The Ledbury - The Cider Box - Whisky Live

Guest Post from Jane - 

I don't often venture far west, so when I do it's usually for something worthwhile.  Lunch at The Ledbury was such an occasion, so on a rainy Friday afternoon we set off on the walk from Notting Hill Gate. After fighting through the tourists of Portobello Road, the pillar-doored, four-story houses, endless designer baby clothes shops and estate agents selling flats for £4m my mind was full of images of a restaurant stuffy and for the privileged, not unlike Gordon Ramsay’s in Chelsea.

However, the atmosphere at lunchtime was nothing of the sort.  Formal yes, the service was as impeccable as you would expect for the two Michelin stars that adorn The Ledbury, but there was a warmth and laid back attitude to the place that was genuinely pleasing.

Brett Graham at The Ledbury

We opted for the three course set lunch menu at £37.50 (recently changed to a four course menu for £45) and the food did not disappoint.

To start I had Ceviche of Hand Dived Scallops with Kabu Turnips, Seaweed Oil and Frozen Horseradish.   The dish came very cold with nicely balanced but subtle flavours. Certainly interesting and not something you eat every day, but lacking the intensity of the milk curd with morels that made up the alternative menu option.   For main I selected the Baked Chinese Water Deer with Juniper and Bone Marrow.  This provoked a deal of conversation around the table.  What is Chinese Water Deer? Do we want to eat it?  Resembling Bambi & Dracula's lovechild, it's a small fanged creature from east Asia. And in the hands of Brett Graham and team you definitely do want to eat it, especially with juniper and bone marrow.  Matched with a fantastic but modestly priced (for this end of town) Montepulciano, we were very happy.

Ceviche of Hand Dived Scallops with Kabu Turnips, Seaweed Oil and Frozen Horseradish

Baked Chinese Water Deer with Juniper and Bone Marrow

Yorkshire Rhubarb Soufflé and Sorbets filled our table for dessert.  The soufflé was immaculately prepared and we've never tasted anything as good yet. Delicious.

 

All in all the lunch improved as the courses went on.  We felt that by opting for the set lunch menu we may have been missing out, but there’s no doubt that what we had was superbly arranged and we definitely got value for money (a not dissimilar experience to our time at the wonderful Martin Wishart’s in Edinburgh).

In stark contrast to the formality and food-centred Ledbury, I should mention a couple of stand-out events I attended this month.

The Cider Box put on a great afternoon in the sun on 15th March at Wigwambam at the Queen of Hoxton. Showcasing the best ciders from the country, they also matched it with some great pork burgers and chops in the teepee.  I particularly enjoyed the champagne-style Keeved cider, sweet and sparkling it was perfect for the first signs of spring.  The dry Wilkins also went down very well.

Dan Heath demonstrated his love for cider and extensive knowledge; coming from the West Country myself it hit a bit of a soft spot.  Keep an eye on their website www.ciderbox.com for future events.

Dan Heath of The Cider Box

Dan Heath of The Cider Box

The Cider Box & Strummerville presents: Republic of Somerset from Stuart York on Vimeo.

The annual Whisky Live event, held this year in the Honorable Artillery Company, Armoury House was its usual success.  For the price of a ticket (£36 half day/£48 full day) you get a dram glass and as many whisky tastings as you can handle.

It was good to see Few Rye and Bourbon (with Todd over from Chicago), Spirit of Hven and Smooth Ambler there, all presented by Michael, Geoff & co. at Maverick Drinks who are responsible for bringing some of the best craft and small batch spirits to the UK.  Stay tuned for a Maverick Drinks related post from Matt's night at Gin Sin soon.  I know Matt is also planning to track down Maverick's NY Distilling and Few in their natural habitat when he hops across the pond later this year.

Outstanding and interesting exhibitors for me included Old Pulteney, whose 17 year old was a fantastic discovery, and That Boutique-y Whisky Company (another Maverick product), with their 'Lost  Distilleries' special - a blend of six whiskies from distilleries that no longer exist including the scarce Islay Port Ellen (Diageo recently released 2,950 bottles of Port Ellen at £1,500 each!).

Compass Box also impressed as usual, passing around a rather special 10th Anniversary Edition of Peat Monster.  We chatted to Chris about their Spice Tree which went through a bit of a battle to be called Scotch - read the full story here.

Artwork for That Boutique-y Whisky Company

It was also great to meet Daniel Szor of the new Cotswolds Distillery which will release its first Single Malt in 2017.   The first limited edition of 5,000 bottles of ‘single estate’ Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky will be available for reservation and pre-sale at the end of March 2014.  In the meantime, Daniel and his wife Katia are creating Cotswold Dry Gin.  They will also produce a range of brandies and liqueurs made from local fruits and berries, as well as Cotswolds cream liqueur and a fortified sherry.

