Park Road Kitchen - Tommi's Burger Joint - Provincial - Di Lieto

Saturday 8th March - Battersea is great. The Candlemaker, Doodle Bar, Street Kitchen, Franco Manca, Powder Keg Diplomacy, Draft House, King of Ladies Man, Galapagos Foods, Southsider Cocktail Club and more on your door step.  It just got better.

Park Road Kitchen, a new rotisserie & deli, has just opened at the end of my road on Battersea High Street.  Since it opened on 6th March (14 days ago) I have been in 6 times.  Make that 7 by the end of today.  Let's just call it thorough research.

Owner Sam Mousawi and Head Chef Santo Natoli first met at the popular Caffettino coffee shop down the road, which Santo owns with his two brothers.  Santo's parents are Sicilian and he has an extensive background as a chef. From culinary school, he went on to train with Angelo Paracucchi in Tuscany and in Paris at a 2 star Michelin restaurant. Santo then moved to London where he worked for Scott's in Mayfair, Marco Pierre White's Drones and Harrods Georgian Restaurant before becoming private chef to Harrods proprietor Mohammed Al Fayed for 3 years!

Sam (left), Santo (centre) and the team at Park Road Kitchen

Park Road Kitchen is open Tue-Sat 10am-9pm and Sunday 11am-6pm serving up rotisserie chicken with roast potatoes, and all sorts of delights at the Deli Counter.  I've worked my way through pretty much everything now, although new dishes keep turning up.  

Start with Roast Beets, Butternut Squash, Parsnip, Red Onion, Honey & Mustard Dressing and Roast Cauliflower with Toasted Almonds & Harissa - my two personal favourites so far.  Work your way over to delicious Fish Cakes, Saltimbocca, Swordfish, Meatballs, or Octopus with Peppers, Celery, Spring Onion & Smoked Paprika.

I feel a little bit special when I'm sitting on the 344 to Vauxhall eating Octopus and Roast Beets, safe in the knowledge that I have the best food on the bus by a long way.  You can sit in to eat, but everything is served in takeaway cardboard boxes.

Then there's the chicken - served in 1/4, 1/2 or Whole portions with incredibly moreish roast potatoes on the side.  They haven't gone crazy with the flavours of the chicken, it is just lightly marinaded and beautifully cooked.  There are plenty of sauces, herbs and spices available to buy to take home with you - try the little spicy green bottle if you think you can handle it!

I can't recommend Park Road Kitchen highly enough, they are making some extraordinary food in a very small space, and the service with a smile from Sam & co. is always appreciated!

Despite filling my face with beets and tentacles, I found myself eating a second lunch just over the river about 30 minutes later.  Tommi's Burger Joint had been threatening to open a second site on King's Road for about 4 months, and it finally happened a couple of weeks ago.  I popped over to meet Wilkes (read his preview post here) to take a look at their new home, not really intending to have too much to eat on this occasion.  However, once they told me that all the food was free for their launch, it would have been rude not to tuck in.



The décor is much the same as the Marylebone site. The upstairs window seats are perfect for watching the entertaining Made in Chelsea types swanning around.  There is also a spacious downstairs area, though I prefer the natural light option.

Photo Credit : Wilkes

Tommi's is run by a bonkers bunch of Icelandic folks, who were on hand to dish out some Viking beers.  Hopefully they will bring in some Einstock brews soon and perhaps some Mikeller & Evil Twin from across the Norwegian / North Sea.

The menu is simple & affordable, and the burgers are high quality fast food, which is what they want to be.  The hint of horseradish is a big plus for me, and meat lovers should order the steak burger for £8.90.  Don't miss out on their extensive range of sauces - Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup is the one to go for.

Photo Credit : Wilkes

Photo Credit : Wilkes

A speedy 45 minute trip on the 345 took us over to Craft Beer Co in Brixton where we met up with Natalie, Chris, Zoe, Luke, Lauren, Caroline & Cath for a few pints before dinner.  I've mentioned Craft several times as it always part of my Brixton trips (much like Seven).  I was very taken with Three Friends Brewing Motueka Pale on this occasion.

For dinner, most of us made our way over to The Provincial in Market Row for some "Latin Fusion". We stood at our table for a few minutes as the resourceful waiter ran around finding chairs for us. You can BYOB but 6 tapas & 1 litre of Sangria for £30 sounded good to me and Cath.  That said, Market Row Wines is right there and has a wonderful selection of booze.

