Jezza's Guide to Beer on the Southbank

For this guest post on London's increasingly beery South Bank, I've turned to the well-informed Jezza from www.beerguideldn.com (@BeerGuideLondon.) He is one of a select group of London heroes that keep me in the know in their respective fields, and his guide to pubs and breweries in London is second-to-none. Over to you, Jezza...

Choosing where to drink good beer in and around Waterloo or on the South Bank used to be a simple task: you went to the ever reliable Kings Arms on Roupell Street: 

This traditional pub in a gorgeous 'olde worlde' back street near Waterloo Station has long offered excellent Thai food (or roasts on Sundays) and more recently its beer range has gone from strength to strength.  8 cask ales sit alongside a keg range of growing quality and a small but well chosen bottled range from breweries such as Kernel and Fourpure.

But recently, and out of virtually nowhere, London's South Bank has become a beer destination oozing with potential for a great day out.  Here are some of the new places to check out:

The Hop Locker - Owner Joel loves good beer, and this is reflected in the outstanding selection in this busy market stall in the bustling Southbank Centre Market, directly behind the Royal Festival Hall. This bottle shop cum bar provides such a great range of beers you'll always find something of the very highest quality. 

Now offering 8 drafts and around 30 bottles, you can choose either to drink in the tiny bar area or at a table in the general market area.  Breweries such as Magic Rock, Kernel, Moor, Siren, Fourpure, Beavertown, Burning Sky and Arbor feature regularly, so you can see it's very much the best of British brewing.  The market is open Friday 12 -9pm, Saturday 11am - 9pm and 12 - 6 on Sundays and Bank Holidays, and you're sure to find some excellent food from one of the other market stalls.

N.B. The Southbank Centre Market (and therefore The Hop Locker) is not open this weekend (11th-13th September), but it will return on 18th September.

At the front of the Royal Festival Hall there are now three additional stalls offering good beer. Firstly, Beany Green - of Broadgate Circle coffee fame - is at the top of the steps leading down to the river, just beside the main front entrance to the Royal Festival Hall.  Usually offering several beers from Bermondsey favourites Fourpure, they also offer guest beers from the likes of Partizan Brewing Co. & Pressure Drop.

At the bottom of the steps nestling under The Golden Jubilee Bridge you'll find Look Mum No Hands - again a South Bank offshoot - their permanent location is on Old Street - and then perhaps most prominently, Bleecker Street's burger and beer van - the third of the triumvirate who also have a permanent location elsewhere (in the case of Bleecker Street their regular venue is Old Spitalfields Market - read more here).

N.B. Look Mum No Hands is currently closed for the Winter, and Bleecker Burger has moved, but only as far as the Southbank skate park. Phew.

Look Mum No Hands offer up to 10 draft beers, including some outstanding selections from breweries like Beavertown, Moor and Magic Rock.  Bleecker Street meanwhile currently offer 6 draft lines, often from standout American breweries such as Flying Dog and Brooklyn.  However there's a great additional reason to come here: to eat their superb burgers, such as the award-winning Bleecker Black, which contains black pudding as well as their stand out 40 - 50 day aged beef.   

Both Look Mum No Hands and Bleecker Street are likely to be summer only venues on the South Bank, so visit by the end of September to be sure to catch them in full swing.

Walking along the river towards Waterloo Bridge you'll soon come to the National Theatre, and here you'll find the rather excellent Understudy.

Don't be put off by the rather grey and foreboding concrete exterior: this super relaxed and comfortable venue offers a great selection of around 12 draft and 35 bottled beers, including many from excellent breweries such as London's Brew by Numbers and Siren Craft Brew from Berkshire.

Photo credit : Philip Vile

As you can see, the South Bank is now an excellent beer destination in its own right and a visit is highly recommended.

Guest post written by Jezza, SW London, with photos (mostly) from Matt The List.  Jezza's guide to pubs and breweries in London can be found online at www.beerguideldn.com

The site contains full details of The Hop Locker, The Understudy and The Kings Arms – including opening times, which you should check carefully while planning any visits. You can also follow Jezza on Twitter @beerguidelondon or @bonsvoeux1 for frequent updates.

