Carousel - Three Six Six - Flour To The People

Time for three overdue pre-Christmas treats, starting with Chef Ollie Templeton's fabulous feast at Carousel. 

Ollie is one of several talented Templetons behind the marvellous merry-go-round that is Carousel, and every now and then he gets to let loose after months of working closely with an eclectic collection of talented chefs. Just before Christmas, he took over the kitchen for three weeks and served up an exciting menu in beautiful surroundings.

One of my favourite London dining rooms

Pre-dinner drinks at Carousel's bar - Will You Be My Clementine Goose?

After a festively spiced clementine cocktail at the bar, we settled down for dinner at one of their stunning long tables. As a bonus, sommelier Matt was pairing our eats with unfamiliar natural wines, starting with Quierciole, Ca' de Noci (2013), a bottled fermented number from Emilia Romagna. This accompanied some moreish but dangerously filling bread and olive oil.

Then came four interesting small bites:

- Grilled Jerusalem Artichokes with Lemon Purée and Sorrel

- Tempura Brussels Sprouts with Mushroom Soy

- Pickled Sardines on Toast with Coriander

- Grilled Shallots on Homemade Manchego Crackers brushed with Butter & Spices

Citrus and butter made several strong appearances throughout the meal. To drink with our starters, a bottle of Anfora Bianco, Lammidia (2014), fermented and aged in clay pots (amphora), divided the table. A summer spent appreciating wild beers on the West Coast of USA meant that I was less surprised by the style.

Grilled Jerusalem artichokes with lemon purée and sorrel

Pickled sardines on toast with coriander

Grilled shallots on homemade manchego crackers brushed with butter & spices

A highlight was a glorious plate of Hokkaido Pumpkin with fish roe, dulse, pistachios and preserved lemon. My Japanese dining companion gave me a quick run down of the differences between squashes of the Hokkaido and Kabocha variety. I'll leave you to have a rummage through Google. Ours was grown in Essex, not quite as romantic as one might hope, but probably more practical.

A glass of Miss Terre, Domaine de la Sénéchalière - a Muscadet from South Britanny - went down very nicely indeed.

Hokkaido pumpkin, fish roe, dulse, preserved lemon and pistachios

My favourite tipple of the night though was the Lady Chasselas, Myl­ène Bru (2014), a white wine made from wild vines with a nose reminiscent of Cantillon. D.H.Lawrence also sprang to mind. This partnered an interesting plate of Cod, Salsify & Bergamot with cod skin, dehydrated miso, and cavolo nero.

Lady Chasselas, Mylène Bru (2014)

An extra course of Grilled Beef Rib, Charred Calcots and Fino Mayonnaise was a real treat. Most beef comes from 12-16 month old cows, but the stuff on our plate was from some wise old 5-6 year olds, and the depth of flavour was magnificent.

Also a hit were the calcots - Catalonian spring onions of sorts. I fully intend to get to Tarragona one day for the Calcotada, the annual harvest festival where "they are grilled over a hot fire, wrapped up in newspaper, served on terra cotta tiles, and eaten, after peeling with bare hands, by dipping them one by one in romesco sauce". Yes please.

To drink, Le Temps Retrouvé Mourvèdre (2013) was the perfect farmy accompaniment - a red wine with more than a whiff of blue cheese about it.

Grilled Beef Rib, Charred Calcots, Fino Mayonnaise

To finish, we were presented with a plate of Clementine and Buttermilk - or rather, buttermilk ice cream, clementine granita and a cleverly crafted buttermilk biscuit crumb, neatly bookending the meal with palate cleansing citrus. 

There was of course a final wine pairing too, Chinati Vergano's "Luli" (2015), a white chinato based on Moscato d'Asti from the Beras apparently. It's a lovely drop, but if you looking to buy me a present (hint hint : birthday is pretty soon), I'd rather have a bottle of their absurdly delicious Americano aperitif that I fell in love with at Original Sin a year or so ago. Thanks.

Clementine & Buttermilk

Clementine & Buttermilk

All in all, a fantastic evening of food and booze. Despite having only been to Carousel twice, it feels like home, and I look forward to many more meals there in the future. Speaking of which, here's what's coming up soon...

23rd-27th February - Olia Hercules - After her unforgettable ‘Wild East’ residency last summer, Olia is back with a Caucasian bang, introducing us to the joys of a traditional Georgian supra (literally, ‘table cloth’). 

In Olia’s own words, “The supra is a f****ing feast - they have a special toastmaster called tamada and it’s basically a 24 hour food and wine party with a sh*t load of toasting and polyphonic singing. It’s so amazing I actually considered moving to Tbilisi when I was there in October. Then I came back to London and came back to my senses.” Georgia’s loss is our gain… 

Olia’s Carousel menu - “mainly Georgian with pan-Caucasian and European twists” - will be paired with natural Georgian wines and wild beers. The perfect accompaniment to knockout, seasonal dishes like dyushbara, kharcho and tkhemali. 

