Street Kitchen - Two-Bit - Playground and Proof - News

Tuesday 7th July - Back in March 2013 when (Matt) The List was just getting started, I discovered the magnificent Street Kitchen hatch at The Doodle Bar in Battersea.  Co-owner Mark Jankel was on site, creating this vine and banging out next-level burgers and rosemary fries for a Friday night crowd.  

Mark & Jun Tanaka have since spread their wings and airstreams to Devonshire Square and Broadgate Circle (Bermuda Triangle next?), and they have just opened up their first brick-and-mortar shop in the latter.  

Their brand new Broadgate Circle hangout is essentially a sandwich shop, with“restaurant know-how lovingly crammed between two slices of bread”.  Their gourmet sandwiches are mostly served by the inch (dangerous), alongside glorious salad boxes, Allpress coffee, and quality booze.  It makes Ottolenghi's Sesame look pretty lazy.

India Hells Lager from Camden Town Brewery at Street Kitchen's Sandwich Shop

When I dropped in at 8pm on a Tuesday eve, the shop was starting to wind down for the night (9pm closing time), but Mark was still there behind the NY deli-style counter, beaming away, and he instantly recalled our brief meeting in SW11 over two years ago.  Some people just have the hospitality / customer service thing nailed.

We sat outside to soak up the Broadgate Circle al fresco atmosphere and worked our way through four sandwiches and a salad in record time.  Veggies are well catered for with roasted broccoli or cauliflower options sold by the inch plus some tasty salads (spiced aubergine, butternut squash etc), but you don't want to skip the meaty treats.  

The hot roasted chicken sandwich (£5.75) with baby gem and tarragon mayo is simply incredible - order two. It's reminiscent of their Battersea Hatch Foghorn Leghorn chicken burger, with delicious pickled red onions common to both. 

Aside: My local rotisserie and deli Park Road Kitchen is also currently doing an awesome chicken sandwich with tarragon mayo lunch special (£5) on Wednesdays.

Roasted Chicken Sandwich with Baby Gem, Tarragon Mayo and Pickled Red Onions - served hot

We then devoured a Hot Smoked Salmon sandwich (£4.75) with pickled red cabbage and beetroot, and the Rare Roast Beef sandwich (£4.75 / 7 / 9.40 per inch) with caramelised onions, pickled cucumber, horseradish and watercress on focaccia.  The latter perhaps needs a little more of that rare roast beef (or less focaccia...no let's stick with more beef) to show off the high-quality meat that Mark has gone to great lengths to source from the mysterious Farmer Tom.

The home cured and smoked salmon salad (£5.50) with potatoes, watercress, pickled vegetables and DIY dill vinaigrette is generous and really showcases the outstanding salmon.  Hopefully the rare roast beef salad has an equally pleasing meat:veg ratio.  

Roasted Chicken, Roasted Broccoli and Hot Smoked Salmon Sandwiches

Rare Roast Beef & Horseradish sandwich sold by the inch - photo provided by Street Kitchen / Roche PR

Adding the Dill Vinaigrette to the Smoked Salmon Salad

Home-cured and smoked salmon with potatoes, watercress, pickled vegetables and dill vinaigrette 

I'll be back for the Salt Beef special, served on toasted challah bread with sweet mustard, pickled cucumber, pickled red cabbage and smokey mustard mayo. Sadly (and unsurprisingly), it was too popular to last through to the end of the day - perhaps I'll aim for 11am next time when the sandwiches are unveiled.  If you get there really early (7.30-10am), you can sample their short breakfast menu - save me a sausage brioche.

Whatever time of day you go, you'll be well looked after by the Street Kitchen team.  It's a simple space with bespoke wooden-crate style furniture, but there's some science to look out for inside, including a Roundup Vertical Toaster and a Roundup Egg Station which McDonald's fans might recognise. It only has three settings - Ready, Cooking and BACON. Can't go wrong.

Street Kitchen's al fresco seating

I'll definitely make the journey over to Broadgate Circle again soon for that chicken sandwich and some salt beef, but don't forget that Street Kitchen can also be found throughout the week in Battersea and Devonshire Square. They are quietly doing some of the best gourmet fast food in London. That's lunch.

Street Kitchen - www.streetkitchen.co.uk

The Shop Broadgate Circle, Broadgate Circle, EC2M 2BY

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After Street Kitchen, we wandered over to Brewdog Shoreditch to check out their renovated basement Two-Bit Bar, an all-American whiskey & beer bar with a few pinball and arcade machines. It's early days, but it's a shadow of its former self, Underdog, which held a special place in my heart for being part of my first ever blog post.  The new décor is incredibly lazy, the atmosphere has disappeared, and the beers (though interesting) are overpriced (even if they are American imports). Two-Bit by name, Two-Bit operation by nature. You are better off upstairs. 

