BrewDog - Paperworks & Kerb - Bistro Union

A trio of South London delights for you today, in Battersea, Elephant & Castle and Clapham.

Wednesday 18th September - BrewDog Clapham Junction? BrewDog Battersea? Let's go with BrewDog South to avoid an argument, as their fourth London bar completes the BrewDog compass along with Camden, Shoreditch and Shepherd's Bush.  

A year ago, a beer bar in Battersea would have seemed out of sorts for the punk stylings of BrewDog, but a lot has changed.  The Shepherd's Bush branch saw a move towards more casual New York influenced watering holes with its arcade machines and plentiful natural light.  In July, they rolled out new packaging, doing away with their striking bottle art and replacing it with a laidback and informative letterpress design.  

And then a fortnight ago they launched their first lager / pilsner, imaginatively called This. Is. Lager.

"This is the end of brainwashed, glassy-eyed beer consumption.

This is the start of something special.

This is craft beer.

This. Is. Lager."

Are they dumbing down or is it a bold move? I haven't made up my mind yet, but in my opinion, this and the new Brixton Porter don't compare well with the more established core beers - Punk IPA, 5am Amber Ale (no longer 5am Saint) and Dead Pony Club.

Anyway, I digress. I've got a soft spot for pretty much every BrewDog bar I've made it to for one reason or another.  It all started with my first taste of Punk IPA in Edinburgh during my annual trip to the Fringe festival 2011.  And an evening at BrewDog Shoreditch (with their superb Underdog cocktail bar downstairs) marked the beginning of Matt The List last February.  

So, beer and branding chat aside, I'm delighted that they have finally landed in South London.  And what a great little boozer they have created.  Very funky interior design, a central bar and outdoor seating create a welcoming vibe that instantly fits with the rest of Battersea Rise.  With the Breakfast Club & King of Ladies Man next door, and the likes of Draft House, Brew, Franco Manca and Lola Roja round the corner on Northcote Road, locals have never had it better.

Charcuterie boards from Cannon & Cannon went down a treat with sour Mikeller Spontanpeach and the BrewDog Russian Doll series, whilst Siren Shattered Dream and North Coast Rasputin kept the imperial stout lovers happy.

With exciting Meet The Brewer events and tap takeovers from the likes of Dieu du Ciel on the horizon, I'll be back before too long.

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Friday September 19th -  I'm still playing catchup after a summer mostly spent in North America & Scotland.  Being a bit slow on the BrewDog front doesn't much matter, but I'm kicking myself that I didn't make it to The Paperworks when there were still plenty of warm evenings to look forward to.

Corisca Studios has followed Street Feast's shining example and transformed a disused space into something wonderful, with fantastic food & drink at its heart, and music and foodie events on rotation from Wednesday-Sunday.  It's almost always free entry but check their website for more details before you go.

We went along on a Friday night which tends to be Carnival del Kerb, an evening in the company of some of the finest street food traders in London organised by the wonderful Kerb collective.   The lineup will change most weeks, as many will also be doing stints at Street Feast sites in Dalston & Lewisham.  I wonder if Kerb & Street Feast have squabbles over them...

"You can only see You Doughnut on the first Saturday of every month." - K

"As long as we get Bleecker St Burger on Friday evenings" - SF  etc.

Drinks came first though, and we never really made it past the craft beer bar.  Bottles from Orbit (very new), Wild Card, Beavertown and Partizan kept us away from the affordable £6 cocktail bar at the other end.

It seems unfair to pick out particular traders just because we chose their stuff this time around, but the shredded duck & pork burger from Bill or Beak and the Crabbieshack soft shell crab burger were rather special.  

There's not much else to say really.  Come hungry, grab a table, bring some friends (and possibly a blanket), and settle in for a relaxed evening of food & drink.

"Bill" from Bill or Beak

P.S. If you want to add some culture to your evening in Elephant, you can head to Hotel Elephant next door for £5 films in a cool setting, or Southwark Playhouse over the road for a little bit of theatre (and a rather nice bar too).

