The Jolly Gardeners - Chick'N'Sours - Fu Manchu

Today on the blog - three completely unrelated new food & drink spots that I checked out in May.  I could try and segue between them, but it wouldn't be pretty.  

Read on for gastropub fare with an Indian twist from a former MasterChef winner; all the fried chicken and Negroni sours from DJ Carl Clarke; and a villainous dim sum and cocktail joint in Clapham North.

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Friday 15th May - Dhruv Baker embarked on a career in food after winning MasterChef in 2010, gaining experience in Le Gavroche & The Kitchin amongst other top restaurants.  More recently he teamed up with Adam Pomaro to launch catering company Earlsfield Kitchen before deciding over a bottle of wine (or two) that they might as well go one step further and take over an actual kitchen in Earlsfield - that of The Jolly Gardeners pub.

I went down primarily to take some photos but ended up eating a whole lot of wonderful food with Jo The Sis.  A quick scan of the menu reveals standard pub items - pork belly, lamb, asparagus, steak etc. It's only after a second look that you start to spot Dhruv's Indian influences sneaking in - tamarind yoghurt, cardamom puree, turmeric and fennel better, and so on.  This is what takes The Jolly Gardeners dishes to the next level.

Our two starters were simply magnificent (and oh so photogenic - beware NSFW eggporn below). 

- English Asparagus, Soft-Boiled Burford Brown Egg, Bacon & Sage Crumble, Hollandaise - £8

- Spiced Crab Cakes, Shaved Fennel, Tamarind Yoghurt £8

You can't really go wrong with egg, bacon, asparagus and a tonne of butter - the Burford Brown egg was beautifully cooked and presented in a light crumb batter.  A generous portion of moreish crab cakes were elevated by shaved fennel and that tamarind yoghurt.

English Asparagus, Soft-Boiled Burford Brown Egg, Bacon & Sage Crumble, Hollandaise

English Asparagus, Soft-Boiled Burford Brown Egg, Bacon & Sage Crumble, Hollandaise

English Asparagus, Soft-Boiled Burford Brown Egg, Bacon & Sage Crumble, Hollandaise

Spiced Crab Cakes, Shaved Fennel, Tamarind Yoghurt

Pork Terrine, Pickled Vegetables, Honey & Mustard Dressing

We sought out more of Dhruv's unconventional flavours in our mains:

- Pan-fried Sea Bream, Turmeric & Fennel Butter, Coconut Green Beans, Cumin Sautéed Potatoes - £14

- 28 day aged Ribeye Steak, Teriyaki Glaze, Shallot Puree, Fries - £22.50

If you want your kids to eat their greens, invite Dhruv round for tea and tell him to bring his coconuts.  And if you think you've had steak and chips one too many times, I can highly recommend their teriyaki glaze twist, supported by a scene-stealing dollop of shallot puree. Delicious.

Pan-fried Sea Bream, Turmeric & Fennel Butter, Coconut Green Beans, Cumin Sautéed Potatoes

28 day aged Ribeye Steak, Teriyaki Glaze, Shallot Puree, Fries

Pork Belly, Carrot and Cardamom Puree, Curly Kale, Chimichurri

Portions are generous throughout, but do not under any circumstances skip dessert, however full you are. £7.50 may look a little pricey on the page, but once you've tasted Dhruv's bonkers creations you'll be going back for seconds.  Here are four of the best:

- Raspberry Mille Feuille, Chantilly Cream, Raspberry Sorbet, Raspberry Tuille - £7.50

- Chocolate Cake, Guinness Sauce, Hazelnut Brittle Ice Cream - £7.50

- Rocky Road, Blood Orange, Vanilla Cream, Banana and Black Sesame Ice Cream - £7.50

- Banana Tarte Fine, Sea Salt Caramel, Peanut Butter Parfait - £7.50

We demolished the bottom two on that list, both of which had even more fun on the plate than mentioned above.  It's real Willy Wonka stuff (though not quite to Parlour's level) that'll send you back on to Garratt Lane with a big grin on your face.

Chocolate Cake, Guinness Sauce, Hazelnut Brittle Ice Cream

Banana Tarte Fine, Sea Salt Caramel, Peanut Butter Parfait

Banana Tarte Fine, Sea Salt Caramel, Peanut Butter Parfait

Rocky Road, Blood Orange, Vanilla Cream, Banana and Black Sesame Ice Cream

Three courses at The Jolly Gardeners will set you back around £30-40 before booze which is a pricey night out at the pub, but Dhruv & co. are on to something special here and I wouldn't be surprised if awards and accolades start coming their way once the rest of London takes notice.  It's worth going well out of your way for, and I suggest you do so soon before word gets out.