London hasn't really figured out how to do arcade / gaming bars yet - Peckham's Four Quarters ain't too shabby but it's a far cry from New York's Barcade and Chicago's Emporium.  I expected a lot more from Brewdog - I'll be sticking to the Shepherd's Bush outpost for the time being.  Let me know if Two-Bit improves.

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Thursday 2nd July - A few days earlier we ventured to London Fields for the launch of Playground and Proof, a new weekend market (Playground) and all-year round rooftop bar (Proof) making use of the courtyard and roof terrace of the Hothouse building on Martello Street.

I haven't seen the Playground market in full swing yet, but you can expect fine food from The Cheese Truck and Milo & Hector's Ice Cream Sandwiches, and all sorts of treasures and treats from the likes of Grandirosa (flowers), Mini Mini Yeah Yeah (bits and bobs) and Kartel Music (vinyl). Read more on the traders here.  

Be sure to visit Bolt - a permanent fixture in Arch 3 with custom bikes, motorcycle inspired products, in-house BBQ and Volcano coffee in an uber-cool space.

Bolt - Photo by Mihail Jershov © - www.mjstudio.co.uk

Up on the Hothouse rooftop, past the Coppa cabanas, Proof is a stylish little cocktail bar overlooking London Fields and Pub on the Park (another great local sun trap).  The back bar is small but perfectly formed with the likes of Quiquiriqui Mezcal and Cocchi Di Torino doing the job.  

Go for the Mezcal Tommy's Margarita slushie, or keep it simple with a Quiquiriqui Matatlan Mezcal & Fentiman's Tonic for boozy summer refreshment. Or a Negroni of course. Alternatively, you've got Five Points Pale on tap, and cheese & cider tastings from The Cider Box to keep you happy.  

As it's in London Fields rather than say Trafalgar Square, this is one rooftop bar that will hopefully never be too rammed.  It's well worth finding on a sunny day.  Also, look out for Cineast Sunday movie nights coming soon on the roof.

Playground & Proof - playgroundandproof.com

Field Works, Martello Street, London Fields, E8 3QW

Rooftop Bar - Thu/Fri 6pm-11pm & Sat/Sun 12pm-11pm

Courtyard Market - Sat/Sun 10am-6pm

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If you are in need of food nearby, you might want to check out Patty & Bun's new arch (brunch looks pretty awesome).  Or make a day (and night) of it with the likes of Som Saa, E5 Bakery, Cock Tavern, Look Mum No Hands, Rita's and Kansas Smitty's nearby.

If you are in the market for ... more markets, Hackney Drinks Market (currently having a Summer break) and Druid Street Market are at the top of my to-do list, and early reports have been very positive.  Netil Market is always fantastic, and handily just round the corner from Playground & Proof. Check out ºPlato Brewing & Supplies, one of London's smallest breweries, and the Netil 360 rooftop which is no longer requires membership.

Druid Street Market - Saturdays 9am-4pm - Druid Street, SE1 2HH - www.druid.st

Hackney Drinks Market - Hackney Downs Studios, E8 2BT - www.hackneydrinksmarket.com

Netil Market - Saturdays 11am-6pm, 13-23 Westgate street, E8 3RL - netilmarket.tumblr.com

Netil 360 Rooftop - Mon-Sun - 1 Westgate Street, E8 3RL - netil360.com

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As the sun set, we moved on for a couple more drinks at Peg + Patriot and Joyeux Bordel, two of our regular haunts.  James Stevenson and Adrien Russotto looked after us as always in each establishment, showing off new creations alongside some classics.  

Drinks are always stellar at Peg + Patriot, and some new additions to the menu are rather special:

- Flex Riiiite - Kamm & Sons, P+P Smoked "Lilt" on Draught

- No Sir'ee - Rye Whiskey, Pineapple, French Vermouth, Disarmed Tabasco

- Kill or Cure - Strong Rye Whiskey, Lemon, Egg White, Absinthe, Espresso Oil

- Old Man & The Sea - Mezcal, Aperol, Maraschino, Grapefruit, Seaweed, Samphire Salt

- P+P Seasonal G&T - Gin distilled on site with Lemon Verbena, Peashoots and Tarragon

Vesgroni - P+P Campari Vodka, Gin, Vermouth, Konik's Tail - Peg + Patriot

Ella + Vesgroni at Peg + Patriot

Old Man & The Sea - Mezcal, Aperol, Maraschino, Grapefruit, Seaweed, Samphire Salt - at Peg + Patriot

Jolly Mess - Vulson White Rhino Rye, Eaux de vie de Poire, Antica Formula, Cardamom Syrup, Mozart Dark - Joyeux Bordel

A boozy Mezcal & chocolate creation from Adrien Russotto at Joyeux Bordel

P+P's "Talented Mr Fox" Matt Whiley is keeping himself busy creating cocktail menus for some of the hottest restaurants in town including Story, Fera and The Marksman, and he'll soon be taking up residence at The Lockhart's new Showdown bar when it launches in August.  