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Monday 22nd September - Last but not least, a lovely lunch on Abbeville Road.

My parents and I were mightily impressed by a recent meal at Adam Byatt's Trinity in Clapham Old Town (still dreaming of 14 year fermented sourdough, and the Valrhona chocolate pot).  Clapham locals Chris & Guy also rated his more relaxed Bistro Union rather highly, and we only lasted 3 weeks before ticking it off too.

I've mentioned Abbeville Road before after a visit to Kerbisher & Malt, but I must stress again what a hidden gem it is.  Abbeville Kitchen, Bottle Apostle & Brew Testament, and Ginger Pig are just some of the delights this tiny stretch of road has to offer.  And Bistro Union is my favourite stop so far...

Turning down outside tables and counter service at the bar, we settled in the colourful and well-lit dining area, within sight of the eye-catching snacks board, which rolls down the wall like a hand towel.  

Bistro Union's "snacks" double as small starters, though there was nothing down-sized about our Broccoli & Stichelton Bake (a steal at £4) or the Salt Cod Fritters with Aioli (£5).  Keeping pace with those excellent little plates was Gem, Peashoots, Buttermilk & Toasted Crumb (£4).  London's buttermilk obsession shows no sign of slowing down, which doesn't bother me in the slightest.  

You could just stick to this menu if you were after a speedy lunch as there's so much variety (including a small dessert option), and the addition of a Daily Sandwich makes it clear that they welcome locals in for no more than a quick bite to eat.

Salt Cod Fritters & Aioli - £5

Broccoli & Stichelton Bake - £4

Gem, Peashoots, Buttermilk & Toasted Crumb - £4

After several snacks, we skipped past the starters (which are in danger of being overlooked), and moved on to the Bistro Union Staples and Weekly Specials a.k.a. mains.

Classy, nostalgic comfort food is the order of the day here with mac'n'cheese, fish pie and toad in the hole on the menu.  Dad gave the thumbs up to Smoked Haddock, Creamed Corn and Homemade Sausage (£16) whilst I wolfed down a Salt Beef Hash with Fried Egg and Pickled Cucumbers (£12), which was more of a brunch dish and just what I needed.

Salt Beef Hash, Fried Egg & Pickled Cucumbers - £12

To finish, I chose well with Banana Custard (£5) - a banoffee-style pot of gooey goodness without the biscuit base.  Dad's Plum and Hazelnut Frangipane Tart  (£6) disappeared without a trace.  

Banana Custard - £5

Plum and Hazelnut Frangipane Tart - £6

No frills, no fuss - it was a fabulous filling lunch that didn't break the bank.  Service was charming throughout, and there's plenty more on the menu for return visits.  

The weekend brunch is apparently pretty special, and Sunday evening supperclubs look fun, with no corkage BYOB and free meals for kids under 10. I also like the sound of private booze lockers behind the bar - once your alcohol is stored away, you can make use of it with free mixers whenever you rock up.  If you ask nicely, you might even get a Martini or two shaken for you.

Fingers crossed Adam Byatt gets itchy feet and sets up shop in Battersea next, or I might have to think about moving closer to his restaurants to minimise wasted journey time!

Saturdays in Bermondsey - Bottle Shop - Kerb Southbank

A day of food & drink in Bermondsey and on the Southbank, mostly in photos. I haven't covered all of the stalls & archways, and they constantly change. Best thing to do is head over there yourself, bright and early on a Saturday morning!

Spa Terminus is a collection of archways in the backstreets of Bermondsey, full of artisan food & drink producers, which comes to life every Saturday.  There are two main areas around Dockley Road / Spa Road, and Druid Street.

Monmouth Coffee - 9am -1.30pm - "We sell beans (whole and ground), single cone filter coffee and espresso based drinks. Our organic Jersey whole milk is from Jeff Bowles in Somerset and our organic whole cane sugar from Assukkar, Costa Rica."

