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

Nanban at Market House - Shrub & Shutter - Three Eight Four - Rosie's Deli

Saturday 30th August - Here comes another evening of food & drink in Brixton, but did we end up at Seven or Craft as usual? Cast your votes now.

Team Brixton assembled at Market House, a Brixton bar bringing in the crowds with smartly chosen food residencies.  We went along to try out Nanban, Japanese soulfood from 2011 Masterchef Champion Tim Anderson (the youngest ever winner at 26).  His stint as manager of The Euston Tap (beer haven) and multiple collaborations with Pressure Drop Brewing are of more interest to me!

One problem with food residencies for chefs is not having total control.  I say this because Market House weren't very interested in fitting us in without a booking, despite there being an hour and a half window on some empty tables.  Eventually we decided to just sit down on one and force through an order, and *shock horror* everything arrived within 15 minutes and we were out within an hour.  Other groups were turned away - throwing away money.  And since when do trendy, hipster, popup, food residency thingamajigs take bookings? I can't keep up.

Making our minds up quickly, we ordered four bowls of ramen, bypassing tempting sides of Karaage and Ackee & Saltfish Korokke.  To drink, I was hoping to get a special Pressure Drop Nanban Kanpai on the side (wheat beer with yuzu, grapefruit and orange juices) but they were fresh out.  However, my Nagashima Iced Tea (with smoked black tea liqueur, patron tequila, peach schnapps, jasmine syrup, lemon juice) was an excellent replacement, especially at £5.

I thoroughly enjoyed my comforting bowl of Kumamoto Ramen (rich tonkotsu broth, pork belly, tea-pickled egg, fried garlic chips, burnt garlic oil, fermented greens etc).  Perhaps I'll tea-pickle my eggs this weekend, any tips?  Are greens still one of your five-a-day if they are fermented? Who knows.

My companions all went for Brown Stew Chicken Ramen (thick and spicy tomato-miso broth, pulled chicken, fried shallots, pickled Scotch Bonnets, slow-cooked egg, and miso-pickled Daikon), which was a much more filling affair.  In fact, two were defeated by it!  I prefer my ramen much less thick personally, but the flavours were good.

Kumamoto Ramen

Brown Stew Chicken Ramen

No time for their famous Whippy-San ice creams, or shots of Shochu, it really was a flying visit.  I hope Nanban settles down in a permanent location soon - I'll be back for some more thorough research.  Keep tabs on them via their Facebook page or Twitter.

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Next stop was the soft opening of The Shrub & Shutter, a new cocktail bar from Chris Edwards and Dave Treganza (aka cocktail consultants Salts of the Earth).  

We were warmly welcomed with a Nuclear Daiquiri of sorts (with an apple sour ice cube / sweet at the bottom) and an impressive plate of snacks, a hint of small plates to come once fully open.  

After a quick skim of the menu, we ordered our first round.  

Bandage of Brothers (snow queen vodka, poppy liqueur, wolfschmidt kummel, sherbert, sweetener, gunpowder) came with a little army man attached via a plaster, and a banger to throw on the floor at any time - the element of surprise and all that.  All good fun, though I'm not entirely sure how the super sweet drink connects to the title.  

The Shrub & Shutter intrigued Luke with blowtorched fennel & chlorophyll bitters garnishing a glass of gin, green chartreuse, maraschino, cucumber shrub and toasted fennel sugar.  

Lauren opted for a No Stone Left Unturned - effectively a sour with a choice of spirits and rotating flavour based on the stone fruit of the day (cherry in this case).  

However, I feel I made the best choice with Does A Bear Shit in the Woods? - St George's Terroir Gin (made with pine), Akvavit (distilled Scandinavian spirit), pine bitters and mancino ambrato vermouth served with smoked salmon on the side.  I can't resist a "spirits-focused" drink and this Scandi gin martini twist was right up my street, and the salmon (working well with the pine) was an added bonus.

Blackboards for all to use take up one wall

For round two, Caroline ordered pudding in the form of Wonka Bar - gin, vanilla ice cream, chocolate soil, truffle, gold leaf and truffle bitters.  The finer ingredients seemed to get lost in the mix but it was a very drinkable boozy milkshake.

Luke's Little Miss Sunshine was one of the more conventional drinks on the menu - an attractive sunny Bloody Mary with Beluga Vodka, Isle of Wight yellow tomato, tomato water, roasted balsamic shrub, celery, spice & seasoning - very tasty at all times of the day.

Vegetarians should steer clear of The Deer Hunter - woodford bourbon, orange, romeo y julieta bitters and birch sap, with a hunk of venison on the side for good measure.  Boozy and delicious.

