Mother Kelly's - Cat & Mutton

Wednesday 9th April - Two absolute belters for you today, hot off the press.  

First up is Mother Kelly's, a 23 tap beer bar & bottle shop in Bethnal Green from the folks at Queen's Head (King's Cross) and Simon the Tanner (London Bridge).  Network Rail recently got back 6 archways that were previously full of Balls Brothers wine, and have set about leasing the spaces to food & drink types to create a fun new corner of London.  

From what I saw on Wednesday, with Mother Kelly's the first to open, Paradise Row (& Bethnal Green in general) will soon be a very popular hangout.  Japanese Canteen and Craft Cocktail Company (from JJ Goodman of London Cocktail Club) should be the next two arches to open, there is already Redchurch Brewery & Satan's Whiskers round the corner, and Jason Atherton & the Talented Mr Fox team are soon taking over food & drink (Peg + Patriot) at the nearby Town Hall Hotel.  

Anyway, focus! Mother Kelly's have got a massive space (as I suppose they all do!) and have kept it simple with a wall of unmarked beer taps, long tables, and a row of fridges at the side.  They are trusting mankind not to just walk off with beer, and they aim to have a member of staff dedicated to selling bottles for takeaway so that you don't have to queue with the punters.  One wall is covered in some "urban art" done surprisingly by the drummer from McFly!

Artwork by the drummer from McFly

10 taps were on for the quiet launch day, with familiar faces like Beavertown, Pressure Drop, Five Points & Kernel from London alongside some international offerings.  A little birdie behind the bar told me that they are doing a De Molen tap takeover next week (probably from Thursday 17th April) which is a pretty exciting way to announce your arrival in London, and bodes well for the future.

Bar staff were very friendly and knowledgeable, especially Steve Taylor (previously of the very popular Mason & Taylor, now Brewdog Shoreditch), who matched his beer chat with some serious London coffee barista tips, making my list of places to go even longer.  

Mother Kelly's is on course to be a huge success, so get over there quick before everyone else does!

A quick bus ride took Taro, Lucy and I over to Broadway Market to check out the 300 year old Cat & Mutton pub, which has recently been refurbished and relaunched with food from Licky Chops and Pearl's cocktail bar upstairs from the Ruby's Dalston team.

The ground floor pub was buzzing with locals even though it was supposedly not opening for another 2 days.  They have done an excellent job with the décor on both floors - see Tuck and Vine's photos for a better idea.

After Mother Kelly's, the beers were always going to struggle to impress, but two Meantime taps will keep most happy.  The Licky Chops food menu is slightly reduced in the pub area, so we swirled up the attractive spiral staircase to grab a table at Pearl's, the first floor restaurant / cocktail bar.

Cocktails are around the £8.50 mark (or 8 1/2 if you live in Hackney). I started with a Fiery Mare, a combination of gin, Kamm & Sons, cucumber, wasabi and lemon that shouldn't work but most definitely does! Taro's Bloody Ruby was an interesting smooth Negroni sour, and Lucy went for a boozy Charrington (Tequila, Scotch, Rum, almond syrup, bitters).  Other highlights include Alfred's Porter (Cognac, Stout, Honey, Oyster Sauce) and the superbly named Seamore Drinkmore (Tequila, Campari, Passion Fruit, Lime, Honey).

Cocktails at Pearl's, Cat & Mutton

Then the food started arriving. Warning: The next picture is probably NSFW - food porn.  We ordered some plates to share, starting with a show-stopping Burnt Broccoli with Yoghurt, Pickled Mustard Seeds & Almonds - make sure you get this.  This was rivalled by the generous Onglet Steak with Chimichurri portion that easily (but sadly) stretched to 3.  Licky Chops continued to hit the right notes with Jerk Chicken with Mango Coleslaw & French Fries with Garlic Aioli, and I would imagine that other dishes such as Octopus or Bucket of Mutton Chops maintain this high standard.  This is food worth going out of your way for.

Burnt Broccoli w/ Yoghurt, Pickled Mustard Seeds and Almonds

Onglet Steak with Chimichurri

The new team behind Cat & Mutton have done a fantastic job putting this all together, especially as there has been a lot of build up and expectation in the press in the last few weeks.  The locals have already set up shop, so expect it to be pretty busy when you visit!