Kitchen hours - Closed Mondays, Tue-Sat - 12:00-15:00 / 18:30-22:00, Sundays - 12:00-15:30

214 Garratt Lane, Wandsworth, London, SW18 4EA

The Jolly Gardeners - www.thejollygardeners.co.uk

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Saturday 9th May - DJ turned Chef Carl Clarke has been winning fans all over London with his Disco Bistro Chicken Wings (Disco Wings for short) at various popups, residencies and street food events, but he's finally settled down in Haggerston.  

Chick'N'Sours is the newest member of Roy Walker's "say what you see" club that also includes Duck & Waffle, Burger & Lobster, and Meat & Shake.  Smoking Goat, Dirty Bones and Smack haven't quite got the hang of it.

Hard to read, laminated menus could do with an A4 upgrade

Much like Stokey Bears up the road, Chick'N'Sours is bathed in a mysterious, unphotogenic blue light that takes me back to Cindy's and Life, two of Uni's cheesiest clubs.  Thankfully the music is better. By the time we all arrive, it's pushing 10pm (after drinks at Original Sin and The Three Compasses), but we manage to squeeze nine around a table.  Carl & co. warn us that chicken on the bone has flown out, taking all of the burger buns with it, but that there's plenty else left to munch on. Game on.

We start off with a round of their £6 half-pint sour cocktails and a few £4 cans of Fourpure.  The Chick'N'Club House Sour is a winner with Gin, Sugar, Lemon, Raspberry & Chilli Vinegar, and Vermouth, and the Negroni Sour with Campari, Vermouth, Rosewater and Lemon also hits the spot. Much like at Chicken Liquor in Brixton, the idea is that the sour drinks cut through the richness of the chicken, "like vinegar on chips" says Carl.  I'd still lean towards the beers myself, but he's not wrong.

Negroni Sour

The first food to arrive was a zingy bowl of fried Szechuan Aubergine with citrus, chilli oil & sesame seeds.  It's a great foil to Carl's sticky Disco Wings which might just be the best in London with their perfectly balanced sweet and salty coating.  Pickled Watermelon, Peanut and Coriander is another stonking side - one of our number demands that we order a second portion after a single mouthful.  In fact, all of our little plates are a marvel, from the crunchy and moreish House Pickles to the fresh Yam Bean 'Slaw with Ginger & Miso Mayo.

Szechuan Aubergine

Pickled Watermelon, Peanut and Coriander

With no buns in the house, they instead improvise with lettuce as a vehicle for their "burger", though apparently this option may appear on the menu soon.  Either way, the Korean Fried Thigh with fiery Gochujang Mayo, Chilli Vinegar and Crunchy 'Slaw gets the thumbs up.  I meanwhile opt for the Guest Fry seasoned with Chilli Jam, Crispy Shallots, Thai Basil, Mint and Spring Onion - absolutely delicious but perhaps a little small for £10.  Last but not least, the chips arrive with a phenomenal St.Agur & Buttermilk dip.  It's a good thing they don't come round selling bottles of the stuff.

Guest Fry - Chilli Jam, Crispy Shallots, Thai Basil, Mint, Spring Onion

Fries with St.Agur & Buttermilk Dip

As the evening draws to a close, tasters of Weetabix Soft Serve are passed round.  It tastes of Weetabix alright, but is that something that anybody wants? I remain unconvinced.  

I'm soon distracted by Chick'N'Sours branded transfers that arrive with the bill, causing widespread napkin dabbing and transfer application amongst our group.  My skin seems more reluctant than others, but eventually accepts a botched attempt that reads closer to Chickn Soup.  It had better come off. In a nice touch, the bill presentation finally answers the age old question of whether the chicken or the egg came first.  

Weetabix Soft Serve with Toasted Weetabix Crunch

Don't leave without a few Chick'N'Sours transfers!

Chick'N'Sours in an eggshell - Fantastic food, dodgy lighting.

N.B. They are also open for brunch at the weekends, serving up "Son in Law Eggs" & Brunch Buns

P.S. No reservations on Friday / Saturday, get your name on the list and grab a drink nearby

Your best options are vino at Rotorino or craft beers from The Fox's vending machine and Beavertown beers from Duke's Brew & Que.

