgy Pudding cocktails and fig-infused bourbon shots which kept coming.  Various Barchicks were wandering around, and Buffalo Trace photographers were snapping away throughout the evening. Team List member Cassie wandered in just as we were taking part in one very staged shot which involved drinking a couple of Picklebacks (Buffalo Trace with a pickle juice chaser) on the house.

We propped up the bar for the rest of the evening, after befriending the entertaining barmen during the pickleback photoshoot. They generously gave us some tasters of the limited production George T. Stagg bourbon which is rarely seen outside the US.  This year's bottle is 64.1% ABV, which is relatively low compared to 71.4% in 2012!  Joey (pictured below) also humoured us by making "blind cocktails", running his hand across spirits and waiting for us to shout stop.  We eventually tore ourselves away, and nearly forgot to pay!  Big thankyou to Barchick and the Buffalo Trace team for a riotous few hours.

Lauren and I wandered off in the direction of Embankment with a new friend Keegan who we had picked up at the bar.  He was very knowledgeable on the drinks front, and before we knew it we were walking into the The American Bar at The Savoy instead of a tube station.  The American Bar recently came 20th on the World's 50 Best Bars 2013 List, due in no small part to Eric Lorincz making the drinks behind the bar.  Eric is often described as "bartending royalty" and was headhunted by The Savoy to take over when they relaunched in 2010.  Luckily for us, Eric was around when we went, and actually came over for a chat thanks to the mysterious Keegan.

We had a lovely little table right next to the pianist who was still tinkling away when we got there after midnight.  The menu was a little daunting after a couple hours of shots and blind cocktails with the Buffalo Trace guys, so Lauren and I both ordered a Negroni.  Our round was ever so slightly delayed (which we didn't notice at all) so they decided to give it them to us for free.  If you want that to happen anywhere, it is at The Savoy!  The cocktails were unsurprisingly fantastic, and the atmosphere was wonderful.  You really get a feel for the heritage that the bar has - both Ada Coleman and Harry Craddock (author of the essential Savoy Cocktail Book) tended the bar here back in the day. There is a small museum right next to the bar, and the long walk to the toilets takes you past all sorts of interesting things.  It was a brief visit, but a perfect and slightly mad way to end a very fun evening. I wonder if we will ever see Keegan again, or if he even exists?

Eric Lorincz

Sunday September 29th - Regular readers might remember that Team List came across new brewers Anspach & Hobday back in March at Craft Beer Rising on Southbank.  They were brewing out of their flat at that stage, with great results.  I have kept in contact since and run into them a couple of times, at the Euston Tap and Brew by Numbers in Bermondsey.  It has been fascinating following their progress whilst the London craft beer scene is booming, so I was delighted when they kindly invited me to a private tasting session in a flat in Liverpool Street.

Luke got the nod ahead of Natalie and Lauren to be my +1 since he is more of a beer fan.  We took a very roundabout route from Liverpool Street station via the market that I didn't know existed on Middlesex Street before we found our way to the flat.   We caught up with Jack (Hobday) and Paul (Anspach) and then got stuck in to the tasting, starting with their refreshing Sour, and an interesting IPA Saison. I'll let the experts do the talking once the beer is officially released, but there is a lot of quality here.  We also tried their Table Porter, Stout and their rather special & subtle Smoaked beer which I was impressed with back in March.  They have already won a Silver Medal at the International Beer Festival with a bottle of their Porter - not bad for something that was brewed in their kitchen.

We weren't just there to taste beers, as they gave a presentation to update friends and family on their progress, and thank their extended team who were all in the same room for the first time.  They ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to upgrade their kit, and are ready to go on all fronts except the location - they are looking around Bermondsey and Brixton but haven't settled on anywhere yet, so get in touch if you know of somewhere that might be suitable!  They have settled on a classy new design, with London clearly referenced.  Two gentlemen from different eras with a striking resemblance to Jack & Paul are centre stage, in a nod to the fact that they are using old brewing methods with a modern twist.  There is also a pigeon in a hat on the back - why not?  

