Senor Ceviche - Summer Spritz Bar at Merchant House - Bermondsey Arts Club - Ohayo

Much like a standard Matt The List outing, this post starts with good foodie intentions but soon careers off down a boozier path.  Luckily, Ohayo is there at the end of it all to save the day.

------------------------------------------

Peruvian-popup-turned-permanent Senor Ceviche have recently added new dishes (and updated a few older ones) having settled in to their colourful Barranco-inspired home in the increasingly wonderful Kingly Court.  It was a first visit for Matt The List, so it was all new to me!

The fabulous Fabrizia got straight to the Pisco point as we sat down, pointing us towards their trademark sours amongst other concoctions.  The cocktail list threatens to be too sweet throughout, but all four of our drinks were very well balanced, not least the Barranco Babe (1615 Pisco, Passion Fruit Purée, Vanilla Syrup, Basil, Lime Juice, Egg White & Burnt Angostura) which could have been awful in the wrong hands.

Uncle Pastuzo - 1615 Pisco, Aperol, Marmalade, Pink Grapefruit Juice, Lemon Juice & Egg White

Mamacita - El Jimador Tequila, Cointreau, Lime Juice, Agave Syrup, Fresh Jalapeno

Soon, we were overrun by plates. Arriving first, Jalea Mixto (Tempura Baby Squid, Prawns & Cod with Pickled Jalapeno Mayo) was worth ordering just for the sauce - hold on to that bowl.  

Two ceviche plates appeared soon after - The Spaniard (Sea Bream & King Prawn Ceviche with Tomato & Brown Crab Tiger's Milk, Red Onion, Coriander, Plantain & Crispy Chorizo) and Senor Ceviche himself (Sea Bream & Octopus Ceviche with Aji Amarillo Tiger's Milk, Sweet Potato Puree, Avocado & Tempura Baby Squid).  The Spaniard edged it thanks to some subtle smokiness, but both are fine examples of the genre.  

Mr Miyagi (Salmon Tiradito with Nikkei Tiger's Milk, Pomegranate, Purple Shiso & Salmon Scratchings) sounds like a winner but will have to wait for a second visit.

The Spaniard - Sea Bream & King Prawn Ceviche with Tomato & Brown Crab Tiger's Milk, Red Onion, Coriander, Plantain & Crispy Chorizo

Senor Ceviche - Sea Bream & Octopus Ceviche with Aji Amarillo Tiger's Milk, Sweet Potato Puree, Avocado & Tempura Baby Squid

Jalea Mixto - Tempura Baby Squid, Prawns & Cod with Pickled Jalapeno Mayo

Peruvian Barbecue plates followed, starting with a moreish Flat Iron Steak with Aji Limo & Chimmichurri - one not to miss.  The same goes for the Anticucho de Corazón de Res - Grilled Beef Heart Skewers with Sweet Potato Mayonnaise, Aji Panca, Bojita Olives & Mint.  If that sounds too adventurous, go for some Pachamanca Pork Ribs with sticky Nikkei BBQ sauce and peanuts. Yum yum.  

Despite being stuffed, Fabrizia somehow talked me in to a Passion Fruit Posset palate cleanser.  It's sharp and fresh, and large enough to share.  Alternatively, you could finish off with their Pisco-based Lima Espresso Martini.

Flat Iron Steak with Aji Limo & Chimmichurri

Anticucho de Corazón de Res - Grilled Beef Heart Skewers with Sweet Potato Mayonnaise, Aji Panca, Bojita Olives & Mint

Passion Fruit Posset

There's plenty to enjoy at Senor Ceviche, both from the bar and the open kitchen, and it won't break the bank (depending on how many £8 cocktails you put away).  Go with a group and work your way through the whole menu.

Mon–Thu: 12pm–12am, Fri-Sat: 12pm-12.30am, Sun: 12pm-11am

1st Floor, Kingly Court, London, W1B 5PW

Senor Ceviche - senor-ceviche.com

--------------------------------------------------------

Now for an update on two of my favourite bars - Merchant House and Bermondsey Arts Club.

 

First up, the team at Merchant House in Bank have launched a stylish Summer Spritz Bar in their ground floor space that also doubles as a rare & vintage spirits shop.