Balblair put a year on their whisky, rather than an age

Berry Bros & Rudd range includes Glenrothes, No.3 Gin & King's Ginger

Surprisingly drinkable 61.5% Poitin from Teeling Whisky Co.

El Dorado sneaking some rum in to a whisky festival

If this sounds like your kind of thing, try The London Whisky Weekender 16th-18th May in Bethnal Green (www.whiskylounge.com) or for smaller events the Whisky Squad are celebrating their fourth birthday this year - they offer small, specialised whisky events across London (www.whiskysquad.com). 

Finally some tips for the month:

Bermondsey Thai restaurant, Suchard, is an independent, affordable and reliable Thai near London Bridge.  I returned there recently and was not disappointed; service is rapid and food delicious.

If you happen to be enjoying the recent good weather in the Greenwich area don't be tempted by the myriad of ice-cream vans lining every tourist street, instead try some of the fantastic gelato from Black Vanilla.  The salted caramel comes highly recommended, and is the perfect fuel for a walk through the park to Blackheath for a freshly brewed craft beer or two at Zerodegrees microbrewery.

Seasonal specials include Chilli & Ginger, Turkey & Cranberry, Mulled Wine & Bourbon Salted Caramel

Oslo Hackney - Hand of Glory - The Shrubbery

Thursday February 13th - I normally choose Saturdays for a Hackney jaunt since it is SO FAR AWAY but I managed to squeeze in 3 places on a school night a couple of weeks ago. 

Flatmate Ali and I started off the evening at Oslo - a two storey bar, restaurant & music venue housed in the only remaining part of the original Hackney Central station which was closed in the 1970s.

The ground floor bar & restaurant is stunning, particularly on the lighting front as you can see below. We settled onto a table in the corner for dinner & people watching, with a great view of the lovely long bar (which is also home to a Pioneer DJ mixer - don't spill your drinks!).  They have an excellent range of wines & beers, including local offerings from Crate, Redemption and Five Points.

The food menu (created by Dave Ahern formerly of House of Wolf) is quite something.  We started off with a bonkers Salmon BLT and Apple & Horseradish Mackerel with pressed apple & griddled cucumber, which got chosen just ahead of Beetroot Tarte Tatin with Smoked Yoghurt & Herbs. 

The Salmon BLT consisted of smoked tomatoes, lettuce butter, and a piece of salmon masquerading as bacon having been cured & who knows what else. The bacon similarity is subtle but most definitely there, and the dish worked well as a whole.  My attractive plate of apple & horseradish mackerel (see below) was also a great success.

Apple & Horseradish Mackerel with pressed apple & griddled cucumber - Oslo Hackney

Moving on to mains (or "large plates"), we resisted the tempting Oslo Burger (served with Oxtail shot & Bone Marrow mayo) and instead went for Pan Fried Plaice & Glazed Chicken Lollipop with Sauteed sea vegetables & Jerusalem Artichokes and Pan Roasted & Poached Chicken Breast with Garlic Mushroom Mash and Bacon & Butter Sauce.

I should possibly have pushed the boat out and gone for Cod, Smoked Eel & Clams, but my chicken dish was comforting & delicious.  The Plaice was beautifully cooked and the Jerusalem artichokes deserved their spot, but the sea vegetables were (intentionally) too salty for us.

Dessert was arguably the highlight with a fantastic Winterberry Trifle with Rose Jelly & Lemon Posset Top attractively presented in a small jam jar.  I was sad to see that Cucumber Sponge with Gin & Tonic Icing had disappeared from the menu, but an indulgent Chocolate Tart with Chocolate Chip Ice cream made up for it.  I also love the sound of Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Caramel Bananas to share.

By the time we left, Oslo was packed & buzzing - impressive considering the size of the place and it being relatively new.  The upstairs music venue looks superb and is home to live music & regular club nights - check the website listings for more info.

Our second stop was a little further north up Amhurst Road at the charming new Hand of Glory pub, part of the Jaguar Shoes collective (whose Old Shoreditch Station café has apparently just launched the first Bitcoin ATM).

The decor & drinks nod to British folklore with flagons of cider, maypoles, trees, wicker masks and a terrifying (adorable) straw bear.  A lot of love and attention has gone into making Hand of Glory look fantastic, and I would adopt this as my local in a heartbeat if I lived anywhere near here.  The awesome honey monster lookalike in the corner will apparently be scarier when he has arms - I hope they leave him as he is!