Aside from some dodgy patatas bravas and fairly uninspiring chips, the food was very good.  Chorizo cooked in wine, Romana calamari and Garlic prawns were all particularly delicious.  There are also main courses available - order the squid.  The Provincial was slightly less busy than most of its neighbours which led to a pleasant atmosphere (apart from one drunk chap) and excellent service. 

I'd just like to briefly mention my other favourite new lunch spot which I recently discovered with work colleagues.  If you find yourself near Oval, make your way over to Di Lieto Bakery & Deli on South Island Place just off Brixton Road.  

At lunch, they serve up several hot food options, mostly very generous portions of fresh pasta & meat or seafood for around £4.50.  We hardly ever have the same thing twice, and the quality is always incredibly high.  Then there's the freshly baked bread brought to your table, soup, pizzas, great coffee, and tempting pastries (we've created the Di Lieto special - Nutella shoved inside one of their fresh ring doughnuts), all served by a very entertaining bunch of Italians to very happy locals.  Seek this one out.

Last but not least, I am very excited about heading over to When Mac Met Cheese in Bayswater which opens tomorrow (Saturday March 22nd) for 3 months.  Sam is one of my favourite street food traders, and he is well known for his awesome Mac'n'Cheese and his ridiculous Deep Fried Oreos.  There will also be a bar with some banging cocktails apparently.  It will be open Wednesday-Sunday - check the poster below for exact times.

Toy Shop Bar - Byron - Lost & Co - Bricklayer's Arms - Dr.Ink of Fulham - White Horse

Wednesday 2nd October - Way back in June, Team List tried to go to the opening night of Toy Shop Bar in Putney.  It turned out to be a friends and family only night, so we wandered off and went to a couple of reliable boozers in the area instead.  We finally returned last week and made it inside this time!

They now have an incredibly generous Happy Hour from 5-8 Monday-Thursday which was the perfect excuse for us to work our way through their cocktail menu.  It was pretty empty when we arrived, but I'm sure it will get busier once Putney locals get wind of the discounts!  It apparently gets a bit crazy at the weekends so take your pick.

Most drinks have ridiculous names and an even sillier list of ingredients.  I started with "Newton's Cradle Old Fashioned Tipple" - Toy Shop Dried Fruit Infused Malt Blend, Absinthe Mist, Rosehip Tincture, Aged Cardamom Dark Cacao, Vanilla Extract, No 1. Bitter Blend Marinated 8x, Coated Fruits.  Lauren went for "Clubland a la Polly Pocket" which was served in a bizarre conical glass on ice, with sherbert, chocolate cigarettes, and lollies.

Clubland a la Polly Pocket, Professor's Negroni and Slinky Margarita

Natalie's "Professor's Negroni" (see above and below) was amusingly presented, with a nectarine blossom sphere inside slowly melting, letting the Negroni drip into the bottom of the glass gradually whilst infusing it with a different flavour.  It also had a pipette on top for a bit of extra D.I.Y bitterness.  I was also fond of my "Elmo's (tickle me) Grog" served in a bottle wrapped in scented newspaper.  The whole place has a Willy Wonka feel to it, so it is no surprise that the drinks are on the sweet side and fairly theatrical.  This suited Mary & Lauren down to the ground, but there were still a couple of bitter options to keep Natalie and I happy.

If cocktails aren't your thing, then you might want to go for the Prosecco on tap, or the Toy Shop Beer which is a lager created for them by Shepherd's Neame.  You might not be able to resist the bonkers sharing cocktails if you are in a large group.  "The King of the Castle" pictured  below (coming in at £100) is the most impressive, but I would opt for the cheaper option of "Ralph the Robot" (£35) which lights up and lets of a lot of smoke.  Some will complain that it's all show, but I appreciate that they are serving up bonkers concoctions that you couldn't ever recreate at home.  This isn't some Mahiki style attempt making a killing on sharing drinks, they are just going for fun all round.

The sharing food is also well worth a look.  We only had the Goat's Cheese Lollipops, but there are plenty of tempting offerings on the menu.  If you want to go for the whole Toy Shop experience, get yourself a ticket to one of their Sunday Roast parties which they describe as a kids party for adults - roast dinner, unlimited prosecco and beer, DJs, balloon modelling and more!