No Reservations - Soho

Soho's food scene has gone from strength-to-strength in recent years and Londoners now have a long list of outstanding, affordable eateries to choose from right in the centre of town. However, you do have to be careful where you go as the trend for no reservations, championed by the likes of Polpo, Burger & Lobster and Barrafina, is still going strong.  Queuing is what we English do best though. Here are ten restaurants worth getting in line for:

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1) Bao - one of the hottest restaurants in London right now. Street food heroes Bao have settled down in a tiny space in Soho serving up their signature steamed buns and Taiwanese dishes. Queues start building before it opens at 12 for lunch and 5.30 in the evening, but it's worth the wait.  Don't miss the Pig Blood Cake or the Fried Chicken Bao.

53 Lexington St, Soho, W1F 9AS - Mon-Sat: 12-3, 5.30-10

Bao on Matt The List // www.baolondon.com

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2) Pizza Pilgrims - another street food team turned permanent, Pizza Pilgrims quickly took over Franco Manca as the sourdough pizza darlings of London. There are two Soho sites (Dean St. & Kingly Court) so there's never much of a wait for a table. I rarely make it past the Salsiccia e Friarielli on the menu, with some deep fried mac'n'cheese ragu balls and a shot of their very own Pococello on the side. Oh, and there's table football in the basement of the Kingly Court site. The Dean Street site does allow two bookings per night for groups of 8 or more in "The Crypt".

11 Kingly St, London, W1B 5PW - Mon–Sat: 11.30–10.30 / Sun: 12–9.30

11 Dean St, Soho W1D 3RP - Mon–Sat: 11.30-10.30 / Sun: 12–9.30

Pizza Pilgrims on Matt The List // pizzapilgrims.co.uk

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3) Smoking Goat - take a bib and night vision goggles. Smoking Goat is a smoky, messy affair, and you'll most likely come out covered in crab or some other fantastic modern Thai twist plus plenty of eau de BBQ. The menu changes regularly but Fish Sauce Wings are usually there to start you off. You can book the "Lazy Susan Feasting Room" apparently, but otherwise it's time for another wait.

7 Denmark St, Soho, WC2H 8LZ - Mon-Sat: 12-3, 5-12 / Sun: 12-9

Smoking Goat on Matt The List // smokinggoatsoho.com

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4) Blacklock - one stop shop for all the chops. Blacklock from ex-Hawksmoor folk has quickly built up a large fan base who get in line for chops cooked over charcoal with Blacklock irons. Go all in for £20 to get pre-chop bites, and a huge plate of the day's skinny chops piled on top of chargrilled flatbread.  You can reserve for lunch or for tables of 6 or more in the evening - huzzah!

The Basement, 24 Great Windmill St, Soho, W1D 7LG - Mon-Fri: 12-3, 5-11.30 / Sat: 12-11.30

Blacklock on Matt The List // theblacklock.com

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5) Flat Iron - Flat Iron in Beak Street has been around longer the most on this list but the queues are still there. A second site in Denmark Street has helped to alleviate the crowds. A beautiful £10 flat-iron steak is the reward for the wait (a lively basement bar with St John doughnuts in Beak St. makes time fly). Keep an eye out for Flat Iron burger specials.

Photo taken from Flat Iron Facebook page

9 Denmark St, Soho, WC2H 8LS - Mon-Sun: 12-11

17 Beak St, Soho, W1F 9RW - Mon-Sun: 12-11

flatironsteak.co.uk

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6) Barrafina - The most serious restaurant on the list, Barrafina in Frith Street was recently awarded a Michelin-star for their outstanding tapas.  Once you are in, it's relaxed and fun counter dining, and the food is phenomenal. There are two more sites in Adelaide St and Drury Lane, but I suggest starting with the original.

