Ben Spalding at The Laundry - Original Sin

Wednesday 4th February - Today on the blog: How about some food followed by booze in East London? Because I never write about that.

The Laundry bar and restaurant in London Fields has pinned down popular chef Ben Spalding (Roganic, John Salt, Stripped Back) for a month long residency until 1st March.  Alongside exciting Daytime and Dinner A La Carte menus, there are Tasting Menus on Fridays & Saturdays (4 courses for £32, 7 courses for £49), and special Sunday Roasts.

We popped in early during the soft launch for a look at the evening menu.  There was a great buzz about the room, which quickly filled up with hungry Hackney locals. 

The kitchen is fully open, rather than just a hatch that you can see through, allowing Ben to pop out for a quick hello every now and then.  It would make a great site for a cooking workshop.

Before the starters arrived, we were treated to some sticky, fried Korean chicken pieces, and a generous portion of bread, with butter presented on a Himalayan salt board.  As at The Dairy and The Manor, a couple of amuse bouches and some serious sourdough (or other) are usually good signs of things to come.

Two super starters kept that trend going, though £9 was on the steep side for each.  

- Poached and roasted pink fir potatoes, apricot creme fraiche, sprout leaves, hotdog onions and "Holy Fuck" sauce 

- Fried and runny Burford Brown egg, toasted cashews, medjool dates, 14 month old kimchi, fennel, raw smoked honey 

Ben is known for his inventiveness (see No Rules), and there's plenty on show here.  He masterfully pulls it all together, despite an array of ingredients that could be at odds.  Both plates come highly recommended.

Main courses are an eclectic bunch, with the likes of Lamb Shoulder Ragu, Seaweed Ramen and Pork Belly with Veg all making an appearance.  We opted for two wildly different dishes:

- Black Leg Chicken Broth, Crispy Skin, Flaked Thigh & Breast, Sand Carrot String, and Rice Noodles

- Lasagne of Portland white crab, charred and sweetened Sicilian blood oranges, langoustine sauce flavoured with tarragon

The cutely presented lasagne was full of flavour and a great partner to zingy blood oranges, though we felt a little more pasta would have gone a long way.  The chicken ramen was something else. My lingering January cold was attacked on all fronts by a generous, comforting bowl of noodle soup, with a rich broth that Bone Daddies & Kanada-Ya would be proud of.  Don't miss it.

And to finish off a fun meal, we ordered two playful desserts:

- Warm, aerated malt loaf, crispy sweet pastry, creme fraiche ice cream, burnt caramel ice cream

- Victoria Sponge Cake - a different way...

Both puddings were served in almost liquid form, which worked better for the aerated malt loaf.  I'm not really a fan of Victoria Sponge Cake, so I'm not really sure what I was hoping for, but this wasn't it, especially for £9 (which may have changed by now).  The malt soup was an enjoyable little bowl with texture and colour coming from the crispy sweet pastry topping, but again £8 is a stretch. Hopefully some more solid desserts along the lines of Ben's Sweet Potato Brownie with Stem Ginger Icing, Frozen Cherry and Grated White Chocolate will fill out this section.

Warm, Aerated Malt Loaf, Crispy Sweet Pastry, Creme Fraiche and Burnt Caramel Ice Creams

Deconstructed Victoria Sponge Cake

There's a cracking wine list to pair with the food, and a strong cocktail list featuring the likes of Penicillin, Tequila Old Fashioned, and the inviting Balthazar (Rosemary infused Mezcal, Cynar, Antica Formula).

You've only got a few weeks to enjoy Ben's exciting and imaginative cooking, so stop reading this and book a table.

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For post dinner drinks, we hopped on a bus to Stoke Newington for a second look at the magnificent Original Sin.  I briefly mentioned this Happiness Forgets sequel at the end of 2014 during it's quiet soft launch, but now it's time to shout about it.

Pouring Ribbons, Billy Sunday, Attaboy, Candelaria, Weather Up, Peg & Patriot, Black Hoof, and Dead Rabbit - budge up and make some room.

Alistair Burgess & co. have created one of London's most beautiful bars.  The never-ending, candlelit bar top (with always appreciated coat hooks) sits opposite a long row of cosy booths, encouraging friendly chat between all.  At one end of the room, a moodily lit pool table cries out to be photographed.  See more than a few attempts here - Facebook photo set.

N.B. Original Sin is closed on Mondays

Outstanding cocktails from some of London's finest bartenders will only set you back £7-8. Start with a refreshing Sea Fizz (Mezcal, Cachaca, Lemon, Agave, Salt, Mint and Soda), before getting boozy with a Red Hook (Rye Whiskey, Maraschino, Punt e Mes) or a Handy Dandy (Rye Whiskey, Apple Brandy, Lemon, Grenadine).

Then head over to the pool table with something from the £7 anti-G&T Highballs list.  You'll find me with a 6 Ball (Kamm & Sons, Laphroaig, Lemon, Ginger Ale) but I can also recommend the Grande Bellezza (Cynar, Manzanilla, Lemon, Cane Syrup topped with Mediterranean Tonic) and the Rattle Snake (Calvados, Cyder Vinegar, Lemon, Maple Syrup topped with Tonic).

