Morty & Bob's - Café Murano - Glenmorangie Unseen Bar

Wednesday 24th February - The term popup has been stretched pretty thin in London of late. We've currently got Bone Daddies' Shackfuyu popping up for a year in Soho, whilst the worst offender is still the Jamie Oliver "Popup Diner" eyesore near Piccadilly Circus which is halfway through its temporary three year stint. Ridiculous.

Hats (and Tuns) off then to Morty & Bob's (aka Charlie and Jesse) who are opting for a more conservative 11 day stay in The Hat and Tun pub in Clerkenwell, doing their bit to make Grilled Cheese Sandwiches more than a student hangover snack.

You may already have clocked them on Maltby Street, at Netil Market, or at Night Tales, but you can never have too many Morty & Bob's cheese toasties.  I pushed that statement to the limit on Wednesday, working through tasters of the menu at a preview event.  The popup itself is running from 18th March-27th March, so you can plan ahead.

The purists amongst you might want to go for the Straight Up (£5) with their special three-cheese blend, M&B cheese sauce and mixed onions, but you'd be a fool to miss out on The Hock (£7) - Grilled cheese with smoked ham hock, M&B relish and English Mustard. Delicious. Gourmet? Why not.  Portions are hearty with pickles and fresh salad slaw on the side - you won't leave hungry.  But to make absolutely certain, you should probably chuck some M&B Cheese Tots in there for good measure, and perhaps a Bloody Mary or two. Sorted.

If you can't make it to the popup, you can find them every Saturday from 11am-5pm at the wonderful Netil Market.  Read more here.

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Saturday 28th February - Now for a quick look at Angela Hartnett's popular Northern Italian restaurant, Café Murano. I dropped in with Dad The List for an indulgent Saturday lunch - a well timed visit as Angela has just announced that a second Café Murano will be opening soon in Covent Garden.  Read more on Hot Dinners.

We started off with the delightful house bread and some serious Planeta D.O.P. Val di Mazara Extra Virgin Olive Oil (available to buy on site).  If the meal got stuck on a loop right there and then, there wouldn't be many complaints.  We washed this down with, well more olive oil, but also a fine Cafe Murano Spritz and a reasonably priced Analcolico 33 mocktail (raspberry, apple & lime combo).

Booze is no afterthought here.  There's a concise but appealing cocktail list, fine wines, and a strong selection of vermouths, bitters and amaro including the outstanding Vergano Chinato Americano which I only recently discovered at Original Sin.  On top of that, there's an intriguing Italian beer list, including Fellini-inspired brews from Birra Amarcord, and larger 75cl sharing bottles from Baladin.

The daunting list of Cicheti, Antipasti, Primi and Secondi plates lay before us.  We opted (sensibly) for a selection from the first three, including a large Primi pasta portion each, leaving just enough room for a dessert or two.

- Fritto Misto (Calamari, Whitebait, Seabass)

- Pasta Fritta with Culatello

- Halibut Crudo, Blood Orange, Hazelnuts

- Pickled Sardines, Golden Raisins, Sourdough

- Sausage Ragu, Radicchio, Hazelnuts, Tagliatelle (x2)

The first four all arrived at a similar time, allowing the ceviche-style Halibut & Blood Orange to cut through the deep fried goodies.  I seem to be eating Blood Oranges and Hazelnuts on a daily basis at the moment (John Doe do an excellent salad), and I couldn't be happier.  The former are only in season for a very short time, so make the most of them!

After a short pause, the much lauded Sausage Ragu arrived. More hazelnuts! Still not complaining. They raise the (already magnificent) dish to another level.  Order the large portion - you'll mourn the loss of every mouthful.

Pasta Fritta, Culatello

Halibut Crudo, Blood Orange, Hazelnuts

Sausage Ragu, Radicchio & Hazelnuts, Tagliatelle

To finish:

- Pistachio Meringue, Cherries, Prunes, Apricots
- Apple Torta, Marsala Ice Cream

When I'm dining with Dad The List, desserts usually get rated on how they compare to Mum The List's examples of the genre.  Crumbles never fare well.  In this case, the Meringue was subject to scrutiny as it was harder to deconstruct than we are used to.  Once we got over that though, DTL proclaimed it a success.  My seemingly simple Apple Torta was also a winner, perfectly paired with unusual but joyous Marsala Wine Ice Cream.  The Tart is in your court, Mum.