Monmouth Coffee

England Preserves - 8am-12noon - "We still make our jams by hand in Bermondsey, lovingly crafting the perfect collection of conserves for both scones and croissants, and cheesboards and curries.  If you would like to see us in the flesh, check out where the jam is made, then come down to Spa Terminus on Saturday mornings between 8am and 12 noon."

England Preserves are next door to Monmouth selling wonderful jams, marmalades and some treats

England Preserves

Ice Cream Union - 9.30am-2.30pm - Loads of flavours to choose from, though hard to resist Salted Caramel. Cornflake was very interesting.  £2.50 for a generous pot.

Ice Cream Union - Across the road from Kernel Brewery

Salted Caramel from Ice Cream Union

Poppy & Sebastian - Stunning patisserie products that had everyone reaching for their cameras, smartphones & wallets, whilst trying not to drool.

The London Honey Co. - "Fourteen years ago I decided I wanted to keep bees in Central London — there was a problem: we lived on the 6th story of an ex-council block near Tower Bridge with no garden. The only viable outside space, well viable to me, was the flat roof accessed via a fire escape... "

Fill up your own jars or go for some of their fantastic honeycomb!

The Little Bread Pedlar - 9am-2pm - "Since 2011, the Little Bread Pedlar has been making and delivering artisan croissants, breads and other treats to cafés, delis and shops across central London by bicycle."

Go and get some delicious breads & pastries at their Spa Terminus bakery near Kernel Brewery or head to The Pedlar's Workshop on Abbey Street:

"The Pedlars Workshop is a cafe, bar and gallery. Monmouth pour-over coffee, Little Bread Pedlar pastries, Kernel beers and Neal’s Yard cheeses, with regular exhibitions by local and international artists, film screenings, supper clubs and artists workshops."

Coleman Coffee Roasters - "Coleman Coffee Roasters is a small batch coffee roastery based in south east London specialising in high quality arabica coffees from around the world."

They share space with Little Bread Pedlar - coffee & a pastry is hard to resist!

La Grotta Ices - Quirky scoops & choc ices from Kitty Travers at the ice cream hole - e.g. Prune & Earl Grey / Damson & Grappa Custard! Open 9am-2pm I think.

Bermondsey Breweries - There are currently 6 breweries on the Bermondsey Beer Mile.  Kernel, Brew by Numbers, Anspach & Hobday and Bullfinch are mixed in with other producers around the two Spa Terminus areas.  Partizan & Fourpure are slightly further out towards South Bermondsey.

The Kernel Brewery (9am-2pm) gets very busy so I suggest going early and grabbing coffee, cakes, honey, ice cream & bread at the same time!

Kernel Brewery

Brew by Numbers (10am-5pm) are all on their own in Enid Street.  This is the best brewery for enjoying the sunshine, perhaps with a Strawberry & Mango Witbier.  I believe they are having a May Day party, noon-6pm, on Sunday May 4th - check their site / twitter nearer the time for details.

Brew by Numbers on Enid Street

Anspach & Hobday and Bullfinch Brewery (11-6pm) are on Druid Street, near to O'Shea's Butchers, Monty's Deli, Comptoir Gourmand, St.John's Bakery and Bottle Shop which you can read more about below.  Come here for hop rockets, smoked beers, cask vs keg comparisons and live music.

Anspach & Hobday / Bullfinch Brewery on Druid Street

Comptoir Gourmand - "Comptoir Gourmand is a fast-growing traditional French patisserie company. We supply around 25 cafes around London, in addition to having 3 cafes of our own."

Come here for both savoury & sweet options, and sit outside on their little tables.  The tartiflette is pretty excellent.

Giant meringues from Comptoir Gourmand

St John's Bakery - "We are open between 9.00 m and 2.00pm every Saturday morning when we sell our noted and very popular fresh doughnuts, our breads, our bag-in-box wines, Eccles cakes, wet salt, books..... Where we bake madeleines on the hour, to be enjoyed hot from the oven perhaps with a cup of our own hot chocolate..... in fact lots of good things.."

