The Joint - Seven - Sean's Bar

Thursday January 30th - I'm currently excitedly planning a Summer trip to New York, Toronto, Chicago and Minneapolis (all recommendations welcome!), but after yet another wonderful evening out in Brixton last night, I was left wondering whether anything across the pond could compare.

Yesterday began as it so often does in Brixton, at Craft Beer Co for a couple of beers.  I enjoyed a Thornbridge Sequoia & Evil Twin Nomad Wit, and Max started with a Thornbridge Chiron.  If you haven't made it to one of the Craft bars around London, put it on your to do list.  There are quality drinks besides beer, but try a few samples of their 20+ taps and you might just be converted.

Max always brings back fun gifts from his travels abroad, and he impressed both me and the Craft Beer Co staff by presenting me with a box of 3 bottled beers from the Shiga Kogen microbrewery which is situated in a Japanese ski resort - pretty niche.  They are one of the few breweries in Japan to grow their own ingredients.

Shiga Kogen beers - a microbrewery in a Japanese ski resort

Choosing where to eat in Brixton Village / Market Row is always difficult (for all the right reasons), so we took the advice of Burgaffair and Gordon Ramsay (see below) and sat ourselves down at The Joint.

The menu is short and simple - a few sides (onion rings, riblets, sweetcorn, wings, hushpuppies etc), two types of slow-cooked pulled pork / shredded chicken in a bun/wrap and BBQ ribs.  It's BYOB so pop round to Market Row Wines and pick up some cheap bottles of Brixton beer or refillable wine.

The sides are cutely presented in little bags with tags, and the Drink Me... mint-infused water is a nice touch. The onion rings were delicious - covered in a delicate batter and an indulgent BBQ sauce.  To celebrate Chinese New Year, they are currently serving special pulled pork wontons with a BBQ sweet chilli jam dip - highly recommended.

For mains, we both went for the Asian BBQ 16-hour pulled pork in a bun which comes with coleslaw, pickled ginger, chilli, spring onion and salad.  Sounds pretty great, but lots of places are doing tasty pulled pork options, so The Joint have mixed things up by infusing a sourdough (not brioche!) bun with fig and giving it a vanilla glaze.  A bonkers idea but they have pulled it off.  It might be on the sweet side for some, but personally I was very taken with it.  The initial sweet flavour quickly gives way to the pulled pork and chilli.

The portions are enormous for £7 but I managed to polish it off pretty quickly.  Beware - it is a fairly messy meal, but they do helpfully provide a mountain of napkins.  Staff were very friendly, service was good, and the oddly appropriate chart music kept us from freezing on the outdoor tables.  

No trip to Brixton is complete without a £5 cocktail from Seven.  I have already mentioned them twice on The List, so I'll go one better this time and mention them twice in one post!  Not only are the drinks an absolute bargain, the bar itself is stunning.  Even the corridor has been transformed into a beautiful, candlelit hallway, with foldable chairs efficiently hanging off hooks on the walls.  We stopped here for a Honey Chilli Margarita and a Ginger Beer Basil Mojito before moving on elsewhere, but we did return later on!

Max and I were joined by local Luke and flatmate Maggie (3rd & 7th on Team List respectively) in Sean's Bar, a cosy watering hole which pops up at night in the popular Rosie's Deli Cafe, round the corner from Seven.  The drinks are simple but well executed by the eponymous Sean and his team, all to a banging soul soundtrack, every Thursday-Saturday 6-11pm.  

UPDATE: Sean's Bar has moved out of Rosie's Deli Cafe.  Rosie is running a similar bar in the evenings currently.  Sean runs Sean's Thai Bar in Balham and is looking for a new space in Brixton.

There are only a few tables so it can be very busy, but it can also empty very quickly.  It doesn't really matter as the atmosphere is great however full it is.  Sean & co are a friendly bunch and keep themselves amused choosing the next tune.  We had a serious Barry White session yesterday, which I continued with at home. A friend texted me this morning saying that Spotify had notified him that "Matt has been listening to a lot of Barry White". I recommend starting with Sha La La Means I Love You - off you go.