54 Frith Street, Soho, London W1D 4SL - Mon-Sat: 12-3, 5-11 / Sun: 1-3.30, 5.30-10

Barrafina Drury Lane on Matt The List // barrafina.co.uk

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7) Bone Daddies - Bone Daddies arrived early to the London ramen scene before it exploded, and their rock'n'roll Peter Street joint still draws the crowds. Multiple visits are required to work through their range of ramens. Their late night menu 10.30-11.30 Thu-Sat might be a clever way to avoid queuing. They have recently opened a second site in High Street Kensington and also run Flesh & Buns in Covent Garden and Soho popup Shackfuyu.  A third outpost in Old Street should be open by the end of 2015.

Photo from Bone Daddies Facebook page

Mon-Wed 12-3, 5.30-11 (Mon-10) / Thu-Sat: 12-11.30 / Sun: 12-9.30

31 Peter St, London W1F 0AR

www.bonedaddies.com

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8) Pitt Cue Co - another oldie in relative terms, Pitt Cue Co is an outstanding, 30-seater BBQ joint that started life on the street food scene under Hungerford Bridge.  Get a drink in the bar while you wait before heading downstairs for all the meat and bone marrow mash. Exclusive hire is available on a Sunday night.

Photo Credit : Paul Winch-Furness

1 Newburgh St, Soho, London W1F 7RB - Mon-Sat: 12-3, 5.30-11 / Sun 12-4

www.pittcue.co.uk

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9) Balls & Company - the newest addition to the list is a meatballs focused joint from Australian Masterchef 2012 finalist Bonny Porter. It's been an instant hit with its simple but superbly executed menu, and the basement bar is a great spot for a drink whilst waiting for a table. Groups of 8+ can reserve tables, but there's not a lot of space! Don't miss the Wagyu meatballs or the Brownie with Persian Fairy Floss.

58 Greek St, Soho, London, W1D 3DY - Mon-Sat: 12-11

Balls & Company on Matt The List // ballsandcompany.london

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10) Polpo - Restaurateur Russell Norman's original Venetian bacaro in Soho was an early proponent of the no reservations theory, and Londoners continue to flock to Beak Street for ciccheti and spritzes in a stylish space. There are now six Polpo sites in London, and chef director & founder Tom Oldroyd recently left the company to open his own neighbourhood restaurant Oldroyd in Islington which has been earning him rave reviews.

41 Beak Street, Soho, W1F 9SB - Mon-Sat: 12-11 / Sun: 12-10

Polpo Notting Hill on Matt The List // www.polpo.co.uk

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Notable omissions:

10 Greek Street, Duck Soup, Burger & Lobster, Koya Bar, Honest Burgers, Spuntino

I'll see if I can scramble together a Yes Reservations post soon...

Barcelona

Guest Post - La Lista - I know, I know, Barcelona isn't technically in London either, but after the success of La Liste in Paris (worth reading first for some continuity), more guest cities had to eventually make an appearance. 

Day 1: Thursday - Very early morning flights meant midday was a much more acceptable hour to start drinking, so after dropping off our stuff at the hotel, we headed straight to Park Güell. Whilst it's not a bar, it's certainly a great place to visit with bottles of cava, €1 beers and a picnic in hand. Make sure to go right to the top of the park for a panoramic view of the city.

Team List (Tim "Soon to Return to London" Henshaw, newcomer and fountain of local knowledge Georgi "McCrafty" McCarthy, and birthday girl Shannanagrams) then headed to La Rambla for a bit of tourist action, only to be distracted by Irish bar Ryan's and their promise of Sangria on tap. Ryan did not disappoint. 

After eating vegetarian tapas for dinner (if you're still hungry you can always order the curry with rice for dessert, like Tim), Georgi's sister Jaime arrived (also new to Team List) along with local boy Marc - an old friend of Georgi's from Barcelona. Keen to be shown around, we were directed to a bar called Tequila Boom Boom with the strongest €3 cocktails ever tasted. The club we ended up in is probably (definitely) not worth mentioning. 

