Barnyard - When Mac Met Cheese - Gin Sin

Tuesday March 25th - Is anyone else disappointed that Ollie Dabbous didn't choose the United Arab Emirates for his second site and call it Abu Dabbous? No? Just me then.

Instead, Ollie has followed up his Michelin-starred restaurant on Whitfield Street with Barnyard, a totally different kettle of fish (or barn of meat?) on Charlotte Street round the corner.  He's not cooking there himself, but he's heavily involved as is master mixologist Oskar Kinberg who run's Oskar's Bar beneath Dabbous.  

You supposedly can't get a table for months at Dabbous, but Barnyard has a no reservations policy, so I went along when it opened at midday for lunch with my Dad (who wrote about Dabbous on The List a while ago).  There was no queue, though I don't expect it to be this way for long.  Hopefully everyone will continue to be distracted by Bubbledogs round the corner.  

The décor at Barnyard is fun - white picket fences, indoor trees, oil drum chairs and more kept my eyes wandering throughout the meal.

I'll start with the booze, because that's exactly what I did when I went.  Alongside some interesting bottled beers (available as boilermakers), there are tasty shakes (£4 straight or £6 with bourbon/rum) and bargain £6 "shandies" (cocktails with beer/cider in).  It was a tough choice on the shakes front with the likes of Tahitian Vanilla, Popcorn & Blueberry Pancake on the menu, but I took the bartender's advice and happily ended up with a delicious Malt Shake, cutely served in a milk bottle.

The shandies list is also impressive, with the likes of Barnyard Iced Tea (English Tea, Pink Grapefruit, Lemon, Agave, Scotch Whisky, Mica Beer) and Dandy Shandy (Almond, Cinnamon, Orange, Lemon, Mandarin Liqueur, Wyld Wood Cyder).  At £6 each, it won't bankrupt you to work your way through all of them in an evening.  Apparently, Oskar likes to head off in to the forests of Sweden to drink beers with mates and invent these turbo-charged shandies.

The low prices continue on the food menu.  The superb Cripsy Chicken Wings with Smoked Paprika, Garlic & Lemon for £4 and Broken Eggs with Mushrooms, Garlic & Parsley for £6 are just two of the many bargains to be had. We also enjoyed Barbecued Grain-fed Short Rib with Homemade Dill Pickle, Mustard & Black Treacle and Roast Beef on Toast with Watercress Salad and Warm Horseradish Buttermilk (though we personally would have liked a bigger horseradish kick), but the standout for me was the Bubble & Squeak with Black Pudding, Apple Chutney & a Fried Egg.  Make sure that you get a bag of Warm Cornbread for the table too.

Crispy Chicken Wings with Smoked Paprika, and Bubble & Squeak in the background

Barbecued Grain-fed Short Rib with a bag of Warm Cornbread on the side

Roast beef on toast, watercress salad, warm horseradish buttermilk

Rooting around for the last few pieces of cornbread

Four equally tempting £4 desserts round off the menu, and we opted for Apple & Cloudberry Crumble with Clotted Cream and Popcorn Ice Cream with Smoked Fudge Sauce.  The crumble was enjoyable, although my Mum's version still holds the crown and the cloudberry wasn't very noticeable.  The smoked fudge sauce on the popcorn ice cream was pretty special - I can imagine it will catch a few people off guard whose eyes lock straight on to the word fudge and nothing else.  Next time I'm in, I'll have to go for Lemon posset with marjoram and Warm Acorn Flour Waffle with Chocolate & Malt.

Lovely cooking, friendly staff, great drinks, funky design and ridiculously good value - I'll be back at Barnyard soon.

Saturday 22nd March - Most Saturdays I trek to the far East to tick off a few things that have been building up on my list, but for once a pop up decided to turn up somewhere slightly more convenient.  When Mac Met Cheese (aka Sammy Shon, one of my favourite street food vendors) has temporarily set up shop in between Bayswater & Royal Oak, and helpfully opened up for the first time on the same day that I was working only a few roads away.

He has only got the place for 3 months (before hopefully moving more central), but hasn't held back on design with some very cool art from Benjamin Murphy adorning the walls, and massive film set lights propped up in the corners.

The menu is simple and short, a perfect excuse to eat everything.  We started with some oh-so-healthy Macancinis, glorious deep fried mac and cheese balls with a spicy jalapeno kick to them.  You will want at least two each.