I stuck to £4 G&Ts whilst Maggie went for an Old Fashioned from the £6 cocktail list.  They are mostly classics (Negroni, Sours etc) but they do a couple of specials - Quince Tom Collins was on offer yesterday. Local Brixton beers are also available for £4.

There are also several tempting food offerings including "Rosie's" Reuben Sandwich and Truffled Macaroni Cheese.  Maggie's Roast Pumpkin, Prosciutto and Walnuts was beautifully presented and disappeared quickly.

We could have stayed all night, and perhaps another time we will (late night lock in with Sean & Barry?), but we decided to pop back to Seven for one more as Maggie had never been and we were so close!  Sean's Bar is a wonderful addition to Market Row - go and check it out!

Back at Seven, we returned to our corridor and I decided to splash out and go for the £7 Smoked Ale Old Fashioned - Walnut Bitters, Wild Turkey Honey, Buffalo Trace Bourbon and London Pride Ale - aged in Buffalo Trace Barrels and Smoked with Wood Chip Smoke.  We joked that for a hefty £2 more we expected the full barrel experience, but they went one better and brought it in a skull shaped bottle filled with wood chip smoke.  The drink was part shisha, part old fashioned and the smoke-filled bottle went round the table several times.  Go and order one whilst they still have it on the menu, they change it quite often!

It's worth noting that Seven have one of the few toilets in Market Row - Wishbone opposite also have one. Also, Sunday nights upstairs at Seven are currently the home to Sunday Skool, an evening of wine tasting and tapas run by A Grape Night In aka Laura & Kiki - two wine lovers who were responsible for several exciting popups last year.

Brixton went above and beyond as usual - I'm proud to be a Londoner when there is so much quality and innovation on show all over the city.  I'll leave you with some Barry (email readers click through to the blog if you want to join in):

The Jones Family Project

Wednesday November 13th - I rarely write something up this quickly, but I felt compelled to after such a pleasant evening.  The Jones Family Project is officially opening on Monday 25th November when you are of course all otherwise engaged watching me perform with the Kensington Symphony Orchestra in the brand new Milton Court venue in the Barbican.  Therefore, you need to head on over to Great Eastern Street between now and then for the soft opening (with 50% off food) so that we can chat about it after my concert.

I was invited along to the opening party by co-founder Anna Watts after befriending her on Twitter. Anna has worked in the food and drink industry for a while, having set up the Rocket restaurant group with her husband Duncan and friend Amit Joshi back in 1999.  The three of them have teamed up again to open a friendly restaurant and bar set over two spacious floors near Old Street.  The name is an invention rather than a reference, alluding to the fact that working so closely day after day with the same people creates a close-knit family vibe.  The surname has no particular significance, it just seemed right to Anna & Duncan, the parental figures of the new Jones Family!

List Leader Natalie got the nod to be my +1 after reaching 100 points on the Leaderboard last week. We made straight for the bar and perused the cocktail menu that has a lot of fun with the family motif. The section titled "Uncle Albert does like his ale" is right up my street with Stout Daiquiri, Chivas Bitter and Beefeater Cider to choose from.

As well as a great cocktail list, there is an impressive back bar full of interesting spirits, two craft beers on tap (the wonderful Beavertown Gamma Ray APA and their own Jones Lager brewed for them by Meteor), and a special wine dispensing device.  James, head of the relatively new Cleveland Bay Vodka, was the first of several friendly guests to chat to us at the bar - I look forward to trying his product soon. Gins are out in force with Botanist, Gin Mare, Butler's and Bathtub all making an appearance.

The family theme runs through the décor too, with several attractive house structures hovering over tables, and Granny's Dining Room set up downstairs.

Granny's Dining Room will apparently be redecorated regularly, either to fit with something seasonal (e.g. a ski-lodge) or with a bespoke design requested by guests.