He's also got dibs on the drinks lists at Lockhart's upcoming BBQ joint Shotgun, and the Sethi's new Hoppers project, both of which are bound to be big hits. Hopefully I'll make it into some of those soon and report back on Matt's cocktails.

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Last but not least, I've just been made aware of this awesome Yelp competition called Yelp's Big Night In which you are going to want to enter.  Details are below.

It's a party at your place, and you're the only one invited!

On Friday, July 31st, Yelp will be running the first ever YELP'S BIG NIGHT IN! Who wouldn't want to be fed, pampered and taken care of, for free, all from your own home, in the comfort of your PJs! 

THE NIGHT WILL INCLUDE: 

- Free food delivered by Deliveroo!

- Free wine delivered by Mr. Vine!

- Free laundry picked up and delivered right to your door from Laundrapp!

- Your home beautifully cleaned by Hassle, for free!

- Anything you want, picked up and delivered by Quiqup! 

- A service of your choice from Bizzby! We'd suggest free therapeutic massages, but if you need an errand run or want a personal trainer session before cracking into all that food, they can make that happen too!

To be in with a chance of winning, click on this link and follow the simple steps.  Yelp will be choosing 30 winners next week to all participate on the same night.

Picture - Pudding Bar - Loves Company - Sun Tavern

Two lively East London bars and some pudding in Soho coming up, but first, a lunch with Dad The List at Picture Restaurant in Marylebone.

Monday September 29th - We thought we might be the first ones through the door at 11.50am but Leyla of The Cutlery Chronicles was already on site snapping away for her new food photography portfolio - www.leylakazimphotography.com

Leyla was soon old news as the lively and entertaining Tom Clegg (co-owner) took over proceedings, getting us seated and started with some delicious bargain beef bites (£1 each) and freshly made soft drinks that, for once, were sold at the right price point (£3).  Fresh watermelon and pomegranate lemonades arrived first, followed later on by homemade ginger beer with apple.  

The complimentary sourdough and triple (quadruple? quintuple?) whipped butter was up there with the equivalent offerings at Trinity and The Dairy in Clapham Common.  The bar seems to have been raised.

Beef Bites - £1 each

Sourdough Bread

Seasonal Drinks - Fresh Watermelon Lemonade & Homemade Ginger Beer - £3 each

Also like The Dairy, there is an affordable Tasting Menu available (6 courses for only £35!), alongside an A La Carte section split up into Vegetable, Fish and Meat (a.k.a Garden, Sea, and Land in SW4).

Round 1 - Vegetable:

- Grilled tenderstem broccoli, fresh goat's curd, plum tomato and caper - £7

- Portobello mushroom, parsnip, pear, Parmesan - £7

Possibly the best two courses of the lunch, we left wondering if we should also have got involved with the Ravioli of Italian greens with ricotta and chilli.  Every mouthful of the broccoli was a delight, and all the Ps combined well on my Dad's plate, though he fancied a bit more pear.

N.B. There is an enticing Vegetarian version of the tasting menu too

Grilled tenderstem broccoli, fresh goat's curd, plum tomato and caper - £7

Portobello mushroom, parsnip, pear, Parmesan - £7

Round 2 - Fish:

Crisp brandade, endive marmalade, fennel, castelfranco - £8
Sea bream, puy lentils, fennel, white turnip and dill - £9

If you hadn't noticed already, the presentation at Picture is phenomenal across the board.  I'm not sure I've ever had so many good-looking dishes in one sitting.  

The Sea Bream was another success, beautifully cooked and a decent size for the price.  Dad was less enamoured with his crisp brandade which he thought wouldn't get ordered as often if the description said croquettes instead - nothing wrong in particular, just not as exciting as he had hoped.  We somehow missed the key word crisp (i.e. fried) and expected a plate of gooey salt cod and olive oil. Cod, celeriac, trompette mushroom and cobnut crumb would no doubt have kept him happy.