The beers are great with draught offerings from Weird Beard, Crate and Five Points and a solid bottle selection including Pressure Drop in the fridge.  A barrel aged "Ents Blood" Negroni sits proudly on the bar top, along from an imposing stone tom-cat apparently made from a chunk of St. Paul's Cathedral! In the days of bath tub gin, tom-cat plaques used to be placed outside gin houses & would dispense gin when a coin was placed inside its mouth.  This one isn't up and running yet, but they hope to create a Mouse Trap style coin run that will eventually find its way to the cat.

I want this in my flat.

On the food front, they have brought in popular street food team, Fleisch Mob (run by Mark Edwards), who are serving up a range of rural "Folk Mob" British dishes with Austrian twists.  Go for "Pork Life" pictured below- smoked pork sausage stuffed with emmental, wrapped in Old Spot bacon, served in a roll with fermented cabbage.  The roasts sound pretty special too - big tables will be able to pre-order a chunk of meat (e.g. 60 day aged Shorthorn topside) which will arrive ready to be carved with a load of veg to share.  Finish off with Sorbitium ice creams for dessert.

There he is again!

It was hard to leave the wonderful Hand of Glory, but more fun beckoned in the form of The Shrubbery cocktail bar tucked inside The Russet at Hackney Downs Studios.

Ali and I unwittingly walked right into a pre-Valentines blindfolded dinner dating event which looked like great (messy) fun, but sadly meant that The Shrubbery wasn't fully operational.  Luckily, head bartender Rory Shepherd was on hand to take us back stage to sample some of their shrub-based concoctions.

Blindfold dinner at The Russet

"What is a shrub?", I hear you cry. Let's ask Rory:

"Well, well, well - there are 2 types of shrub...

"They are both similar in that citrus / vinegar / anything high in acid (!) is mixed with sugar to get that sharp & sweet flavour.

"The first type dates back to the 17th century England and is pretty much a homemade liqueur (our example would be Mum's Shrub - secret recipe).  This is made by heating fruits (ones that are heavier in citrus usually) with sugar and rum/brandy - it would traditionally be drank hot.

"The second is made with vinegar and as far as I know was started in America specifically for cocktails. It is a longer process that leads to a much more intense flavour. All of our vinegar shrubs are usually left to infuse for anything from a week up to 4 months (though our plum, walnut and sherry shrub is nearing month 5!).

"By then you are left with a lovely, deep, sweet flavoured syrup. A small amount can be used to subtly develop the flavour of a drink."

The Shrubbery at The Russet

The Shrubbery at The Russet

The Shrubbery cocktail menu is constantly evolving as the bartenders are encouraged to experiment with their ingredients. On the shrub front, they already have several to work with including Juniper, Bay and Cider vinegar and Pear, Vanilla and Sherry vinegar. They also have an excellent back bar at their disposal.  I was particularly taken with the St. George's Dry Rye Gin & I have heard even better things about their Botanivore & Terroir gins.  Try the St George's Forest with Fresh Basil, St.George's Rye Gin, St.Germain Elderflower Liqueur. Absinthe, Fruits Of The Forest Shrub & Orange Bitters.  

We thoroughly enjoyed The Original Shrubbery (Plantation Trinidad Dark Rum, Cocchi Americano Vermouth, Original Shrub, Flamed Lemon Zest) and Mum's Martinez (Gin, Antica Formula, Mum's Shrub, Grapefruit Bitters).  Grin + Hydroponic with Blackberry & Walnut Reduction, Old Tom Ampleforth Gin, and Tonic would be my next choice.  The shrubs were also delicious on their own, albeit in very small quantities - make sure you taste them when you visit.

St George's Dry Rye Gin

St George's gin range - Terroir, Dry Rye & Botanivore

If you are aren't in the mood for a shrub-based cocktail, there is still plenty of wine, beer & spirits to keep you going.  The bottled beer selection is particularly excellent & eclectic with the likes of Beavertown (Hackney), Delirium Tremens (Belgium), and Big Wave (Hawaii) on offer.

Rory & co. have got a great thing going with The Shrubbery, making very drinkable, yet experimental cocktails in a friendly, laid-back environment.  Look out for Woodburner at The Russet - live folk music curated by my old friend Theo Bard with cracking drinks from The Shrubbery on the side.

Parking spaces at Hackney Downs Studios

Ali and I scampered off to catch a handy Overground train back to Battersea from Dalston. Shame I left my hat in the Hand & Glory - I guess I'll have to come back.