They have grand plans for expansion, and hope to one day open up their own "Beer Cathedral" in London, a large home for superb beer served fresh right in the centre of London.  They have an experienced team with them, and most importantly a very good product, so I see no reason why they can't go far!  We met several enthusiastic supporters and helpers, including the wonderful one-woman PR army that is Su-Lin Ong, who is my new best friend (stay tuned for posts on CoLD Bar and Courtesan with Su-Lin).  After the presentation we tried their award winning Porter, which deserves all the praise it has received.  We also had a little sample of their Munich Pale, and the Nordic Breakfast which has an amusing back story that you'll have to ask them about.   

Hopefully they will find a home soon, and start selling their wonderful beer (ideally in Battersea, please). Thanks to the guys for the invite, and good luck for the future!

Camden Town Brewery - Maltby Street Market - Old School Yard - Gin Joint

It was a busy few days (now two weeks ago) for Team List with various adventures on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the end of a week that started with the Coal Vaults launch, National Burger Day and Science Museum Lates.  First up - Friday night (30th August) at Camden Town Brewery.

I have been meaning to go to Camden Town Brewery for a long time, but I finally made the journey up north after finding a flyer for Wholey Cow at National Burger Day.  The Byron Van and Fred Smith had bought a cow, and were cooking the whole thing over the course of two days outside the brewery bar - how could I resist?  Team List wandered over from Chalk Farm to find Kentish Town West Station where the brewery is situated, and got stuck straight into the beer.  Camden Town beers have already spread all over London, so we tried a couple of rarer brews in the form of their Saison Galaxy and US Hells Lager, as well as a pint of Byron's Pale Ale that was on tap.  They also had some interesting guest beers on offer, including Lervig Pale all the way from Stavanger in Norway.  Several beers did run out over the course of the evening so make sure you get there early if you want to have the most choice.

The Byron Van queue started to grow so I got involved and ordered us some burgers, fries and mac'n'cheese hash browns (awesome).  They handed out tasters of their Bloody Bull cocktail to keep the queue happy - made with beef stock, it tasted like alcoholic tomato soup, in a good way.  The queue suddenly grew to a crazy length, and I don't think I would have bothered queuing up if I had turned up later. You also need to turn up early if you want to grab a seat anywhere - we managed to squeeze ourselves on to a cosy table in one corner, even with one of our number bringing most of a drumkit.  The Bloomin' Neck burger stood out for me - 8oz hamburger, slow-cooked shortrib, shredded iceberg, pickles, smokey onion & mustard sauce - and the mac'n'cheese hash browns were as good as they sound, though 2 for £4 wasn't great value.

As more beers ran out, we decided to move on to Brewdog Camden for one final pint - look out for their new site in Shepherds Bush with 40 beers on tap that will be opening soon.  As for Camden Town Brewery, they have different street food on every week (only open Thursday, Fri, Sat 12pm-11pm) though I would imagine that it isn't always quite as busy as it was at Wholey Cow.  They often run fun events so keep checking the website or sign up for email updates.  Brewery tours run every Thursday from 6-8 for £12 and sound wonderfully boozy.

Brewdog art

Saturday 31st August - I work at a music school on many Saturdays throughout the year, so when I have a free one I like to take full advantage of it (see Hackney big day out, Good Egg and Midnight Apothecary, and Vestal Voyages posts for some ideas).  The evening was destined to end at the Old School Yard in Borough anyway, so I decided to go for another Bermondsey day taking in Maltby Street Market and some of the nearby breweries.  I have already done a big brewery post before (read more here) so I'll skip over most of that.  The day started, as it usually does over there, at Kernel Brewery (open 9am-3/4pm), with List regulars Luke, Lauren, Lee and Jane.  After one delicious drink, we moved off to Maltby Street Market in search of food.