Next up, choose your Mac&Cheese (currently three options though I expect some more will be added) and add a topping of bacon lardons or mini pork & veal meatballs if you so wish.  Did I mention that all of this is being cooked up by the ex-sous chef from The Ivy? Slight overkill perhaps, but I'm happy to take my Mac&Cheese seriously.  Did anyone notice when we stopped saying Macaroni Cheese by the way? I'm frequently getting into arguments about this, which says a lot about my life as a food & drink blogger. 

Anyway, I digress.  Mum's Classic was pretty darn good, and the Cheesy Green Afro with vintage stilton, mozzarella & broccoli was a hit, but the winner for me was Carlos the Cactus (who turned up in the Macancinis) with cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, jalapenos, cherry tomatoes and rocket. Awesome.  We washed all of these down with some reliable Kernel beers as it seemed a bit early for cocktails, though a Cucumber & Mint Martini probably would have slipped down.

So far, so good. But wait, what's that at the bottom of the menu?

DEEP FRIED OREOS.

They were everything I had hoped. Gooey, sugary, delicious and just 2 (hundred) calories! 4 for £3 is also great value, as is everything else at When Mac Met Cheese.

Sammy mentioned that more things may be turning up on the menu soon, but the 3 month clock is already ticking so get over there soon before it's too late!  Please note that opening times are quite specific - it is shut Mon & Tue, and open Wed-Thu 6.30pm-10pm, Fri 6.30pm-12am, Sat 12pm-12am & Sun 12pm-5pm.

And now for something completely different. On Sunday 16th March, at Megaro Bar in King's Cross, Maverick Drinks assembled 5 of London's best bartenders for a cocktail competition involving barrel-aged gin, and they called it Gin Sin & 5 Soaking Barrels.

Each bartender was given a different bottle in advance to come up with something special.  Here's the line-up:

Matt Whiley, Talented Mr. Fox - Professor Cornelius Ampleforth Cask Aged Bathtub Gin

Nico Piazza, Megaro Bar - New York Distilling Chief Gowanus New-Netherland Gin

Jim Wrigley, Made in the Shade - Few Barrel Aged Gin

Matt Fairhurst, Callooh Callay - Smooth Ambler Stillhouse Collection Barrel Aged Gin

Gareth Evans, Blind Pig - Filliers Barrel Aged Dry Gin 28

I've written out the cocktail ingredients & measurements at the end, thanks to Difford's Guide and Master of Malt for the details!

Matt Whiley kicked off proceedings with his bonkers Bublé Bath - Cask Aged Bathtub Gin and Sweet Vermouth (made with a Horlicks & dark chocolate distillate), with a Marshmallow & Chamomile bubble bath & candles on the side. Then he whipped out a full sized Michael Bublé cardboard cut out (which was a big hit with the judges) and pumped Feeling Good out of the speakers.  We were off to a good start.

Matt Whiley's Bublé Bath

Bublé with the "judges"

Next up was Megaro's own Nico Piazza who mixed Stout Bitters, Benedictine & Contratto Vermouth Rosso with his NY Distilling Chief Gowanus New-Netherland Gin to create his tasty cocktail, A Cluster of Hops, Hopped in the Glass.

Then there was Jim Wrigley.  I met Jim a couple of weeks before at the launch of his new bar, Made in the Shade, and it was apparent then that he was entertaining, but I didn't expect the nutty theatrics of his "Nuclear Few-Gin" presentation.  

After emerging in a fez and rambling about time travel and Quantum Mixology, he added some live soul guitar from Made in the Shade colleague Jezza Thompson as he poured from his barrel of Few Barrel-Aged Gin, Ginger Liqueur, grapefruit juice, lemon juice & bergamot syrup into some funky boxes.  He also sprayed some cinchona bark / quinine tincture if I remember rightly, and most importantly zapped them all with his "sonic screwdriver" to create Schrödinger's Punch.  A hard act to follow.

Nuclear Advanced Flux Fewsion & Jezza on guitar in the background

Nuclear Few-Gin

Precarious pouring

Matt Fairhurst sensibly decided that trash-talking Jim Wrigley was the way to go to win some fans in the rowdy judges section.  That and some fireworks of course.  I'm amazed Bublé survived the experience.

Matt added Campari, Fino Sherry and Baked Orange & Beetroot Shrub to his Smooth Ambler Barrel Aged Gin, and also paired his Mack Daddy Beets concoction with some beetroot, orange & mackerel paté. And fireworks.