1st-12th March - Rimpei Yoshikawa - With its neon lights, bustling crowds and relentless traffic, Shibuya, Tokyo, isn’t the most obvious place to find a laid back French bistro. But that’s the charm of Pignon, Rimpei Yoshikawa’s bohemian neighbourhood eatery specialising in soulful everyday dishes inspired by his travels through France and Morocco. 

Yoshikawa bid adieu to Tokyo’s fine dining scene and took himself off to Bordeaux five years ago for a change of scenery. It was there that he found his true calling, abandoning haute cuisine and adopting the simpler pleasures of the region’s hearty home-cooking like his own. 

The result? One of Tokyo’s most talked about restaurants and an ever-changing tour de force of surprising and delightful creations like Confit Aromatic Duck with Kinkan and Cumin, his signature Guacamole (coarse-mashed avocado seasoned with lime and jalapeño, topped with thinly sliced octopus and garnished with red onion, tomato and coriander) and his beloved Merguez Sausages with house-made Harissa and Couscous. 

Yoshikawa continues to broaden his horizons, following up a recent co-residency with Beard’s Shin Harakawa at iconic Californian restaurant Chez Panisse with his upcoming trip to Carousel, a first appearance in London for Rimpei and one that’s not to be missed. 

P.S. Don't forget that you can also book in for a very affordable Lunch by Carousel from 12pm-3pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Walk ins are also welcome.

Carousel - www.carousel-london.com

71 Blandford Street, Marylebone, London, W1U 8AB

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Now for some photos from a boozy, risqué evening at Three Six Six cocktail bar on St.John’s Hill. Ella and I went down to try out some pretty outlandish and entertaining cocktails from their Fantasy & Fetish menu that is only served from Sunday to Thursday.

As you can see below, there are some ridiculous props involved. It’s all very playful, and a great source of conversation provided that you’ve brought the right person along! Go easy on the viagra tonic.

More photos on Matt The Tumblr - Set 1 / Set 2

Highlights include:

- Moorish Nights - A beautifully presented cocktail with a yellow pepper savoury edge that emerged from a smoking chamber

- Frijoles Negros - A very drinkable passion fruit number that also involved black bean syrup and popcorn infused Jim Beam, ingeniously served in a plant pot, soil and all.

- Golden Shower - I won’t give too much away… let’s just say that umbrellas are provided.

Owner Eduardo de la Mora is a wonderful host and he makes a mean drink. If nothing on the bonkers Fantasy & Fetish list takes your fancy, there’s also an extensive regular menu smartly split into categories such as Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter, Organic and Umami.

Best of all, there's a section dedicated to Negronis. Eduardo’s Negroni featuring Ilegal Mezcal, Cynar and Campari is a treat for bitter enthusiasts, whilst the Colombian Negroni infuses Aperol with coffee beans. A return visit is required for a thorough investigation...

Colombian Negroni - Coffee beans infused Aperol, Colombian Dictador Aged Gin, Lille Rose & OLG Campari Tincture

Eduardo's Negroni - Ilegal Mezcal, Cynar, Campari, Hibiscus Tincture, Lemon, Artichoke

Three Six Six - www.threesixsix.co.uk

126 St.John's Hill, Battersea, SW11 1SL

Fantasy & Festish menu - Sunday-Thursday only

N.B. There is another Three Six Six in Earlsfield with the same drinks menu

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Whilst we're in Battersea, I'll finish up by drawing your attention to one of my favourite local eateries, Flour To The People.

See more brunch photos on Matt The Flickr

Having established themselves as a sourdough bakery and brunch spot early last year (with see-through toasters on every table!), they finally launched an evening sourdough pizza menu in December. They also recently had a rethink about the space and it looks better than ever.

£7.75 will get you a fine example of the Margherita genre with a pleasing bite to it. I chucked some rocket on for good measure. Other winners include the £12 Calzone with ricotta and salami dolce, and a £9.90 English Breakfast Pizza with smoked bacon and egg. We washed them down with local Sambrooks beers that were brewed about 500 metres away. N.B. If you live close enough, you can order their pizzas through Deliveroo if you are feeling lazy! We've already caved several times...

Margherita with Rocket at Flour To The People

Calzone with Ricotta and Salami Dolce at Flour To The People

To finish, their £8 dessert pizza with Nocciolata Crema Di Cacao E Nocciole (translation : posh nutella) is a worthwhile treat, and easily stretches to four people.

Quarter of a dessert pizza with posh nutella and vanilla ice cream

Flour To The People - www.flour2people.com

573 Battersea Park Road, Battersea, SW11 3BJ

Pizzas served from 5pm-10pm, 7 days a week

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London's pizza scene is going from strength to strength at the moment, and most of the new wave are keeping their prices nice and low, earning them a place on London Cheap Eats. Look out for Theo's, Made of Dough, Bona, Bravi Ragazzi, Sacra Cuore, 400 Rabbits and many more in the suburbs.

Theo's in Camberwell

Made of Dough in Brixton

Shaken Cocktails - Balcony Booze #2

Today I'll be looking at Shaken Cocktails DIY bartending kits in more detail after a weekend of #balconybooze mixology experiments at home (that you can see more of on Matt The Tumblr).

What's in the box?