Hill and Szrok - The Dove - President's Bar

Guest Post from Jane - Broadway Market is seeing something of an explosion in great places to eat and drink. New-comers include Peters & Co Gin Palace and Franco Manca, and The Cat & Mutton is close to reopening with food from Licky Chops & upstairs cocktails bar Pearl's from the guys at Ruby's.  The awkward journey for someone situated south of the river means I rarely venture up in that direction, but the recent opening of Hill & Szrok, a new butchers-come-restaurant, provided a good enough reason to jump on the ginger line and take a wander through the back streets of East London.

Offering raw meat by day and braised, roasted and potted meat by night, Hill and Szrok is a great addition to Broadway Market. Its clean and shiny tiled interior is hung with butcher shop instruments and a great wooden butcher's block table sits in the centre, serving as a communal dining table in the evening.

On arrival early one evening last week I met an instant convert - the friendly gentlemen sitting next to me soon informed me that he'd been in the night before with his wife for a ribeye steak and it was so good he couldn't keep away the next. Three courses later, we were inclined to agree.

We started with the H&S pate, pickled red onion and toast alongside roast broccoli, fennel, Cornish yarg and almonds. The pate was a coarse and substantial pot of meaty goodness, and sat nicely alongside the tart pickled red onion. The broccoli was a light and tangy reminder that spring is finally with us.

Meat unsurprisingly takes centre stage for the mains. We reluctantly sidestepped the pork chop and Hamroc Sausages (though individually priced at £2, it’s difficult to resist adding one to whatever else you order) and instead opted for the Murray Grey ribeye at £14.50 and the braised leg of mutton cut beef shoulder at £9.50. As you would expect from a butcher, the meat was tender and rich in flavor, with a fiery kick of black pepper working nicely with the accompanying lemon and pepper horseradish. 

A side of the seemingly fashionable oak leaf lacked any real excitement, but was a useful foil to the richness of the braised beef and midnight potatoes. 

A dessert of thick cream with stewed apples and cinnamon came in a small jar and was a light, fresh way to end an excellent meal. 

Paired with a lively, yet friendly, local atmosphere - many had been turned away by the time we left - this place is a gem for any carnivore looking for simple, tasty cooking of excellent produce.

As Hill and Szrok hadn't quite got their licence when we visited, we followed up our meal with a quick visit to The Dove, a couple of minutes stroll along Broadway Market. The place is cavernous inside with a welcoming wooden interior and an enticing menu of Belgian and British classics. A glass of Delirium Tremens is always difficult to resist when offered on draught, but it was only after ordering that we discovered the tome of Belgian beers that The Dove is known for. It’s easy to forget about the joys of Trappist brewing in these heady days of the London craft beer scene, but after being re-acquainted with the famous pink elephant, we made a mental note to revisit the other Flemish masters sometime soon.

Of a somewhat different character, I also managed to nip into President's Bar above the new Benito's Hat on Leadenhall Street this week. Straight past the burrito counter and up a few stairs the bar is (barely) hidden and while quite prettily decorated, it struggles to really distinguish itself from the restaurant downstairs. The Margaritas are well-made and affordable (starting from £5.00) but probably only worth the effort as part of a quick taco stop to refuel before heading somewhere more interesting. 

For those who are following my week on week whisky adventures (most recently Whisky Live), I have made a few trips to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society recently. I am always impressed; this place offers a tremendous whisky selection of bottles from individual casks at cask strength. The bottles have no distillery name on them only a mysterious number and an eloquent, if slightly unbelievable, description such as no.3.202 'doctor's surgeries and flower shops': 

"The aromatic nose displayed geranium, bog myrtle, aromatherapy oil, soy sauce, lavender and clove – but also bacon, lobster bisque, smoked chicken, seaweed, honey, doctors’ surgeries and flower shops. The neat palate was huge, mouth-filling and long-lasting, with a heavenly flavour combination of scorched heather sprigs dipped in honey, caramelized onions, charcoal, chutney and smoked fish. The reduced nose was hijacked by caraway seeds – gripe water, Kummel, salami with caraway, rye bread and stir-fried Chinese greens with soy sauce. The palate became sweeter – sugar-coated pistachios and sweet barbecued ribs with echoes of salted sea biscuits, lavender and tar."

Unfortunately this place is members only but each member is allowed to take up to three guests.