Pistachio Meringue, Cherries, Prunes, Apricots

Apple Torta, Marsala Ice Cream

A superb lunch, helped on its way by charming staff, well-chosen booze and some of the finest Olive Oil I have ever mopped up.  Bring on Cafe Murano Covent Garden.

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Tuesday 17th March - To finish, I must briefly mention The Glenmorangie Unseen Bar popup which is only around (16 Batemen Street in Soho) until March 21st!

The popup is in town to highlight the unseen efforts that go in to creating their fine range of whiskies. Once you've made your way past the playful "Unseen" window installation, you'll arrive at the cocktail bar where Glenmorangie twists on classics are the way to go.  

The Tain-Fashioned (their take on an Old Fashioned) and Blood Related (inspired by Blood & Sand, Rob Roy, Bobby Burns) make great use of Glenmorangie Lasanta and Quinta Ruban expressions, with some clever touches that go the extra mile.  Top bartenders are on hand to talk you through the drinks.

After a cocktail or two, make your way through to the Vault at the back - a quiet, intimate room ideal for working your way through The Glenmorangie range, either dram by dram, in a tasting flight, or paired with well chosen food.  We sampled the impressive Lasanta and Nectar D'Or 12yo expressions, before moving on to their 25yo paired with Devonshire Blue Cheese and Signet paired with bespoke William Curley chocolates. We were expertly guided through our tasting by informative bartenders who knew when to sit down for a chat and when to step back to let the whisky speak for itself.

As I said, it's only open until March 21st, so cancel your plans and head over to Bateman Street in Soho!

More photos from The Glenmorangie Unseen Bar : Tumblr Set 1 / Tumblr Set 2 / Facebook

Four to Eight - Soho Grind - Lima

On the blog today, a new Italian restaurant in Covent Garden, coffee & cocktails in Soho, and a new boozy Sunday lunch deal at Michelin-starred Lima.

Friday 26th September - Seven of us piled in to Four To Eight on their opening night for some classy Italian food.  We were ushered past the attractive ground floor bar and restaurant to a table downstairs next to the open kitchen.  

Italian food is known for its simplicity, traditionally using between four and eight ingredients, which explains the name.  I'd imagine many will hear it and think it's an address (see Three Eight Four), but they'll work it out eventually. 

"Small plates" (encouraged as bar food upstairs) arrived first, including my impressive helping of Calamari & Crayfish with parsley and almond salad (£10). Su-Lin steered clear as crayfish apparently turns her orange.  With a pharmacist on my left holding a bag full of antidotes, I felt it was worth the risk... Maybe next time.  Pigeon with honey beets, grapes & treviso (£9) and Zucchini Carpaccio with truffle honey dressing & pecorino cheese (£6) were also well received.

Top left clockwise : Pigeon, Crayfish & Calamari, Open Kitchen & Zucchini Carpaccio

Moving on to pastas and salads, the portion sizes didn't quite do the price tags justice.  Only the Scallop Linguine with (watch out Su-Lin) crayfish & tomato passata (£16) felt big enough.  Double Duck salad (breast & egg) with chard & fontina cheese (£12) and Duck Ravioli with savoy cabbage, fennel & parsnip (£15) barely scratched the surface of hunger - a shame since the cooking was superb, but an easy thing to fix if others agree.  The Lobster Fregola needs to pop over to Burger & Lobster to see how far £20 can go.

Double Duck Salad - breast & egg, chard, fontina cheese

Scallop Linguine, Crayfish, Tomato Passata

Duck Ravioli, Savoy Cabbage, Fennel, Parsnip

Last but not least was a range of desserts from French in-house pastry chef Annabelle Delrieux (previously chef patissiere at Anna Chocolat in Bordeaux).  We were never going to turn down the "Full House" - a sample of everything on the menu for £17 to share.  It's always tricky to get a real sense from such miniature portions, but the Profiteroles, Tiramisu and Chocolate Aero Biscuit made a great first impression, and the presentation was delightful across the board.

Elsewhere on the table, larger portions of the much-talked about Tiramisu (with white velvet and kahlua jelly - £7) and Chocolate Aero Biscuit (with rosemary & chocolate mousse, lemon & basil gel - £6) received the thumbs up.

Tiramisu with white velvet and kahlua jelly

Chocolate Aero Biscuit with rosemary & chocolate mousse, and lemon & basil gel

There's plenty of potential at Four To Eight.  The design, the staff and the food all deserve plaudits but I'd like to see some more competitive prices brought in - perhaps lunch & theatre menus will be the way to go if they are introduced.