Beetroot, orange & mackerel paté next to indoor fireworks

Bublé feeling the heat - has he been gagged?

The traditional fire pour method

Last but not least was Gareth Evans who decided to go down the Belgian route having been given Fillier's Barrel Aged Gin.  This meant showing numerous pictures of Jean-Claude Van Damme doing the splits, before pouring in some mysterious JCVD Power Elixir ("Stella-aged" chartreuse), Power Protein (egg), brussels sprout syrup, and some lemon juice (never forget the lemon juice).  The "Muscles from Brussels" was garnished with a picture of JCVD kicking the Eiffel Tower in the face.

Photos of the versatile JCVD doing the splits in various places

Geoff from Maverick Spirits wondering what he had unleashed

JCVD Power Elixir - Stella aged chartreuse

After all that nonsense, the judges quickly and simply voted for their favourite, and comedian Jim Wrigley walked away with the big prize - the opportunity to create his own barrel-aged gin with his name and face (and fez?) on with Maverick Spirits.

Maverick are ones to watch at the moment, bringing some of the finest small batch craft spirits to the UK.  It is pretty impressive that they already have 6 barrel-aged gins in the portfolio, alongside a whole host of other wonderful spirits including several brands that weren't on show at Gin Sin.  Big thanks to Geoff & co at Maverick, and Ben & Nico at Megaro for hosting such a ridiculous event on a Sunday night.

The facts:

Matt Whiley - Bublé Bath

35ml Bathtub Gin 

35ml Sweet Vermouth - Cocchi do Torino with a Horlicks and dark chocolate distillate.

Nico Piazza - A Cluster of Hops, Hopped in the Glass

25 ml Chief Gowanus 

25 ml Contratto Rosso Vermouth 

15 ml Benedictine 

4 dashes stout bitter.

Jim Wrigley - Schrödinger's Punch

50ml Few Barrel Aged gin 

12.5ml Domaine de Canton Ginger liqueur 

37.5ml Fresh grapefruit juice 

12.5ml Fresh lemon juice 

10ml Bergamot syrup

Matt Fairhurst - Mack Daddy Beets

50ml Smooth Amber Barrel Aged gin 

15ml Fino sherry

15ml Baked orange and beetroot shrub 

5ml Campari

Gareth Evans - Muscles from Brussels

40ml Filliers Dry Barrel Aged gin 

10ml Jean-Claude Van Damme power elixir

10ml Brussels sprout syrup 

20ml squeezed lemon juice 

15ml Power protein (egg)

GNH Bar - Grain Store - Megaro Bar - Speck Mobile

Tuesday 21st January - Throughout December, the ever generous Barchick gave away a ludicrous amount of prizes in their daily Advent Calendar competition.  I dutifully entered every single one and was eventually rewarded with a seafood platter for two with champagne at the GNH Bar in the refurbished Great Northern Hotel in King's Cross Station.  

A quick look at the website revealed that the GNH Bar is known for its seafood menu from Michelin starred chef Mark Sergeant (more available at Plum & Spilt Milk upstairs), and the platter came in at a whopping £75.  Thankyou Barchick.  I went along in January with Su-Lin to devour it.

At 6.30pm on a Tuesday, the GNH bar was buzzing with commuters having a drink before catching a connection elsewhere.  Dark curtains and upbeat music made it difficult to tell the time of day, which is what most want from a station bar.  If it doesn't take your fancy, there's always Booking Office Bar in St.Pancras, the surprisingly wonderful Parcel Yard Fullers pub (go upstairs!) in King's Cross, and the superb Gilbert Scott round the corner.

Our impressive seafood platter soon arrived, piled high with lobster, crab, oysters, whelk, prawns and more.  I'm not sure I would splash out the £75 myself, but it was a fantastic spread and a must for seafood lovers.

After a glass of champagne, we ordered a couple of house cocktails from their tempting menu.  My Kumquat Negroni hit the spot, but I might go back for an 1854 (Smoked pineapple syrup with cardamom, Woodford Reserve & Noilly Prat).  Prices range from £8-£12 - go along every Saturday 2-7pm for their Afternoon Jaunt party with 2-for-1 cocktails.

We decided to tick off a couple more places in the rapidly improving King's Cross area, starting with dessert and a drink at Bruno Loubet's Grain Store on Granary Square.  Drinks come from master mixologist Tony Corigliano (69 Colebrooke Row) who has collaborated with Bruno before at Zetter Townhouse.