Booze! Spirits, liqueurs, tinctures, bitters etc. Nothing perishable. Enough to make four cocktails plus a little extra for that all-important quality control taste test beforehand. There's also instructions and tips on how to make the cocktails, plus some interesting background information on the ingredients and recipes. Their introductory bourbon kit came with quite a large, wordy booklet, but I much preferred the smaller leaflet and cards included in the Reyka Vodka kit. The box itself is nice and sturdy, and pleasing to open - and I love the cheeky recycling message inside (see above!).

How much do they cost?

Each box costs £24 (including shipping), and it's technically a subscription / members service called the Shaken Explorer's Club. After you've chosen your first kit (Aviation or Manhattan), one box arrives every month, but you can pause / stop the service at any time, Netflix-style. Members will also occasionally get invites to special cocktail events.  Alternatively, you can give Shaken Cocktails boxes as gifts, in 1, 3, 6 or 12 month packages.

What do I need?

Basic cocktail equipment for starters - go and raid your nearest Nisbets for a Boston shaker, a Hawthorne strainer, a fine strainer, a mixing glass, measures / jiggers, and a bar spoon. If you are feeling fancy, get yourself a Mexican elbow - it's my favourite toy. Almost all of the glassware you can see in this post was rescued from charity shops. 

The boxes never contain perishable items so you might have to get hold of some limes, lemons, oranges etc. You'll definitely be needing some ice, ideally crystal clear which is hard to achieve from tap water. Try freezing a whole ice cream tub of water, and chip off the rubbish bits. Alternatively, buy a bag in from the supermarket, or steal some from your local pub! Or ignore me being fussy and use ice cube trays like a regular person. I'm a big fan of Tovolo's giant ice cubes and spheres too. Take it to the next level and make a Negroni cocktail sphere.

Are the cocktails easy to make?

Very. The instructions are clear and simple, and as long as you have the required basic cocktail equipment (see above), you should be able to whip up a cocktail in under a minute! Funnily enough, in both of the kits that I looked at (focused on Four Roses Bourbon and Reyka Vodka), there wasn't a "shaken" cocktail in sight. All four drinks were either stirred in a mixing glass, or built and stirred in the cocktail glass itself. Here's an example:

Equinox - get a stirring glass, a spoon, and a chilled martini / wine glass

- 50 ml Reyka Vodka

- 10 ml Dolin Blanc

- 10 ml Lillet Blanc

- 10 drops of black pepper tincture

- Ice cubes

- Lemon twist

Chill your glass. Half-fill a large stirring glass with ice. Add all the liquid ingredients and stir for 30 seconds. Strain into your chilled glass and garnish with a twist of lemon.

Easy peasy. I tend to chill my glassware in the freezer for a couple of mins, but if you don't have space, fill the glass with ice and discard it just before you strain the cocktail.

Is it a high quality product?

Yep. In quite a coup, they've got legendary bartender Dick Bradsell on board to oversee all of the recipes, so you can definitely trust the specs.

Shaken endeavour to use high quality spirits and liqueurs, and it's no surprise that top brands want to get their booze in to the hands of cocktail aficionados. I particularly enjoyed the Reyka Vodka which was new to me, and I was impressed by the generous provision of Bitter Truth Orange Bitters in the Manhattan / Bourbon box. Perhaps they could include something a little more exciting than Martini Rosso on the Sweet Vermouth side, especially when that category is booming - Belsazar Red or Cocchi di Torino would go down well.

Is it just for beginners?

Not necessarily, though they will definitely get the most out of an Explorer's Club subscription. As an experienced backseat cocktail maker, I enjoyed trying out a few new drinks and discovering some new brands, but I've built up enough of a back bar that I don't need these kits to explore new recipes. It's an expensive hobby though, and if you want to get into it gradually without spending a fortune on booze all in one go, then Shaken Cocktails are for you. With a different focus every month, you are bound to discover something new that you didn't think you'd like - don't skip that Tequila box, it'll be the best one...

Verdict

Two thumbs up. £24 is about right, especially as there's a fair amount left over after you've made four drinks. The kits are easy to use, the booze is high quality, the recipes are trustworthy, and the extra facts included regarding the cocktails and spirits will stand you in good stead next time you are propping up a bar.

I wouldn't be a proper Matt The Journalist if I didn't mention the competition. In London, you can also turn to Taste Cocktails, who offer an almost identical service. Both companies are currently seeking investment to take things to the next level.

My American readers *cue tumbleweed* have a few similar options, including Cocktail Courier, Saloon Box (a Kickstarter success), and my personal favourite, Crafted Taste, who go all out and give you FULL BOTTLES of booze (at considerable cost of course!). There's a tonne of stuff out there, as this Trendhunter article shows.

You can find all of my Shaken Cocktails photos and thoughts on each drink on Matt The Tumblr. 

Shaken Cocktails - www.shakencocktails.com

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Balcony Booze #2

I've been warned.

Last time out on Balcony Booze, I kept it brief with a beer and a cocktail, but with Christmas approaching, thoughts turn to presents. Here are some more substantial things that you might want to ask Father Christmas for. Click on the pictures for more info.