King of the Castle - Cocktails - Sunday Roast Party

"What about the toilets?", I hear you cry. Don't worry - Team List did a recce.  The ladies room has barbies stuck to the walls ("Now I know that barbies don't have nipples" - Lauren) whilst the gents has brightly coloured urinals to aim at.  Both rooms also have glittery walls which create a disco ball effect in the room. We eventually asked for the bill, which was accompanied by some tasty chocolate lego men.  Thumbs up all round - go along with a group of friends for fun evening of food and cocktails that won't break the bank (unless you order that castle!).

We decided to pop next door to Byron for a late night burger.  I wouldn't normally mention a chain, but Byron are right up there with the very best on the London burger scene.  They are constantly doing special one off burgers, and also have the Byron Van out on the streets - read about my Wholey Cow experience here.  I particularly like the fact that they adapt the décor to suit every location, rather than going for one colour scheme.  Other chains would do well to copy this model.  They also have one of the best bottled beer lists (short but superb) for a food joint - go for Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA.

They are currently serving "Le Smokey" burger (until 31st October) in tribute to the growing Parisian burger scene.  I did have one at National Burger Day, but I don't remember there being a smoked chilli BBQ sauce last time.  It's got a bit of a kick to it, but most people should be able to withstand the heat.  Well worth a look before it disappears at the end of the month.

The evening ended with Byron, but I'll mention some other watering holes in the area just in case you want to make a day of it!  I'll start with the couple of places that we went when we were first turned away from The Toy Shop Bar back in June.  

You don't have to go very far out of Putney mainline station to make it in to Lost & Co, a neighbourhood bar and restaurant from Lost Group.  The other Lost Group property on The List is Ales & Tails out in Twickenham, where they have 20 beers on keg and cask.  Lost & Co was previously Citizen Smith (same owners) and it has kept the excellent range of beers (including their own Lost Brewing beer).  The food and cocktails are also worth turning up for, and there are often 2 for 1 offers and special events - head there for Day of the Dead on November 1st for £5 tequila cocktails all night long.  

It inevitably draws a big crowd as it is close to the station, but there is enough quality on show here to make it worth it.  Alternatively, head there early in the morning for some Death Wish coffee from 8-11am, Monday-Friday. 

Putney's real hidden gem is The Bricklayer's Arms, a fantastic little pub tucked away down a side street off Upper Richmond Road.  It regularly wins pub awards, which it deserves for its dedication to serving well kept real ales and hosting beer festivals in their cosy beer garden.  There is plenty to enjoy for non-beer fans as well here, with old fashioned bar games such as Shove Ha'penny and Bar Skittles set up to play.  This is place to spend a whole day in with board games.  Pay it a visit if you haven't already - it's in my Top 5 London pubs.

Just over the river on Fulham Palace Road (10 mins walk from Putney Bridge / Parsons Green) is one of my pre-List favourites, Dr.Ink of Fulham.  It is a bottled beer shop with a twist - you can open the beers on site and drink them outside in their front garden until they close at around 8pm (check site for times as it isn't always open).  The range is awesome and constantly changing, and you get to drink them at shop prices rather than pub prices.  There are often tastings and meet the brewer events going on in the shop, so check the website for details.

It's not just about the beer though.  They also specialise in fresh Indian curry pastes, made to order while you wait.  Indian snacks are available to enjoy with your beers in the shop, including samosas, ondhwo, dokhra, daal wada and pattis.  They also run a special supper club called Flavour Experience hosted by beer sommelier Alex Barlow - 4 courses of Gujarat cuisine are matched with 10 beers to taste.  This has been on my to do list for far too long!

When Dr.Ink of Fulham closes, the best place to go is The White Horse (affectionately known as the Sloaney Pony).  I often link the two together, lugging all of my newly bought bottled beers to Parson's Green. Sure, it is packed full of Made in Chelsea lookalikes but this is all part of the fun.  This is one of the best places to drink beer in London, and the local clientele always keep me entertained.  There are often beer festivals to take advantage of.  In summer months, the beer garden looking on to the green is packed, and the BBQ is fired up.  In winter everyone huddles inside - it is worth booking ahead if you know you are heading that way.  The pub food is better than your average fare - I have never looked past the excellent fish and chips. 