Granny's Dining Room

The Library

There's plenty to excite on the food menu, including Duck Egg Scramble, Ginger Pig steaks, Truffled Macaroni Cheese, and an array of tempting desserts.  Canapé versions of some of their dishes were brought round throughout the evening.  I was particularly taken with the baked Medjool dates stuffed with chorizo & wrapped in bacon, served with white bean, piquillo and tomato sauce.

Puddings are very affordable at £5 and you need look no further than Anna's Triple Chocolate Brownie served with vanilla bean ice cream and salted caramel sauce - incredible.  Natalie was understandably cross when I accidentally kicked one out of her hand.  Luckily, a member of the extended Jones Family was on hand with reserves.  I can also highly recommend the Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse with crushed chocolate cookies, honeycomb, raspberry syrup and fresh raspberries.

We randomly got chatting to Heather and Emma Jane from Gertrude & Ivy (Digital Marketing & Event Management) whose office is round the corner from my flat.  Heather writes her own SW London food blog and coincidentally used to live in my building - small world.  Anna (owner and brownie creator) came over to chat to the Gertrude & Ivy girls and kindly took us on a little tour, starting with her favourite cosy tables behind the sliding doors (a clever device for closing off a section).

There is a mix of art around the place, including a collage of classic board game bits and pieces made by Anna herself.  The ladies' toilets have backwards writing on the wall which you can only read properly through the mirror, and the gents' will hopefully soon have moustaches on the mirror so that you can line yourself up for a Mo-vember selfie.

We had a quick look around the upstairs bar which is beautifully designed.  The indoor trees look wonderful and the lighting is superb. There is free Wifi available all day (from 8am-midnight Mon-Fri and 10am-10.30pm Sat-Sun), and one table in the corner is even set up as an office space for anyone that wants it, as long as they get a coffee at some point! The use of music stands around the place also adds to the homely feel.

Your new office

We left Anna to entertain her other guests and went back to befriending the rest of the Jones Family. The "family" tag isn't just a gimmick, the staff were working as one, and were all incredibly friendly and helpful.  Patrick behind the bar, Beth on the floor, Cristiano in the kitchen and several others made us feel very welcome, and it is that kind of service that makes you want to return!  I hope they have a successful first year.

Golden Bee - Callooh Callay - Cantina de Cuervo @ Jubjub - MEATmission - Rodizio Rico

Tuesday 23rd April - Despite having my ankle mauled (though not bitten) at football the night before, I stuck to my Shoreditch-based plan for the evening and met Will on the roof of The Golden Bee for a quick drink after work.  For some reason, everyone formed one long line to the bar, snaking around the whole rooftop - very British behaviour!  Once the sun comes out for good this will be a a nice spot for some beers and cocktails, though there are many exciting rooftop bars (I have a separate rooftop List!) so it isn't your only choice.  You can get yourself 2-4-1 cocktails from 5-7, Tuesday - Friday.

Golden Bee Rooftop Bar

We moved down the road, as fast as I could limp, to Callooh Callay who were launching their new menu that evening.  They have apparently had various themed menus in the past but this was my first visit so I haven't seen any previous incarnations.  We were greeted and led through a wardrobe door in to the lounge where our table was waiting.  Jane and Lee (List debutants but experienced Londoners) arrived a few seconds after we sat down.  I had originally made the booking for 2 weeks before, but the menu launch was postponed. Callooh Callay (or Marie) generously offered me the first round free for the inconvenience - not a bad deal when you are ordering four £9 cocktails.  The new theme is School which they represented by having a menu in the form of a High School Yearbook, and by dressing the bar staff in school uniform.  The first guy we saw when we arrived had a school tie for a bandana but I assumed he was just a hipster (he probably is anyway - he had the lumberjack beard).  The menus cost a fair amount to print so our waitress wasn't too happy when I pointed out a typo after a few minutes - elderflower iqueur anyone?  