Mon - Closed, Tue-Thu - 6pm-10pm, Fri - 6pm-10:30pm

Sat - 12pm-3:30pm, 6pm-10:30pm, Sunday - 12pm-3:30pm, 6pm-9:30pm

390 Kingsland Road, London, E8 4AA

Chick'N'Sours - chicknsours.co.uk

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Wednesday 13th May - Back over in South West London, a late night dim sum and cocktail bar named after the villainous Fu Manchu has opened up in a railway arch by Clapham North.  

It gets a bit clubby for Matt The List's tastes, and cocktails were a mixed bag at the launch, but having an extensive dim sum menu available til late is definitely a bonus.  London bars are incredibly poor at providing quality, filling food with drinks - hopefully others will follow Fu Manchu's example.

For a in-depth look at the cocktails, head over to Highball Hoodoo's boozy blog.  We enjoyed the delicate Secret Essence of the Poppey Hill (Sake, St.Germain, Rose Liqueur, Lime Juice, Cucumber) and Blood of Fu Manchu (Eristoff Vodka infused with Chinese 5 Spice, 10yo Port, Ginger Purée, Oyster Sauce, Chilli Powder, Tomato Juice) but were left bemused by a Green Matcha powder-based Green Tea-Ni that shouldn't have made the cut.

If it's dim sum you are after, head down on a Sunday this June to take advantage of their £19.95 all-you-can-eat offer from 12pm-10pm (1.5 hrs maximum stay!).  The Chao You Sai Laan Fa (Salt, Pepper and Chilli Broccoli) was pretty excellent, and there are 36 other tasty treats to stuff your face with too.

Mon-Wed 5pm–11pm, Thu 5pm–1am, Fri-Sat 5pm–3am, Sun 12pm–11pm

15 – 16 Lendal Terrace, Clapham, London, SW4 7UX

Fu Manchu - fumanchu.co.uk

Bean & Hop - By The Horns - We Brought Beer - The Beer Hive - UBREW

Saturday 25th March - Don't be fooled by the first shot of Eggs Benedict, this a post about beer.  If you aren't of a beery disposition, why not try Matt The Pissed, Matt Le Tiss, or perhaps Cat The List instead?

Still with me? I'll crack on. My to-do list was starting to get a tad South London beer heavy, so I signed up 2014-15 List Leader Tim "I'm actuary an actuary" Henshaw and his unwitting cousin Dan (on loan from Birmingham) for a day of discovery.

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It all started in Earlsfield at Bean & Hop (formerly The Earlsfield Deli) with a rather excellent breakfast and some caffeine.  They specialise in coffee and local craft beer, with some top notch food thrown in for good measure.  We enjoyed some beautifully cooked eggs and bargain bacon butties from their brunch menu with Nude espresso brews on the side.  It's worth noting that they stay open late for Italian flatbread pizzas and beers on Fridays & Saturdays.  Keep your eyes peeled for special popup food events too from the likes of The Pickled Fork. 

We weren't quite ready for a beer (did I just write that?), but they had an impressive 50+ bottle selection on show, and two local rotating beers on tap.  You don't see a lot of Southfields-based Rocky Head beers on tap so grab some while you can.

Big shout out to the apologetic woman who shared a desk with us in return for a sticker of an onion.

Highlight : 21 year old Dan loudly exclaiming in a coffee-obsessed joint that he "doesn't get coffee".

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A 10 minute walk down Garratt Lane took us to a small industrial state opposite the Wimbledon Greyhound & Stock Car Racing Stadium where By The Horns Brewery lay in wait.  If you want to enjoy this stunning view, a homely white picket fence and some fake turf complete with tables sits outside their lot for your enjoyment.

By The Horns open up their taproom on Thursday & Friday evenings from 5pm-10pm and Saturdays from 12pm-6pm, and the bottle shop is open throughout the week when the bar is closed.  It's a brilliant little hangout with foosball, a big HD projector and several screens for those of a sporting persuasion - we caught the lacklustre first half of Saints vs Spurs before moving on.

More importantly though, they have up to 9 beers on tap (6 keg, 3 cask) including the occasional guest ale, and prices are very reasonable for London.  Samba King Rye Blonde, Mick The Miller Amber, and Stiff Upper Lip Pale all went down a treat.  Many more of their beers like Sour To The People and Flapper Double IPA are available in bottle form.  Beer sticks and chorizo bombs are behind the bar if you get peckish.