According to Nate, Lewis & co., it will be open "from midnight to sundown, Tuesday through Friday".  The magnificent and ever so slightly rowdy Carey is in charge, serving up very affordable £5 aperitivo cocktails made with the finest booze to a live jazz soundtrack.  There won't be a better Negroni for a fiver in London, though you can always splash out on a £20 Timeless Negroni made with vintage bottles if you are feeling fancy.  

Other drinks include Il Bacio (Strawberry, Passionfruit, Fernet), Sbagliato (Vermouth, Campari, Fizz) and a Duppy Share Rum Punch (check out their Spirit Social events).  You'll find me at the bar with an Americano (Cocchi di Torino, Campari, Soda) trying to convince Carey to open up the premium bottles.

In a city with increasingly overpriced food and drink, this is a real win for Londoners and an absolutely essential Summer stop.

Summer Spritz Bar at Merchant House - www.merchanthouselondon.com

Open from Midday - Sundown, Tue - Fri, throughout the Summer

13 Well Court, Off Bow Lane, London, EC4M 9DN

--------------------------------------------------------

 

In other bar news, basement boozer Bermondsey Arts Club has just released a new Summer cocktail list.  It's been created by two of my favourite bartenders, Milo Occhipinti & Jake Johari, who recently stepped up to a BAC management role (i.e. they do less work, wear fancier clothes and control the iPod - Snarky Puppy all the way).

It's a 4x4 menu of classic Aperitif, Straight-Up, Short and Long drinks with tweaks and twists such as their subtle Boulevardier (Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth, Campari) with coffee beans (mostly on the nose).  Planter's Punch is another winner, with nutmeg and Bittermens 'Elemakule Tiki bitters elevating the rum and lime classic.

Boulevardier - Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth, Campari, Coffee Beans

Planter's Punch - Dark Rum, Lime, Nutmeg, Tiki Bitters

Here's a few words on the new list from Milo:

"Bizarre and quirky mixology is dead and buried - classic drinks that withstood the test of time are making a comeback. Classic drinks with classic twists - that's what we've gone for, from the Sidecar made with a New Orleans blend of Cognac and Rye, to the Paloma with Jalapeño Bitters.  You'll also spot my Italian roots in the Rossini, Select Spritzer, Mi-To & co., showcasing old school Italian aperitifs and bitters that our industry was built upon.

"We are paying tribute to the legends of the past - those who started mixing drinks a hundred years ago when bartending meant pouring whisk(e)y. We salute them with this menu, because there is no need to invent, just to remember. As we like to say, we are standing on the shoulders of giants."

Bermondsey Arts Club - bermondseyartsclub.co.uk

Tuesday - Saturday - 6pm - 2am

Former Public Conveniences

102A Tower Bridge Road

London SE1 4TP

--------------------------------------------------

P.S. Check out Milo's nutty "Caffe Corretto" bartending videos on YouTube here

--------------------------------------------------

 

After all that booze, we should probably talk about hangovers. Or rather, hangover prevention. Let me introduce you to Ohayo.

Email readers click here to watch the awesome Ohayo video

Ohayo ("good morning" in Japanese) is a cheeky new bottled beverage (£3 a pop) packed full of B vitamins, electrolytes and other clever things that you need for rehydration and restoration after a night on the sauce.  

For it to work, it should be the last drink of the night, giving the body a night's sleep to reabsorb the essentials.  Remembering to use it is harder said than done of course, depending on how much absinthe and overproof rum you've consumed.  Thankfully, Ohayo have got you covered with a glow-in-the-dark bottle and a bright, removable sticker.

I put it to work in Paris after a mezcal-heavy bar crawl around Pigalle and woke up feeling considerably fresher than everyone else.  If you need more convincing, check out these articles:

----------------------

"The Holy Grail of an elixir to cure hangovers could be here" - Bar Magazine

"Happier Morning After" - Imbibe Magazine

"The Lowdown : Ohayo" - The Times

"Hair of the Gods" - Le Cool

----------------------

You can now buy Ohayo online here in packs of 3, 6 or 12 bottles.