But don't stop there.  Any bar worth its salt excels itself when you go off menu, and Tara Garnell (Bar Manager) was all over it on our visit.  First there was the moreish Manhattan twist with nutty Amontillado Sherry in place of Sweet Vermouth. A Clover Club-esque Pink Lady and a Calvados Old Fashioned followed, interspersed with some tasters of glorious Chinato Vergano Americano. 

After a week of fighting off a cold with Milk & Honey Penicillins, Tara delivered the finishing blow with a Jimador's Remedy - a twist on the Sam Ross classic with smoky mezcal and tequila replacing Islay whisky and scotch.

Original Sin is the real deal.  Never have I been more tempted to up sticks and move to Stoke Newington.  When The Good Egg arrives later this year, that might just do it.  In case my photos didn't do it justice, here are some truly magnificent shots from the supremely talented Addie Chinn:

Photo Credit : Addie Chinn

Photo Credit : Addie Chinn

Photo Credit : Addie Chinn

Photo Credit : Addie Chinn

Photo Credit : Addie Chinn

Photo Credit : Addie Chinn

Fox Craft Beer House - Street Feast London - Gin Store

Friday 26th April - I love the Overground line.  How else would I reach The Wapping Project, Midnight Apothecary in Rotherhithe, events at Tobacco Dock in Shadwell, Frank's Cafe in Peckham etc?  Last Friday, it took me all the way to Haggerston so that I could try out Street Feast London with some friends.  

We decided to gather in the Fox Craft Beer House first - an excellent pub for beer with a rooftop terrace.  Lauren and Natalie are both Overground line fans too, whereas Olly walked to the pub having moved in near Broadway Market recently.  I also work with two people who live on Kingsland Road who couldn't quite believe that I was trekking up to their neck of the woods to have a burger or two.  One of them even popped in to the pub to check that I was really there.  The staff were really friendly and we could happily have spent the whole evening chatting away here.  I must confess that I was so comfortable that I accidentally drank a beer on the bar that I thought was mine.  When it tasted different, I had the one next to it instead which seemed like the right one.  Unfortunately, neither drink was mine as it was still on the table when I returned from the bar.

After a couple of (our own) drinks we walked back down the road, past the long line of people at Tesco's waiting to use the only cashpoint in East London, and joined the fast moving Street Feast London queue.  It is free to get in, which explains why it was pretty overcrowded!  Unlike at Feast and Real Street Food festival, we couldn't speed our way around trying out different things as the queues for each stall were far too long.  After grabbing a drink from their bar (tasty bottled beers from BrewDog, Camden and Beavertown, plus giant cocktails from Rotary that I tried a few weeks ago with my sister), we decided to get stuck in to the queue for Yum Jungle.  It was incredibly slow moving (especially with some nasty queue jumper girls trying to get involved), but worth the wait.  I had a Thai-spiced chicken burger filled with crunchy Asian slaw, with delicious chips and some fancy mayo that I have forgotten the name of - it was all pretty special.

A special mention has to be given to the ridiculous men's open air urinals which are oddly placed next to where the women are queuing for their toilets.  They are also all facing one another so that you can either have an awkward time avoiding eye contact, or have a quick bit of pee banter.  After that interesting experience, Natalie and I had some enjoyable Sticky Toffee Pudding and Carrot Cake from Sweet Tooth Factory whilst everyone else was going for savoury food.  We were also joined by Haggerston local, James.  If you are thinking of going, I highly recommend getting there as close to 5pm as you can if you want to try several things, or hold off until a bit later.  There are so many great food traders to try that it's a shame to only fit in a couple!

After dessert, Natalie went home to sleep, which was a mistake because she missed out on The Gin Store!  In one corner of the market, there is a bouncer guarding a staircase which leads up to my new favourite bar.  It is one of the most beautiful spaces I have been to since starting The List.  It's like a cosy barn that has been filled with old furniture.  It has beams supporting a low sloping roof, and wonderful low ambient lighting.  I didn't manage to take any photos of the main room so you are just going to have to believe me.  It was buzzing inside and for some reason reminded me of those amazing bars that you stumble across in Budapest.  When James asked if there was a minimum spend on card, the barman replied 'Don't be a dick about it' - not quite sure what that meant, but it was delivered as a joke.  We managed to find some sofas and settled in for the rest of the evening.  There are the same beers from downstairs on offer, plus some special gin cocktails.  I haven't been back to that many places as I have so much left to try, but I might need to book out a whole Friday night to take some people here.  

Another string to Street Feast's bow is 'Ben Spalding Stripped Back' - a 50 minute high-quality, high-speed dining experience with drinks for £27.50 in a covered dining area.  In that time you get through four 'surprise' courses conceived by Ben Spalding that compliment the street food vibe going on downstairs.  Have a look at the website for more info and to book tickets.  

Street Feast is only open on Fridays, though this weekend they are holding special 1st birthday celebrations with extra stuff happening on Sunday and Monday too.  Get on that Overground line to Haggerston - you won't regret it!  For more food fun this weekend, head to Southbank for Real Food Festival and Streets of Spain all weekend.  I am also excited by the new events at Skyroom near London Bridge run by Platterform - especially The Good Egg Hangover Club, Cock'n'Doodle and The Gin Shed.  So much to do, so little money...  Thanks for reading!