Day 2: Friday - A lazy start to the day was inevitable, but the early afternoon provided an excellent discovery. In the hidden and eerily beautiful Plaça Sant Felip Neri, a subdued spot in a sometimes manic city, the rather upmarket Neri hotel restaurant looks like the only place to grab a beer. But on asking if the tables were reserved for eating, Team List (Tim, Georgi and Jaime) was directed towards a sequestered lift which took us up to a fourth floor rooftop bar. Carlos the waiter provided menus and pointed us in the direction of a delicious bottle of fizz, whilst Antonio and his wife Montserrat (who only spoke into her phone, even when we pulled the camera out) helped us to suss out what the rather kitsch teapots were for (it was unclear, but we settled on lighting).

Next, a visit to the excellent Basque bar Sagardi was on the cards. With huge platters of “pintxos” (tapas on sticks) on the counter, and an honesty-driven "count the cocktail sticks at the end" policy of charging, it would be very easy to keep eating without noticing (until the beer runs out). Definitely worth seeking out.

Our next stop was dinner on-the-go at Wok to Walk. The Subway of the stir-fry world, you choose your base, your bits and bobs and your sauce, and watch the very cheerful (crazy) chefs fry it up in front of you. A "muchas gracias" here, a "muchos de nada" there, and we were on our way.

Next up was the rather intriguing Bosc de Les Fades. Just off La Rambla, it is a café with average croissants, a wax museum, or a bar with indoor trees and more strong cocktails, depending on whose review you read online. We found it to be the third one, and ordered our poisons. The cocktails were pretty standard, but it's the scenery that makes this bar. The trees, the haunted room, and a creepy mirror/window kept us amused until we'd finished our drinks.

Milk Bar was next on the list, and the cocktails were probably the best we had in Barcelona (rivalled by the strawberry daiquiris in Andú bar on Saturday). Milk is a simple bar, doing all the little things right: comfy seats, chic décor, delicious (strong) cocktails, friendly bar staff and angel wings hanging from the ceiling. Yeah, we didn't know we liked that either.

As we left, Georgi spotted a bar just around the corner which was one of her old favourites. With a name reminiscent of our absent friend, Shangó had loud salsa music playing, a mezzanine that was too small to stand up on, and a homage to the Virgin Mary behind the bar. As you do. The mojitos here went down very easily.

Day 3: Saturday - Georgi and Jaime were delighted to find a bar belonging to one of them (which one was never decided), and we saw another with an amusing sign, but being late for lunch as we were, we didn't have time to go in.

The McCarthy sisters

Early evening saw Team List grow as we took on OShan's Eleven, Jess, Josie, Marc (of Day 1 fame), Juan and Sandra, and we finally made it to Andú bar, where English Gary manned a small bar with an out-of-tune piano ("Be my guest, if you can work out which key plays which note," said Gary). The strawberry daiquiris were made with fresh fruit and came in what must have been a pint glass. The blackberry versions were smaller and less tasty for the same price.

We went around the corner as Barchick had pointed us towards the pirate-themed "Hook Bar", but this had been turned into a hemp appreciation club. We were politely asked to find somewhere else. The nearest place was Bar 32, where a List-appropriate dinner was planned.

Bar 32 - thumbs down for drinks

Juan and Marc knew of "the best tapas restaurant in Barcelona", so we sidled over to Bidasoa. Whilst perhaps not the restaurant serving the best tapas, it could well be the best restaurant serving tapas. Owner Raúl stood behind the counter, a mere metre away, as he and his staff prepared the food. For every plate we finished, he would add a new one, whilst shouting incomprehensible words (possibly because I don't speak Spanish) to his team.

The three-day list extravaganza ended, rather symmetrically, in another Ryan's bar, which we were tempted into by a man promising 15 shots of vodka or tequila for €15. Again, Ryan did not disappoint.

Still on the list for next time are:

 - Bar Mut and upstairs little sister Bar Mutis
 - Dry Martini Speakeasy Restaurant, if only for it's name

Team List Points go to Tim (10), Georgi (10), Jaime (9), and Shannon (3) - what was she doing all day on Friday?