Dare I say it, I think I won round two as well.  You Can't Handle Chartreuse arrived in a wonderful bath-shaped glass (don't go stealing them now!), with chilled gummy bears and neat squares of green chartreuse jelly on top. If only bathtime always involved Portobello Road gin, Del Maguey mezcal, yellow chartreuse, pineapple, lemon & elderflower.  

Does a bear shit in the woods?, Bandage of Brothers, Little Miss Sunshine, Wonka Bar

The Deer Hunter, The Shrub and Shutter, No Stone Left Unturned

You Can't Handle Chartreuse

All the while we were serenaded by a jazz trio who squeezed themselves into the corner of the relatively small back room.  Live music will be a regular occurrence, think ragtime / blues piano.  

Only half the cocktails were available on our visit, so I'm sure they have plenty more surprises up their sleeves, including some wacky sharing cocktails.  A return visit is in order for more research, but on this showing Shrub & Shutter will be a popular addition to the Brixton bar scene.  Well done lads.

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Our third stop on Coldharbour Lane (efficient eh?) was Three Eight Four, a small plates restaurant and cocktail bar from those clever folk at Seven.

Seven has made it on to Matt The List an unprecedented three times, as almost every Brixton trip seems to involve a couple of their fantastic £5 cocktails, so expectations were high for Three Eight Four.  The fact that the bar was at full capacity when we arrived only added to the anticipation.  

Thankfully, a large group soon left and we crammed in at the bar.  They won me over instantly with their well-lit bar surface, how novel to be able to read the menu and actually see your drink.  It's a good-looking place in general, which is no surprise given Seven's funky décor.

Cocktails are competitively priced at £6-£7.50 a pop, except for the rather special Mr.Flambastic at £8.75 - Blackwell's dark & Red Leg spiced rums mixed with Cointreau, shaken with flambéed peaches in Gran Capataz brandy, theatrically created at the end of the bar.

I went straight for a Smoked Manhattan - Pikeseville Rye with Punt e Mes, Luxardo Maraschino, stirred & smoked on the spot to great effect.  I wasn't so taken with the Negroni Sbagliato - Campari & Punt e Mes, stirred & topped with sparkling red wine. Very much an acquired taste, aggressively bitter and almost medicinal.  

Caroline chose well with Bombay Kitchen - Opihr Indian spiced gin & Koko Kanu rum, coriander, mint, tabasco & mango juice, with a side of papadum & chutney.  It arrived in a cezve, a pot usually used to make Turkish coffee.  There was just the right amount of tabasco, and the normally dominant cardamom heavy Opihr played well with others.

Last but not least was Tart'n Tide - Auchentoshan lowland whisky, stirred w/ Licor 43, Cointreau, lemon & honey, over a seaweed infused ice ball.  We ordered two of these which came out rather different to one another, perhaps an extra splash of Licor 43 found its way into one of them, but both were very enjoyable. Don't let the seaweed put you off, order this if you like a boozy whisky cocktail.

Bombay Kitchen

Smoked Manhattan

They've created an interesting little menu and there were some real winners in there, and at £7 they represent great value, though not quite enough to knock Seven off its perch as my favourite Brixton bar.  Classic cocktails are also available, alongside well-chosen wines and beers, and some old school American soft drinks (e.g. Dr Pepper Vanilla Float, Dad's Root Beer).

The food will have to wait for another time, but I'm sure you won't go far wrong with the likes of reuben sliders, slow-cooked beef brisket, 'nduja with ricotta on bread, and pear & pecorino salad.

View the menu and follow Matt The List on Zomato

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One more thing to quickly mention.  We wandered round the corner in to Brixton Village to have a quiet drink at Sean's Bar to finish, which is usually housed inside Rosie's Deli in the evenings, only to find that Sean is no longer there.  Apparently, he is looking to open up again in a new space in Brixton soon, though he is keeping busy with Sean's Thai Bar in Balham in the meantime.  

Anyway, there is still a bar there, now run by the Rosie's Deli staff, and not a lot has changed.  It's still a fun, relaxed spot for simple mixed drinks, beers and wines with some tempting food available for those that need it.  Prices have gone up a little bit, but nothing drastic.  Luke and I enjoyed bottled beers from Brick Brewery (Peckham) and the local Brixton Brewery, whilst Robyn had the world's biggest Aperol Spritz (£6). A cosy spot to end any evening.

Rosie's Deli is open all weekdays 'til 5.30, Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings 'til 11, Sunday 10-5

Brixton: Nowhere near as good as Brixton thinks it is.
— Tweat_Up (@Tweat_Up) August 29, 2014

Each to their own, I guess. Definitely wrong though.  Brixton is great.

Oh, and we might have popped to Craft Beer Co afterwards very briefly. What can you do?