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Natalie, Chris and I walked off dinner through some of London's most unbearable tourist hotspots, before arriving at Soho Grind in Beak Street for a nightcap - one of several new sites from the Shoreditch Grind "Grind & Co" coffee bar team (see also Piccadilly Grind & brand new Holborn Grind).  They have just reopened their evening basement bar after sorting out some permanent licensing, something I'm all too aware of after two failed attempts to visit before!

It was worth the wait - a classic Soho bar / refuge akin to the Flat Iron basement bar and Society Club down the road.  Tiny, relaxed, fun, arty, and good-looking - the only slight downside is having to order food to be allowed to drink, but a plate of cured meats slipped down easily enough.  Bartenders and customers were in good spirits, enjoying the eclectic soundtrack whilst trying not to stare at the erotica on the walls.

Cocktails are well priced as they are at Shoreditch Grind.  Chris couldn't resist the Flat White Russian - not our waitress, but a boozy coffee cocktail served hot with Soho Grind Espresso, Chase Vodka, Coffee Liqueur and Milk.  Meanwhile I had my eyes on a Short Mexican (stop it) with El Jimador Reposado, Cayenne, and Cracked Coffee Beans which was interesting but didn't quite come together. Natalie unsurprisingly went for Gin-Out The Jams - a very drinkable concoction of Gin, Vermouth, Sugar, and Rhubarb & Ginger Jam.  

Of course, most won't look past the Soho Grind Espresso Martini, and who can blame them?

Flat White Russian

Flat White Russian, Gin-Out The Jams, Short Mexican

It's another hit for the fast expanding Grind & Co. group.  Upstairs is a funky-looking daytime coffee hangout, but you'll find me downstairs with the Mexicans and the Russians.

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Sunday 28th September - It seemed fitting that three days after the new Michelin stars were handed out, we made our way over to one of last year's surprise winners, Lima.  

They have been busy in 2014, launching Lima Floral (Covent Garden) in July, but the promise of an epic long lunch with unlimited booze attracted me, Tim, Mary and Angharad to the original Fitzrovia outpost on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Sundays. 12pm-3.30pm. £35 per head. Tonnes of food. Neverending Prosecco and Pisco Punch.

There must be a catch...

Round 1:

- Mixed Ceviche with Yuyo, Sweet Potato & Canchita Corn

- Salmon Tiradito with Rocoto Pepper, Avocado & Celery Cress

- Tuna Causa with Blue (Purple - I'm not that colour blind) Potato and Asparagus Uchucuta

The Mixed Ceviche was unsurprisingly a highlight, and I could have happily eaten it all afternoon. The Salmon Tiradito also impressed, and friendly waiters kindly corrected our attempts to identify unknown ingredients - something that apparently wasn't dragonfruit remains a mystery.

Mixed Ceviche

Salmon Tiradito

Tuna Causa with Blue (?) Potato

Round 2 (already stuffed):

Mains:

- Braised Lamb Shoulder, Coriander & Aji Panca Juice

- Suckling Pig, Crackling Ocopa Sauce - uses Huacatay and peanuts

- Oven Roasted Cornfed Chicken, Pachamanca Sauce

To go with:

- Vegetable Cazuela & Huacatay Sauce - Huacatay is Andean herb - "Peruvian Black Mint"

- Huancaina Potatoes - What Kinda Potatoes? One kinda potatoes? Huancaina potatoes!

- Roasted Quinoa - How do you pronounce it?! Key-noir? Kwi-noah?

- Carapulcra - Peruvian stew with more sneaky peanuts, caught Tim out every time

- Chaufa Rice - Chinese influenced fried rice - FUN FACTS: a chaufa expert is called a "chaufero", and Peruvian vs Chinese cuisine is served in "chifas" - there are 9,000 in Lima alone.

The side dishes outshone the mains, not least the Huancaina potatoes with their stellar presentation. A big plate of lamb, pig and chicken was not lacking flavour altogether, but it just wasn't as exciting as descriptions suggested, and ceviche had raised the bar very high already.

What kinda potatoes? Huancaina Potatoes.

All the meat

Round 3 (Prosecco Round...8?):

- Lucuma Ice Cream - unusual subtropical fruit sometimes called "egg fruit"

- Kiwicha with Purple Corn Jelly - still not dragonfruit.