Kernel Beer board

Just before we made it to the market, Lee diverted us into a little archway inhabited by Jensen Gin fronted by Christian Errboe Jensen himself.  He has been distributing the gin for several years, but he is setting up a stall in Bermondsey to sell G&Ts and cocktails (some bottle aged).  When we visited we were given extremely generous tasters of the Old Tom Gin and the Bermondsey Dry Gin - the former would make a mean G&T and the latter should probably be drunk on its own.  The two gins were on sale for £25 each, and there were bottled aged Negronis (2 portions) on sale for £10.  Christian was an engaging host and I am look to checking back in when he is fully up and running.

After two unplanned shots of gin on top of a 7.1% Kernel IPA, it was definitely food time.  Luckily, Maltby Street Market on Ropewalk (not Maltby Street!) is the perfect place to be hungry.  We were a little late to the party at 2 o'clock.  This meant that it was not too crowded - Team Bermondsey constantly moan about how their lovely hidden market has been taken over by posh young couples, looking lost wandering around railway arches in their chinos and summer dresses.  The downside was that a couple of places were starting to run out.  Monty's Deli make a wonderful salt beef and pastrami sandwich but we were sadly too late for that.  Instead, we enjoyed some burgers from the Woolpack - a stall from the chef at the independent Woolpack (The Wooly) pub round the corner on Bermondsey Street.  I went for a delicious beef and pulled pork burger in a brioche bun with chipotle mayo - a steal at £5.  The biggest queue was for African Volcano, a street food stall showcasing Grant Hawthorne's fiery Mozambique-style Peri-peri sauces and marinades - I have it on good authority from Bermondsey locals Sam & Rich (who we found in Monty's Deli) that it is worth the wait.

African Volcano

You are spoilt for choice dessert wise as well, with Waffle On winning the best smelling stall award. Make sure you try some of the quirky ice cream flavours from the tiny La Gelateria artisan gelato cart - Honey & rosemary was the winner for me.  La Gelateria has a permanent home in Covent Garden.

This leaves us with drinks.  I have already mentioned Bar Tozino before (read more here) - a jamon bodega with interesting wines that opens til 10.  Another wine option is Life's a Bottle (or Top Hat Man) - a great little stall serving up excellent wine at affordable prices, open 9-3.  You can wander around with it, or take a seat inside one of the quirky archways filled with Lassco salvaged artefacts (head to Brunswick House Café in Vauxhall for a similar experience).  There is also beer man (does he have a name?) who always has interesting bottles on offer at around £4, though with Kernel, Partizan and Brew by Numbers round the corner, I'm not sure that I would ever find myself buying something here.  On the cocktail front, Little Bird Gin (from Peckham) have you covered.  They have a nice little area with covered seating in the back and bartenders at the front mixing up drinks next to some birdcages.  Sam went for their Maltby Street Bloody Mary which makes use of African Volcano peri-peri sauce, whilst I went for a Bird in a Field made with London Fields Hackney Hopster beer, ginger and honey.  They also had a couple of London Fields beers on offer when I went for £3.

As the market got quieter, we sloped off to Brew by Numbers, the brewery that stays open the latest in Bermondsey (11-6 on Saturdays).  They have added in a tap since the last time I was there, and had a few more varieties on offer in the fridge as well.  Here we ran into Anspach & Hobday, a young brewing team who we first met back in March at Craft Beer Rising on Southbank (read more here). They ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to gain some funds to get themselves started, but they are still searching for a permanent home so that they can move the brewery out of their kitchen! Bermondsey, Brixton and Peckham are all on the cards.  Keep your eyes out for them - they recently won a Silver Medal at the 2013 International Beer Challenge for their Porter.