I also popped in to Amuse Bouche Champagne Bar (opposite Parsons Green tube) the other day for a friends birthday.  If bubbles are your thing then this is the place for you - I survived on a healthy diet of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.  There was a lively pianist when we arrived singing some jazzy pop covers.  There is delicious food upstairs in Claude's Kitchen, some of which is also available downstairs. Head there early when it is pleasant before the unbearable crowds descend late doors and ruin the atmosphere!

Evans and Peel Detective Agency - Ping

Wednesday 3rd April - Evans and Peel has been near the top of The List since I began blogging at the end of February.  A couple of minutes from Earls Court station, just off the main road, you will find a door marked Evans and Peel Detective Agency.  Before you press the buzzer, make sure you have your story straight.  This is no ordinary bar - on entering (or booking), you must describe an imaginary case that you want the kind detectives to solve.  You should book, especially if you want to go at the weekend, but you can walk in if you get there early - we went at 6.45 and were the first people in.

Natalie and Lauren arrived before me and told the Detective some tall tale about Natalie's flatmate not returning home after attending an ex-boyfriend's wedding.  They suggested I turn up and pretend to be the ex-boyfriend but sadly I received that text too late.  I instead went for some nonsense about a grand piano being mysteriously removed from my flat on the 40th floor without anyone noticing (my building only has 5 floors before you start getting any ideas).

The detective went along with my weak case and chatted about getting helicopter surveillance and checking that the building isn't "slanted like they are in Amsterdam".  After this bizarre discussion, she took my number and pulled on the bookcase next to her desk to reveal the hidden bar.  It may all sound a bit tacky, but frankly it was pretty darn enjoyable.  The bar looks great - candlelit tables, oddments scattered around, cosy corners, well dressed staff etc - and the drinks are worth the effort. My 'Sir John Eh' with pecan-infused bourbon was particularly impressive.  Order the Marminez if you want your drink in a teacup.  Beers are apparently poured through an antique radiator but we stuck to cocktails so I didn't see this myself.

They have wisely decided to offer food as well, with various snacks and sliders on offer.  I was particularly tempted by the Smoked Cheesecake.  You can also buy your own private drawer behind the bar to store your own drinks (decanted into a wax-sealed Evans and Peel bottle) which comes with a key, a private email address and a password. It would be worth visiting even without the fun on the way in, and if amateur dramatics aren't up your street then you can leave the talking to someone else.  Put it on your to-do list.

Evans and Peel cocktail menu

We decided to head down the road to try out Ping whilst we were in the area, where we joined by ping-pong enthusiast, Jason.  Ping is one of the many new London bars with table-tennis on offer - unlike Bounce in Holborn, the tables here are free!  You can get onto one of the four tables by asking the barstaff, or by trying to figure out their blackboard system.  We managed to get on for a half hour slot without too much trouble.  With the tables packed close together, and music pumping away in the background, there is a fun, party atmosphere whilst you play.

If you aren't keen on table-tennis but want to get involved, then you can play beer pong instead which I imagine is very popular at the weekends with the King's Road crowd that seem to have adopted Ping.  It was pretty full for a Wednesday night, so I can only imagine how sweaty it gets at the weekend.  It is decked out for clubbers, with suitably disgusting toilets.  The drinks are fairly standard but to their credit they have an interesting pizza menu, including a couple with roast potatoes on.  Desserts look good too, especially 'Ping Porn' - pizza dough smothered in Nutella, covered in various berries and nuts.  If you are feeling particularly fancy, order the £55 'Chandler Ping' - a frozen watermelon drink for sharing with friends.  As it says on the website, high 5 your barman when you order for the full '90s effect!  Ping won't be for everyone with loud music, a Chelsea crowd, and that lovely clubbing smell, but the pizzas and ping pong were enough to entertain me.

Ping Porn

Natalie and Lauren pick up two more Team List points each, with the former closing in on Tim's impressive haul from my weekend in Paris, and Jason gets his second ping pong based point after turning up at PUPP last month.

There are still a few tickets left for The Drowned Man : A Hollywood Fable - an interactive theatre experience from the award-winning Punchdrunk company.  It promises to be a fantastic event, and tickets will sell out.  Read more here.