- Alfajores with Dulce de Leche - round cookies with sweet filling

A quirky bunch - the alfajores were the winner by a long way for me, but it's hard not to love cookies with dulce de leche.

Unsettling - Purple Corn Jelly with Kiwicha

Three hours passed, along with 15 or so courses, and countless glasses of punch & prosecco (three varieties on our visit).

There's no catch.

Get over there before they realise how ridiculous it is!



Craving more Peruvian food? 

Senor Ceviche (Kingly Court) is opening very soon and Pachamama (Marylebone) is starting their 50% soft launch today.

Ignoring sober October in style? 

House of Ho have just launched Bobby's Rock and Roll Brunch - £29 / £36 for bottomless drinks and unlimited food plus live music in Soho - too good to be true?  

OH YEAH. AND IT'S LONDON COCKTAIL WEEK.  Here's what we got up to last year...

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P.S. From Michelin stars to Bib Gourmands (the Michelin category for good food at moderate prices), we popped in to Barnyard for a drink after Lima.  Update: the staff are still great, the drinks list deserves a proper bar, and the popcorn ice cream with smoked fudge sauce hasn't gone anywhere.

Mini Popcorn Ice Cream with Smoked Fudge Sauce at Barnyard

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Matt The Tumblr latest - Photos from Oktoberfest at Anspach & Hobday / Bullfinch Brewery

Vapiano - The Hop & Berry - The Three Johns

An Italian walks into two pubs...

Thursday 28th August - Over 130 branches of Vapiano exist in 28 countries, and yet I had never heard of them before I went last week.  Have I had my head in the sand or is anyone else with me here?

Anyway, after my trip to their newest site in Soho (their third following Bankside & Great Portland Street), I'm kicking myself for not noticing them sooner.

Vapiano Soho is a rather attractive, relaxed Italian restaurant with a couple of twists - on arrival, you are handed a card which loads up the cost of your meal as you go along for you to settle up at the end.  This system is necessary as you head off to various counters (Insalata, Pizza, Pasta, Bar) to order different courses as and when you want.  If this all sounds a bit Nandos with gift cards, don't worry.  When you get to the front of the (very short) queue, you are greeted by a skilled Vapiano chef who cooks your food up fresh on the spot for you to take back to your table instantly.  I was intrigued to see how well the system worked.

After some agonising over the tempting menu, I sent Will up to the salad counter with one of our cards.  A minute or so later, he popped back with a taster of a raspberry-maple dressing we were eyeing up.  He was clearly making friends.  He soon returned with some larger plates, a selection of antipasti and a quirky spinach & strawberry salad, with goat's cheese, pine nuts, red onion and the afore-mentioned raspberry-maple dressing. Considering the ingredients, it did well to not be too sweet and it all came together nicely. On the antipasti plate, the mozzarella with pesto combined wonderfully with the fuss-free bruschetta, whilst the meats, roasted veg and parmesan went down very nicely with our excellent glasses of house red and Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

"Where did the wine come from?", I hear you cry.  Well, much to Vapiano's credit, they haven't done away with floor staff as many might do with this concept.  Plenty of charming waiters & waitresses were on hand to fill in gaps and speed up processes such as wine, coffee and desserts, and to suggest specials and popular dishes.

Antipasti selection

Strawberry & Spinach Salad

Next it was my turn to visit the chefs.  I wandered up to a counter and was given a few decisions to make. What type of pasta? Extra chilli or garlic? Free ciabatta? I hazarded a guess at Will's preferences (which proved to be accurate) and gave him some linguine for his Salmon Carbonara.  I opted for pappardelle with my Salsiccia con Ficci (Spicy Italian Sausages with Figs and Tomato Sauce), mostly because I like saying the word. All of their pasta is made fresh on site in their mannifatura (machine) which is always on show in all of their restaurants.

A few minutes and some friendly small talk later, I was on my way back to the table with our mains.  What a great idea to have you connect with the chef briefly while he prepares the food without the awkwardness of having them watch you eat it!  Another nice touch is the herb gardens dotted around, and the plants on the table, free for you to pick from if you fancy some extra basil or similar.

Will gave grunts of approval whilst demolishing his unusual bacon-free Salmon Carbonara, whilst I devoured my curious plate of pasta, Italian sausage and figs which again had just the right amount of sweetness, balancing the dish perfectly.