Tomorrow says THANK YOU!

ohayotomorrow.com

Shochu Kanteen - Union Street Bar - Call Me Mr Lucky - The Alchemist

Monday 8th September - RAMEN RAMEN RAMEN RAMEN RAMEN.

That's my impression of my Twitter feed this month.

I was a bit slow getting to Bone Daddies in the first place, and I still haven't made it to Shoryu or Tonkotsu. Now United Ramen, Kanada-Ya and Ippudo are getting in on the act too.  It's all a bit overwhelming.  In response, I've eaten a fair amount of the stuff in recent weeks, from Nanban in Brixton all the way to Momofuku in Toronto, and I was at it again on Monday.  

Shochu Kanteen is a new lunch time offering at Shochu Lounge, the bar beneath the award-winning Roka on Charlotte Street.  It's open for business from Midday to 3.30pm, Monday-Friday.

We started with a fresh juice of beets, ginger & apple, homemade but pre-bottled for maximum efficiency in a busy lunchtime period.  There are also iced teas, beers, and shochu with plum soda if you fancy something stronger.

Food also arrived impressively quickly.  First came some comforting steamed buns with dips & extras on the side - Korean spiced lamb shoulder with pickled cucumber, and Teriyaki Salmon with pickled red onions.  

Then came the ramen - a massive bowl of Tokyo Style soy ramen with char su pork, bamboo shoots and soft egg for £11.  It wasn't the most beautifully presented I have ever seen, but it was delicious and extremely filling.  Perhaps it should be a tad cheaper and smaller for a lunchtime crowd, but I was content.  

For the sake of research, we also got ourselves a plate of Fried Tako Balls - Octopus croquettes with kewpie mayo.  A lot of flavour came from the accompanying mayo and the octopus was rather adept at hide and seek, but I would happily have eaten several more.

There are also salads available - one for £5, two for £7, three for £9:

- tomato and hijiki with shiso and wafu dressing 

- edamame and mixed bean with chilli and bonito

- crispy ramen noodles, cha shu pork and soya eggs

Fried Tako Balls - Octopus croquettes with kewpie mayo

To avoid falling asleep for the afternoon, we finished with two cute Little Tsubo (pots) of vanilla and chocolate, served with a bag of peanuts & marshmallows to add at your leisure.  The focus again is on speed of delivery which I'm sure will be appreciated, but with no compromise on quality.

Shochu Kanteen is sure to be a popular lunch destination for workers in a hurry in the area with its great service, relaxed atmosphere and tempting dishes.  Prices are a little high for lunchtime - perhaps a lunch deal will be brought in for those wishing to have more than just one item off the menu.

One less ramen to go.

View the menu here.

Tuesday 9th September - From lunch to aperitivo hour, Gordon Ramsay's Union Street Bar has joined Jamie's Italian in offering early evening cured meats, olives etc with drinks in a relaxed atmosphere.  We dropped in briefly for a few Peronis (in new pocket-sized Piccolo bottles) and a meeting with The Don (Peroni, tequila, lime, basil, rosemary, sugar).

And to eat: Spicy Nocellara olives, Tomino cheese with chilli and honey, Parma Ham and Salatini, Traditional tomato bruschetta, Spicy chicken wings, Union Street Arancini, Balsamic Beef Meatballs, and Friggitelli “green sweet fried peppers”

It's a relaxed space, perfect for casual after-work drinks, and there's always the restaurant upstairs if you don't want to move too far for dinner.  

Aperitivo Hour at Union Street Bar

Felix and I fancied another drink or two afterwards and marched off to the new Breakfast Club in London Bridge, opposite Katzenjammers (an old favourite of mine).  

They have made a name for themselves with hidden bars, one accessed through a fridge (Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town, Liverpool Street) and another via a laundrette (King of Ladies Man, Battersea). Now they can add a kitchen to that list.  

After whispering the "secret" password at the door, we were led downstairs, past the chefs, in to Call Me Mr Lucky, a tequila soaked dive bar

The first thing you will notice is the deadly Wheel of Fortune which can supposedly only be spun once on the hour.  I took the 8pm spin and soon found myself "singing" the tune from Fresh Prince of Bel Air behind the bar.  Felix stepped up for the 9pm spin, ending up with a shot that involved jalapeno pickle and habanero. Yum.  At least we didn't land on "go home".