Crisp brandade, endive marmalade, fennel, castelfranco - £8

Sea bream, puy lentils, fennel, white turnip and dill  - £9

Round 3 - Meat:

- 28 day aged beef, curly kale, salsify and red onion - £9

- Wild boar sausage, braised celery, apple and hazelnuts - £8

More healthy portions arrived, and I ticked off two hipster ingredients in one plate with kale & salsify accompanying my excellent 28 day aged beef.  Dad was also pleased with his choice ("Can't go wrong with hazelnuts"), even if he couldn't tell whether his sausage actually hailed from a boar, let alone one that freely roamed the Earth.  Both dishes looked like food art installations, but that didn't stop us from demolishing them.

I also have it on good authority from Leyla that the Shoulder of lamb with merguez sausage, coco beans and tomato is exquisite.

28 day aged beef, curly kale, salsify and red  onion  - £9

Wild boar sausage, braised celery, apple and hazelnuts - £8

Round 4 - Dessert:

- Blueberry and almond tart, frozen yoghurt £5

- Chocolate mousse, banana, peanut butter cream £4

Dad's always keen to end with a tart (wahay) and we loved the cheeky presentation, though an extra pot of yoghurt on the side for top-ups wouldn't go amiss. I've been on a bit of a banoffee binge recently, and Picture's moreish plate of chocolate, banana & peanut butter was close enough to give me my weekly fix.

Blueberry and almond tart, frozen yoghurt - £5

Chocolate mousse, banana, peanut butter cream - £4

Blink and you'll miss Picture on Great Portland Street, and that would be a great shame.  Fine dining at affordable prices doesn't come along that often, plus Picture have a secret weapon in Tom whose energy and good humour helped us all to forget that it was only lunch time on a Monday.

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Tuesday 30th September - A busy Tuesday spent ringing in my friend Mary's birthday started off with several glasses of Digby fizz.  Digby were also celebrating on account of having been officially crowned World Champion English Sparkling Wine.  See more photos from this event on Matt The Tumblr.

Following this, we dropped in to the new permanent home for street food traders Bunnychow in Soho. Here's the origin story:

"The 40s were not easy - the Great War happened and the world changed forever but many good things came out of that era: Tupperware, Velcro, Frisbees, Silly Putty and Slinky’s to name a few. The 40s were also responsible for the bunny chow; now let’s make this clear, there are a few stories about the creation of bunny chow and we merit them equally depending on how we’re feeling but basically, Indian workers living in Durban, South Africa, would travel to the sugar plantations with little more than their favourite curry wrapped in a roti bread. The long walk to work in the blazing sun made the curry and roti bread turn into a single, sloppy lump of food. This led one clever chap to devise a bread container, made from a hollowed out loaf of bread. This hollowed out loaf with curry in it became known as ‘bunny chow’ and over 70 years later, on a rainy street in London, we’re bringing our version of a bunny chow to the UK.

"In their homeland, ‘bunny chow’ or ‘bunnies’ – as they’re better known – are very, very popular. Starting out life as a vegetarian, bunnies soon saw sense and now they’re typically filled with curries from traditional Indian recipes using mutton, lamb, chicken and that culinary-delight: beans and chips. For many, the key to a bunny is when the gravy from the filling soaks into the walls of the bread, giving each bite a perfect balance of bread and sauce. For us, we fell in love when we were out visiting friends in South Africa. After a hard day of lazing in the sun, we were introduced to the pleasure of sitting on a sea wall with a bunny and a few cold beers. It was love at first bite! All we could think to ourselves was, why had we never thought about this before? Why were we favouring sandwiches with two measly slices of bread, haplessly trying to hold the filling together? And where had these bunnies been during our worst hangovers? It was at that point that we thought: let’s bring bunnies to Britain!"

A load of meat surrounded by bread was just what was needed to soak up all the Digby booze, and we wolfed down the Bankcluck Bunny (chicken, squash, beansprouts and thai ginger sauce) and a Monkey Gland Bunny (meatballs, peppers and monkey gland BBQ sauce).  Eating them is quite a challenge - I can only imagine the carnage that will ensue on a rowdy Friday night in Soho.  Will I go back? Probably not, but it was a fun experience.

Bankcluck Bunny (top) and Monkey Gland Bunny (bottom)

We finished the evening at The Pudding Bar pop-up in Soho that I've been meaning to get to for months.  Currently they have the lease until January, and they open up Mon - Sat 12pm to midnight and 12pm to 11pm on Sundays, so you've still got plenty of time to make it over there.

Unlike the recently opened cocktails and dessert hangout Basement Sate, The Pudding Bar is mainly focused on the sweet courses - the wine list probably doesn't get as much attention as the teas and coffees. The menu offers six puddings for around £6-8 which rotate regularly, as well as a cheese board and the option of a full tasting menu for two for £28.