Brewery tours are an option, and there are often events such as comedy nights and seasonal beer launches, so keep an eye on their website - www.bythehorns.co.uk

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We strolled over to Tooting Broadway and caught a bus to Balham to reach our third stop, We Brought Beer.  It's a wonderful, compact "beer and homebrew general store" with a few seats for drinking in, either from the bottle range or the four growler refill taps on offer, much like at Hop, Burns & Black in East Dulwich (but without the hot sauce and vinyl!).  See opening times here.

We enjoyed schooners of Stone Go To IPA and The Kent Gipsy Yuzu from their taps over a friendly game of cards whilst a mix of beer geeks and Balham yuppies dropped in, presumably after brunch at M1lk over the road.  Special mention must go to one mother who said to her children aged 4-8, "Just let me know if you see anything you want". 

And I thought trips to Sainsbury's with Dad were fun...

Keep an eye on We Brought Beer's website for Meet The Brewer interviews, news on events, and updated beer lists.  And don't be surprised if a couple more branches have popped up before the end of the year - I heard mutterings about a move to Battersea Rise...

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3 down, 2 to go.  We jumped on the tube to Clapham Common where we parted ways with Dan the man before continuing on the 35 to Loughborough Junction.  Some form of protest in Brixton hindered our progress, so we continued on foot down a sunny Coldharbour Lane.  The oddest moment of the day was most certainly when a full-sized remote controlled wheelie bin appeared in front of us spraying water on unsuspecting members of the public.  I'm about 99% certain that actually happened.

Eventually we found our way to The Beer Hive, a co-operative brewery and taproom tucked away in a railway arch on Belinda Road.  It was set up recently by Clarskshaws Brewery and London Beer Lab, and more breweries will hopefully join the cooperative over the next few months.

The brewery is currently open for boozing on Saturdays from 12-6pm.  It's a fairly basic space at the moment, similar to how several of the Bermondsey breweries started out, but what more do you need than a few tables and chairs (including some ripped out car seats) when there's fresh beer around? Vegan Lauren joined Tim and I to appreciate the vegetarian Clarkshaws brews.

If you have time, you might want to pop in to Brixton Brewery, London Beer Lab, Craft Beer Co. or Crown & Anchor in the Brixton / Stockwell area, and of course there is superb food on offer all over Brixton.

We pressed on, walking towards Camberwell before getting the 42 to Bermondsey.  Stormbird in Camberwell and Orbit Brewery off Walworth Road are two more top beer stops en route. 

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Bermondsey is the beer mecca of South London, with six breweries (at the time of writing!) and The Bottle Shop taproom dotted around railways arches from Tower Bridge to Millwall ("South Bermondsey" if you like). 

The newest addition is UBREW, an open brewery and taproom near The Bottle Shop and Anspach & Hobday Brewery where paying members can come and brew their own beer, making use of professional equipment and a community of brewers on site.  There are various membership options, starting with a 3 month pass at £75 per month, and plenty of courses to get you up to speed.

The taproom is currently open on Saturdays from 11pm-7pm though that's set to expand soon.  They are currently serving a range of guest beers and bottles, but they will hopefully offer beer brewed by members in the future, including a few from the UBREW team themselves.  That said, we weren't complaining with kegs from Magic Rock & Tiny Rebel, though rowdy Northerner & List Leader 2013/14 Natalie (raised in a pub) gave the staff quite a talking to on their pint pouring technique. 

We sipped our drinks in the open air as closing time approached, bonding with some friendly Spaniards on our table over the use of the conditional perfect tense in a GCSE sentence that I've still got memorised.  Si hubria hecho mis deberes, habria ido al cerveceria con mis amigos. A*s and high fives all round.

Expect to see several nano / micro / gypsy / contract / cuckoo (what are we calling them?) breweries coming out of UBREW soon.  It looks like Beatnikz Republic might be the first to go commercial with their Farmhouse Hitchhiker NZ Farmhouse Ale amongst other beers as soon as HMRC signs off on the paperwork.

Wonderful for Beatnikz Republic Generation IPA by Liam Brazier

THAT'S ALL FOLKS.

5 points to Tim. 3 to Dan. 1 to Lauren. 1 to Natalie.

Thanks to Jezza at London Beer Guide for keeping me informed.