The doughnuts are often on sale in Maltby St Market as well, so head there if you don't succeed at the bakery.

The famous St. John's custard doughnuts

Jensen Gin - Look for the Jensen parked outside, pointing the way to the Jensen Gin distillery where you can taste their London Dry and Old Tom, both of which are excellent.  They plan to use the space for cocktails, masterclasses & more once some building work has been completed.

Maltby St Market - The thin Ropewalk market is ridiculously popular these days so get there early. Expect there to be big queues for the likes of African Volcano & Little Bird Gin.  Many rave about the food 40 Maltby St at one end of the road.  We didn't actually eat much from here on this occasion as we were full of ice cream & cakes and saving space for Kerb Southbank.  Click here for one of many blogposts out there on Maltby St Market if you want to get some more food envy!

Hot Cross Brownies from Bad Brownie

Little Bird Tim

Excellent £5 cocktails from the Little Bird Gin cocktail bar

Lassco Ropewalk - "LASSCO have been in the business of salvage for 40 years" 

Grab a drink and wander through the LASSCO salvage warehouse and you will be very tempted to buy something you probably don't need, such as an ornate bath tap or a vintage doorbell.  It's a unique place to eat, sat next to enormous coffee sacks, bathtubs and oversized door knobs from who knows where.

Look behind a curtain in the LASSCO warehouse to find The Eisenhower Room (removed from wartime US Naval HQ in Grosvenor Square), where you might spot The King's Cross Hot Club having a Secret Salon dance or two from 2pm on Saturdays.

"On Saturday afternoon, The King's Cross Hot Club will be playing in the Eisenhower Room in their weekly indoctrination of regular dancers and passing innocents. The event is now using the code name ‘Secret Salon’, presumably to deflect the intelligence services’ surveillance operations."

Dancing in The Eisenhower Room (removed from wartime US Naval HQ in Grosvenor Square)

Bottle Shop - 10am-6pm on Saturdays - The latest addition to the Bermondsey Beer Mile is Bottle Shop on Druid Street, a few arches down from Anspach & Hobday brewery.  It is only their second site following on from great success over in Canterbury, but they have had a stall on Maltby St Market for quite a while.

They sell a range of exciting bottled beers from all over the world to take away (individual and cases), but you can also open up and drink the bottles inside the arch at no extra cost.  What's more, they have 2 guest kegs which they will rotate each week. They started impressively with the deadly 10.5% Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break (Natale Sour Cherry Edition) and Brooklyn Sorachi Ace, a fantastic refreshing saison. They also had Girardin Gueuze Bag-in-Box sitting on a shelf for £2.50 a half.

The atmosphere was very pleasant, especially with the owner's son running around collecting glasses. It is one of a new wave of top beer shops in London, joining the likes of Clapton Craft, Brew Testament & Brewdog's Bottledog (coming soon to King's Cross), though it bears most similarity to one of my all time favourites, Drink of Fulham on Fulham Palace Road.

Kerb on Southbank - Street-food collective Kerb have grabbed the space in front of the Southbank Centre for 4 weekends this year, bringing together +27 traders.  The next weekend dates for your diary are Friday 6th June - Sunday 8th June.

A lot of the (lovely) usual suspects were there (BAO, Kimchinary, Anna Mae's, Donostia Social Club etc), and KERB also brought in a superb London beer bar (with Kernel, Five Points, Pressure Drop and Fourpure) and a good looking cocktail bar run by the Manhattans Project folk.  Here are a few photos:

Donostia Social Club

Kimchinary Menu

Bean & Gone

You Doughnut

Anna Mae's Mac'n'Cheese

Anna Mae's Mac'n'Cheese

I do prefer the riverside site for street food on the other side of the Royal Festival Hall as there is more room to spread out, and other Kerb events have been slightly less hectic than this, but I can't complain about the high quality food and drink on offer!  Bring on June 6th!