It's a typical Soho space set over three floors (slightly shambolic with buckets of charm), and the staff were on good form even though an external event had led them to run out of almost everything on the menu that evening. I would have continued my banoffee binge with Banoffee Delight (Banana and caramel mousse between walnut shortbreads with caramelised bananas and white chocolate ice cream) but we were more than content with their signature/most popular creation, S'more Cheesecake - Milk chocolate cheesecake on a ginger nut biscuit base with peanut butter ice cream and flamed marshmallow.

Judging by the full tables late on a Tuesday night, Soho has fallen for The Pudding Bar.  Fingers crossed they find another site nearby after January rather than relocating East.  I'll return soon for another go at the full menu.

Wednesday 1st October - I'll finish up by mentioning two funky East London bars, starting with Loves Company near Old Street Station.  

It opened up a few months ago, but the stunning upstairs décor only took shape more recently.  I dropped in for a couple of drinks whilst Russell Burgess (the "Daddy" of Loves Co.) showed me around.

Downstairs is a much larger space, no doubt hard to fill during the week but perfect for raucous weekend parties, lockins and events (including Russell's Rematch Biatch speed bartending comp that came before Speed Rack).  Both floors also serve as exhibition space for rotating artists - a good excuse to pop in for an afternoon cocktail or coffee (as they open at midday Mon-Fri).

On to the drinks, each cheeky concoction has a secret ingredient like purple passion potion or cupid's seed.  The very drinkable Cheeky Rita (Herradura tequila, pineapple, lime - £9) is given a sexy thyme twist, whilst refreshing Sink The Pink (Tanqueray gin, grapefruit, lemon - £7.50) benefits from liquid polygamy.  DayJar Vu (Four Roses Bourbon, lemon juice, aphrodisia no.9 - £11.50) is an amusing nod to the extreme garnishing going on over the road at Nightjar.  Serious bartending is backing up the playful menu, and you won't leave feeling short-changed.

Cheeky Rita with sexy thyme

If you are feeling peckish, grab one of their ridiculously named Toasties - Cheezus of Nazareth, Notorious P.I.G and Ham'mer Time are the worst / best depending on your love of puns.  Also, ask for a taste of their "rummed-butter", something they created to put on toast whilst making buttered-rum.

From one beautiful bar to another, the folks from Discount Suit Company have moved above ground with The Sun Tavern, an atmospheric neighbourhood bar on Bethnal Green Road.

"Steeped in history, the site formerly known as The Sun Inn was built in 1851 and has been a local favourite in the heart of East London ever since. Notable regulars have included the Kray twins and the pub was also used as a meeting place for the local boxing fraternity for many years."

Cocktails were flying out from behind the bar, some in eye-catching tankards (£8) and others in more conventional glassware (£7.50).  But what's this, effort going into cocktails AND beer in the same bar? Did I miss something? Are we in New York?  We Londoners aren't very good at multitasking, so it's nice to see somewhere try to provide exciting drinks for more than one group. That said, those in search of some fine wines only get to choose between house red, white or fizz. Sorry.

But yes, the beer. There are 10 taps of "Local Heroes" (e.g. Beavertown, Redchurch, Five Points) that rotate regularly, and some top bottles in the fridge too.  Pints (that's right, not 2/3) are served in pleasing thick-rimmed glasses that feel like steins. They look a little silly next to some of the cocktails, but who cares?

The tankard cocktails are drinkable but a little sweet for my tastes.  Jacques De Sores (Rhum Agricole, Cuban Rum, Velvet Falernum, Lime, Honey Water, Angostura Bitters, Topped with Prosecco) fared the best. Ask your bartender about their sharing punch for £25 that serves 4.

Mixed drinks were more successful. Two Irish Men (Tyrconnell Irish Whiskey, Cocchi Americano, Benedictine and Peychaud's Bitters) and 2nd Avenue (Teelings Irish Whiskey, Calvados, Lemon, Fresh Grenadine, Passion Fruit Syrup & Orange Blossom Water) were my kind-of boozy, or spirits-forward as I learned to ask for in the States.  They also handled requests for classics well with some fine Negronis, Sazeracs and Old Fashioneds.

The Sun Tavern is a lively boozer that is bound to be a huge hit.  Prices are affordable and there should be something for everyone on the menu.  And if you are looking for more exciting wine options in the same evening, you don't have to go far to reach Sager & Wilde's Mission.

What's more, it opens up as early as 9am for local coffee and pastries, and thereafter provides scotch eggs, pork pies, grilled sandwiches etc to soak up all of those drinks.

Yet another reason to move to Bethnal Green...