After several Brew by Numbers bottles and a good catch up, Team List made their way to the Old School Yard (via a flat for a cheeky Sipsmith G&T) for one of our number's engagement party.  The Old School Yard is a retro party bar in Borough that deals mostly in cocktails.  Compared to the stuff I have been having around London, the drinks are pretty substandard, but most bars don't have 4 player Mario Kart to keep me happy!  Add in some arcade games, a blackboard, and wonderfully terrible music, and you can have a great night here - just don't expect miracles from the drinks!  You would be wise to get there during happy hour from 5.30-8.

I didn't write world's worst bar.

Sunday 1st September - After another big day out in Bermondsey, I was glad that I had booked our table at the soft opening of Gin Joint for the evening.  Searcy's have refurbished their 2nd floor Bar & Brasserie in the Barbican complex, with an emphasis on gin.  They have over 40 gins behind the bar, with Brokers gin chilled on tap. The soft opening offer included 50% off the food bill, and a complimentary cocktail or G&T each (£9/10).  Will, Luke and I were slightly underdressed, but I think we got away with it. Experienced Team List Leader Natalie came better prepared.  It is a classy (and expensive) place, intended mostly for pre/post concert meals/drinks - I will certainly be heading up here to try out different G&Ts whenever I am around for a concert with my gin-loving Aunt and sisters. We got stuck into the drinks straight away, with a Gin Martini, Gincognito, Last Word, and a Chase Apple Gin and Tonic.  Whilst Natalie wasn't terribly impressed with her Last Word, the rest of us were extremely happy.

With the 50% off, we decided to go for all three courses, which proved to be a wise choice.  Starters - Gressingham Duck Sausage with pickled shallot, scallop and juniper; Foie Gras with grapes, harissa and toast; King Prawn Cocktail with black pepper croutons and avocado sorbet; Marinated Vegetable Salad with Somerset goats' cheese and hazelnuts.  Everything was beautifully presented and received two thumbs up.

Gressingham Duck Sausage

Next I tried to tempt Luke into having the 750g beef fore rib to share but he was having none of it.  We instead each went for the 21 Day Aged Galloway Beef Rib Eye with triple cooked chips from the Bertha Grill.  Luke played it safe with a Bearnaise Sauce, whereas I went for the Juniper & Pepper Corn Sauce which was nice, but wasn't in my opinion related in any way to peppercorns.  Natalie splashed out on a Rack of Herdwick Lamb again with triple cooked chips which she was impressed with.  She wasn't so happy to find out that they had run out of side vegetables, and her response to being offered spinach instead was amusingly, "Er no - I've already had spinach today" - you should have known that Gin Joint.  Will went for the Homemade Bacon with BBQ Beans, Bantam egg and chips. The chips were all wrapped in the fake Searcy's Times, which you could unravel and read (or even do the crossword).

Last but not least, dessert and another round of drinks.  Will stuck to his Gin Martinis while the rest of us went for more G&Ts - Citadelle, Geranium and Jensen's from earlier.  The Geranium is really interesting and well worth a try if you spot it anywhere.  You can see the full list of gin on offer here. For pudding we went for a British Isle Cheeses, Sticky Toffee Pudding with liquorice ice cream, and a Plum and Almond Crumble with star anise and orange custard.  The others weren't convinced by the sticky toffee and liquorice match, but I was too busy scoffing my superb crumble to care.  All in all, we were very impressed with the drinks and food, though it would all have been too expensive for us without the 50% off and free drink.  I would recommend going in the evening, as the views out to the Barbican are vastly improved at night time!  Get there between 7-9 to have any of the G&Ts on offer for £8.50. It is a great shame that they still have the same old horrendous toilets round the corner, which do not do Gin Joint justice.  If you are just after gin without the food, then I would suggest also going to the London Gin Club at the Star at Night (Oxford Circus), 214 Bermondsey (underneath Antico), or Drink, Shop & Dance (underneath Drink, Shop & Do in King's Cross).  City of London Distillery also have a wide range of gins, but I haven't been there yet, and I also hope to go to the Sipsmith Distillery tour soon which runs on Wednesdays from 6.30-8.  Happy Gin hunting!