The quality of cocktails varied.  I was lucky to have two of the best - 'La Penca and the Brain' and 'Monkey Nuts' were both excellent, but others seemed watered down or didn't quite live up to the description.  Thanks to our waitress for bringing us a free taster of Xante (Pear and Cognac Liqueur) which we hadn't come across before.  Perhaps they will continue to tweak them over the next few weeks.  Apart from the wardrobe entrance and the cassette wall, the design isn't too quirky and when you are sat down it feels like any old dimly lit bar.  I think once you have gone to the effort of concealing a door with a wardrobe, you should make the hidden room slightly more exciting! I can't comment on the atmosphere as it was a Tuesday night and everyone else in London was probably drinking outside in the sun.  The vibe was picking up by the time we left.

Wall made of cassettes in Callooh Callay

After a couple of rounds, we moved upstairs to Callooh Callay's secret weapon, the Jubjub bar.  It used to be a members club with different guest bartenders serving up their own menu each month, but now anyone can go up (booking advised).  Every 4 weeks or so, they completely change the bar to fit a new theme.  First off was a month as a Parisian Absinthe house serving up oysters and absinthe.  Currently it is Cantina de Cuervo, a Mexican Tequila bar.  It's a colourful little room with Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) playing on a TV in the corner.  There are several Mexican beers and cocktails on offer (as well as a wide range of tequilas), but you really have to go for the Tequila slushy made with pineapple and chilli.  It's one of the best drinks I've had since starting The List.  The Mexican street food was also tasty.  One thing that Jane ordered ran out, and so she was offered anything else for free. Obviously she went for the most expensive thing on the menu, a Chimichanga (a deep fried burrito).  This then took so long to arrive that they offered us another round of free slushies!  This took our freebies total to about £68 for about the evening.  I urge you to catch Cantina de Cuervo before it disappears on May 18th.  You may also want to head there on 5th May for the Cinco de Mayo takeover - Live Mariachi band. free slushies for those in Mexican outfits plus much more.

Despite the fantastic snack food, Will was still in need of a proper meal so we wandered over to Hoxton Square.  Red Dog Saloon had stopped serving food but luckily MEATmission (in the same series as Meat Liquor) was still open for business.  The red neon sign outside hints at the stunning interior design.  Having already eaten at Meat Liquor, I knew what to expect from the food.  I went for the Dead Hippie burger this time around which was messy and delicious.  Will went for the enormous Roast Beef Garbage Plate (order this if you are hungry) whilst Lee had the Peckham Dip (roast beef roll that you dip in bone marrow gravy and horseradish cream).  Although I was tempted by the 'Lagerita' tequila & beer slushy, we went for a jug of Brooklyn Lager to wash everything down. It's not all about the food. You can easily spend the whole evening sitting around the bar trying their mad cocktails.  The drinks menu is a great read. The description for the 'Dam Abassador' cocktail says "ACHTUNG in einem glas. Trockenbeerenauslese wine und finlandia vodka stirred down, garnished mitt ein ferroro rocher".  And how can you resist a glass of Argento Malbec? - "a cracking wine for just necking and giving you red teeth". I can see myself ending up here for late night food again pretty soon.  I was also intrigued by the mention of the MEAemisson Photobooth but we didn't investigate further this time around.  We left satisfied and went our separate ways after a successful Summer's evening out in Shoreditch!  Thanks to Will, Jane and Lee for getting involved.

Sunday 21st April - Just a quick mention for Rodizio Rico that I went to with Ali and others after her marathon last week.  She chose this Brazilian churrascaria (steakhouse) because 'rodizio' is a style of restaurant service where, upon paying a fixed price, waiters come round and bring you unlimited grilled  steaks until you can't eat anymore.  When you are finished, you turn a bar mat from green to red so that they stop offering you food.  I was only beaten by one person (yes, of course it's a competition) - the chicken sausage meat was the tipping point for me.  Final standings - Rich, me, David, Sophie, Natalie, Ali and Lauren.  There are various salads and extras available at the buffet which help to round out the meal, but the steaks are the main event.  It's good fun and you won't leave hungry!  Rodizio Rico is a chain and can be found in several places in London.  If there isn't one near you, try Rodizio Preto instead.

I don't know this woman.

Coming up: Blog on Street Feast London and more in Haggerston, plus I will possibly be ticking off more places in Farringdon and Brixton this week.