Next you will notice that they have raided Woolworths and Athena to decorate the place.  And that it looks great.  The shape of the bar lends itself to a sociable evening with staff and fellow punters.  If you want privacy, there are two banging booths (not like that) round the back, but they aren't currently reservable.

And the booze? £8 cocktails & £4 London beers are alright for me.  Lucky Rostini (Herradura anejo tequila, plum liqueur, Campari, black walnut bitters) was a very drinkable Negroni twist, and Pea Diddy (El Dorado 3yr rum, fresh pea & horseradish, lime and pineapple) was not nearly as odd as it sounds.

Quince Dreams (G’Vine Nouaison gin, homemade quince syrup infused with pink peppercorn, cardamom & coriander seeds, lime, bitter lemon) beckoned, but we veered off menu with a tequila, mezcal and beetroot invention that might just make it on to a menu one day.

Food is available too - we know where the kitchen is, after all.  Just check Mr.Lucky's blackboard to see what's cooking.

Call Me Mr Lucky is a no-frills party bar that doesn't take itself too seriously.  For me, it's the best of the three Breakfast Club bars (at time of writing) for exactly that reason, and one of the rare "speakeasies" in London that's willing to have a bit of fun after you've made it through the "hidden" door.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday 10th September - Completing a busy start to the week was a press launch at The Alchemist next to The Gherkin.  It's the first London site for a primarily Manchester based bar group, famed for their molecular mischief.

After a slow start in an All Bar One atmosphere with bottles of Sol and houmous on some doritos, the cocktails started to make their mark.  The poor bartenders have over 58 bonkers concoctions to memorise from a an overlong menu - they were all over it.

You might think the "molecular madness" section would be their five wackiest creations, but over 21 of their drinks fall into this category.  There's beer foam, smoke, dry ice, colour changing drinks, flames, a transparent cuba libre, strawberry caviar, raspberry dust and much more to keep an eye out for.

The Smoked Manhattan and Hot & Cold Espresso Tini (cold chantilly cream layer and a boiling espresso martini) were causing a stir on the bar.  Impressively, most of these eye catching drinks are around the £7.50 mark, a Manchester hangover that surely won't last long in the shadows of The Gherkin.

Hot & Cold Espresso Tini

Smoked Old Fashioned

Elsewhere on the menu, there are barrel aged cocktails (the Negroni was a success), hipflask cocktails (which can be kept for an extra £4), sharing kettles and soda syphons, classics (which could be omitted), and even some mocktails (which are for once appropriately priced at £3.50/£4).  

Bubblebath and Smokey Paloma impressed on taste and aesthetics, faring better than White Chocolate Raspberry Martini and a Lavender Daiquiri.  Going off menu (not long enough...) also paid dividends with a delightful stirred Mezcal & Chocolate Bitters combo.

Bubblebath

But the silliest drink of all, by some way, is the Mad Hatter's Tea Party (£20 between two).  A mix of Green Mark Russian vodka, Briottet elderflower liqueur, Cointreau, citron gomme and water is boiled up at the table, and infused with fresh fruit and herbs.  It is then served warm, with smoke billowing all over the table - it's quite a sight.  I was never expecting to be wowed by the flavours, and the temperature was on the tepid side which didn't quite work, but it is a lot of fun.

Ella from The Little Brown Book

I can't comment on the food (The Alchemist won't want me to judge them on their canapés) but I can guarentee there's a drink for everyone!  The prices are extremely low for the City (long may that continue) and there are some winning drinks, but I do prefer my bars to be smaller & cosier with more of a laidback soundtrack.  Expect it to be very busy after work, and take your camera.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

MATT THE COMPETITION - This week I'm running a competition with Zomato to win two £22 vouchers for cocktails at Looking Glass Cocktail Club on Hackney Road.  Head to my twitter page for a chance to win and you might find yourself with Tweedledee & Tweedledum behind the mirror.

COMPETITION! Follow @matthew1hickman & @Zomato and RT for a chance to win TWO £22 vouchers for cocktails at @LookingGlassE2 - ends Sat eve!
— Matt The List (@matthew1hickman) September 17, 2014

Looking Glass Cocktail Club