Granary Square is a London hidden gem with Regent's Canal nearby, dancing fountains, stunning trees and plenty of space for al-fresco dining in Summer.  Grain Store has boxes of blankets at the ready if you want to brave the great outdoors.  

Photo Credit : Amy Murell

Photo Credit : Amy Murell

A central bar separates diners from drinkers in Grain Store - you get great views over to the busy kitchen and attractive dining room if you grab a seat at the bar on the drinks side.  Perfect for people watching and having the bartender's full attention.

Photo Credit : Amy Murell

Photo Credit : Amy Murell

Photo Credit : Amy Murell

Photo Credit : Amy Murell

Tony has created a truly original cocktail menu to match the food including a Savoury section (e.g. Green Tomato Margarita, Pumpkin & Maple Syrup Bellini) and "Tony's Greco Roman Wines" which are all smoked or herb infused in some way and stored in funky glass containers on the bar.  Su-Lin was very happy with a glass of Rose Vinus Lupus - dried rose petals, clover honey & verjus stirred down with gewurztraminer.  My subtle but delicious Butter & Hay champagne (with toasted butter & hay liquor) also impressed.  If you just want a beer, get yourself a growler of a Camden Town Brewery beer or a bottle of Laverstock Farm Lager.

We also got ourselves a couple of desserts, resisting the urge to have a second dinner from Grain Store's mouth-watering food menu.  Apple, blackberry & elderberry crumble with fig leaves & olive oil ice cream for me, and goji berries & carrot cake with chamomile ice cream for Su-Lin - both outstanding.  I'll be back for more...

The "Campari Piano" is brought to life at Sunday Brunch

Our last stop was for a nightcap at Megaro Bar, a stunning little hotel bar tucked away beneath Karpo restaurant in King's Cross.  The bar is styled as a photography darkroom, and they rotate installations every few months.  At the moment, photographer Henry Thomas has put his stamp on proceedings. His photo collage in the Picture Room (where noir films are occasionally screened) is particularly striking.

The Picture Room at Megaro Bar

Bar manager Ben Clark and bartender Nico Piazza looked after us well, mixing up two fantastic quirky cocktails - Birch and Bruks (Mackmyra Bruks Whisky, Birch Sap Reduction) and The Lost Steps (Ocho Blanco, Cardamom Sweet Tea, Chartreuse Elixir).  See more of the house cocktail concoctions below.  We loved the presentation of the menu in clunky old photo slides, but they are expensive to replace so may not be around for long!

The house cocktails are presented in a simple but classy way to allow the mixology to take centre stage.  Nico clearly knows what he is doing and I would happily drink my way through the whole menu.  They run a brilliant blog (see here) where they discuss the cocktails in great depth - well worth a read if you want to know where they got the idea for using Birch Syrup from, or what Glory Box is named after.

Chef's plates from upstairs are also available if you need feeding, including Smoked (cods roe, compressed cucumber, fennel salad), Cured (Earl Grey salmon, vanilla, root beer jelly) and Sweet (dark chocolate cremosa, sea salt, chocolate soil).

Cured, Smoked and Sweet - Chef's Plates at Megaro Bar

So there you have it, 3 more top bars tucked away in King's Cross, to add to the likes of Gilbert Scott, VOC and Drink, Shop & Do.  Time to change your mind about the area if you haven't already!

Thursday 6th February - Whilst I'm on a King's Cross spree, I'll just quickly mention that Speck Mobile, the popular Austrian street food boys, are currently cooking up a storm at The Star of Kings pub - they won't be here for that much longer though so head over there sooner rather than later.

I popped in with Caroline, Natalie & Lauren to their opening party for some Schnitzel sliders and Stiegl beers.  They have impressively extended their normal street menu to include dishes such as Potato & Pumpkin Rosti, Goulash Soup, and Grilled Cheese Dumplings, but you really should go for the signature dish - Speck Dumplings and Nuernberger sausages with Sauerkraut.  We've eaten it many times out on the streets, and it didn't disappoint here.  The only thing missing for me is Käsespätzle - I still dream about the Heisser Hobel plate at Street Food Europe last year.  If you have any space left, there is Sachertorte (£3.50) and Apfelstrudel (£3.90) for pudding.  Mahlzeit!