Linguine Salmon Carbonara

Pappardelle Salsiccia Con Ficci

During the mains, a twist on a strawberry bellini, served long over ice with fresh strawberries instead of ice found its way to our table for us to give feedback on.  A continuing theme of the meal, sweetness was again well balanced thanks to the superiority of fresh strawberries over purée.  Their mixed drinks are extremely competitively priced at £4.50, a much more agreeable price for an Aperol Spritz than many London bars that somehow get away with charging £7+ for such a basic drink.

Not A Strawberry Bellini

Since we'd had strawberries every step of the way, we continued the trend to the end by getting a fresh glassfull to dip in to sweet basil pesto with white chocolate, mint and almonds.  After several generous portions, this was a great, light dish to finish.

Fresh strawberries with sweet basil pesto, white chocolate, mint, almonds

Latte Macchiato

Before departing, we checked out the stylish downstairs space which was quiet at lunch but apparently fills up very quickly in the evenings.  One side is for dining, whilst the other is a cosy café of sorts, complete with a charming mini-library.  If only all chains with over 100 outlets had this much individuality.

It is comforting to know that Vapiano is out there in 28 countries serving great food with a smile.  They have obviously had fun discovering things along the way:  Why are there no characters for rocket in South Korea? How can it be that there's no basil in La Réunion? I might just seek them out next time I'm abroad, but I'll almost certainly drop in to another London branch again soon.  Very affordable, delicious, filling food.

Oh, and if I haven't convinced you yet, there are free gummy bears on the way out. 

I'll leave you with their motto:

“Chi va piano, va sano e va lontano”: According to an old Italian proverb, “If you have an easy-going and relaxed approach to life, you’ll live more healthily and longer”.

View the menu and follow Matt The List on Zomato

Friday 29th August - At the time of writing, London has 71 breweries. SEVENTY ONE. Pretty ridiculous. Anyway, London pubs have no excuse for not having exciting, fresh beer on tap, and some have taken it to extremes by only pouring London-based beers (e.g.Peckham Beer Rebellion).

Another pub joining this club is The Hop and Berry in Islington which just opened on the old site of The Barnsbury (after a speedy two week turn around).  I went along to the launch night with one half of Anspach & Hobday to take a look around.

The décor is pretty eclectic - bright red lights on the bar, cosy dining tables tucked away, a gym vault by the door, an odd shaped garden and a fishbowl (with Ron & Jeremy inside) keep you guessing.  An empty London brewery map will soon be filled in / have pins attached.  Pride of place is the beer board, a striking list of London beers with the added detail of how far away each brewery is - a very nice touch.

Delicious food came round on sharing plates, but you will have to investigate the menu properly for yourself. I can comment on the range of beers, which were well kept and not too pricey.  Brews from Hammerton (new kids on the block, well, 0.4 miles away), Pressure Drop, Brew By Numbers and Anspach & Hobday all impressed, though my favourite of the night was Brodies Sour Clementine - a great example of the genre if sour beers are your thing. 

Brodies Sour Clementine

The Hop & Berry has all the right ingredients to do well, and I will definitely drop back in for a pint if I'm in the area.

The Hop and Berry, 209-211 Liverpool Road, N1 1LX

We decided to tick off one more pub whilst we were far from home, stopping off at The Three Johns on White Lion Street near Angel tube station.  It's another great Barworks pub (Harrild & Sons, Exmouth Arms, Earl of Essex etc) though it doesn't have the 5CC cocktail bar attached as three others do.

It's one good looking place, with eye-catching brickwork and lighting all around.  The back bar disappears towards the ceiling, packed full of high-end spirit bottles that I could see no way of reaching.  And the beers are predictably impressive, as they are in all of their venues, particularly the extensive bottle list which is neatly presented on well-designed menus.  Hackney New Zealand Pale (a welcome discovery) and Beavertown Neck Oil went down very nicely.  

Sadly, we arrived just as the kitchen was closing, so I didn't get to sample their enticing pizzas.  Fennel sausage, chilli-roasted sprouting broccoli, mozzarella and parmesan has my name on it next time.  You can in fact get them delivered if you live close enough using Deliveroo, one of several new companies aiming to deliver food from classier eateries to your doorstep.

The Three Johns is another top Islington watering hole to add to the map.  It hasn't pulled in the crowds yet (it was very quiet for a Friday night), but hopefully Angel residents will start to support it some more, if they can tear themselves away from Craft Beer Co. for an evening.

The Three Johns, 73 White Lion Street, N1 9PF