Homeslice Pizza - Spirited Sermons at Reverend J.W. Simpson - Lyle's - Highlights

Today on the blog: Monster pizzas, Mezcal masterclasses, Michelin madness and more...

----------------------------------------------

 

Let's start with former street food traders Homeslice Pizza who recently opened their second permanent site on Wells Street in Fitzrovia, two years after launching in Neal's Yard. There's space for 70, plus some al fresco seating, meaning it's much easier to get a table at than the Covent Garden original.  That said, you can always get takeaway if all else fails.

If you can, grab a seat in front of the pizza oven to watch the chefs at work, though beware, you won't have a great deal of room to eat! You can order any of the top three pizzas on the menu by the slice (£4 each), or you can go all out and get an enormous 20" pie for £20, with the option to go 50/50 on toppings. It's more than enough for two people, and you can pack it up if you don't manage it all.

Homeslice always has some interesting combos going on, and we were almost swayed by Goat Shoulder with Savoy Cabbage and Sumac Yoghurt and Mackerel, Broad Beans, Peas and Mint. Instead though we went full veggie, opting for half courgette and artichoke, half aubergine, cauliflower cheese, spinach and harissa.  Both were delicious, though I'm not sure I'd have wanted many more rich slices of the latter.

London is spoilt for pizza choice at the moment (see Ben Norum's top picks here), and Homeslice's quirky creations are right up there with the best of them. I'm a big fan of the option to eat by the slice, and there aren't too many places that offer it - NY Fold and Voodoo Rays are your best bets elsewhere.

Homeslice's new site somewhat bizarrely also has a basement cocktail bar which was empty on our visit. Time will tell, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was an event space by the end of the year. For alternative booze nearby, grab a beer at the Draft House Charlotte Street before, and a cocktail at the World's Best Bar Artesian at The Langham afterwards. Sorted.

P.S. A third Homeslice will apparently open later this year in Shoreditch at 347-348 Old Street

Homeslice Fitzrovia - www.homeslicepizza.co.uk

Mon-Sat: 12pm-11pm / Sun: 12pm-10pm

52 Wells Street London W1T 3PR 

----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Post-pizza, I wandered back towards Goodge Street with Flatmate Maggie to confess my boozy sins at Reverend J.W. Simpson's underground abode.  This cosy, clandestine cocktail bar skipped over the previous brothel-based tenants for inspiration, and instead looked to 1963 when Rev Simpson, whoever he may be, moved in for a quarter of a century. The stained glass entrance hall is stunning once revealed, and the shabby chic décor downstairs works well when the bar is buzzing.

 

We dropped in to attend one of their weekly Spirited Sermons, a series of informal masterclasses taking place every Tuesday throughout the evening (roughly starting at 6pm and 8.30pm). 

Our night was all about Mezcal (loosely in honour of Mexican Independence Day) and agave expert Tom Bartram from Speciality Brands came down to give us a tutored tasting of four bottles and an introduction to Mezcal production. He spent a month in Oaxaca (Wahaca to us Masterchef fans), the home of Mezcal, and his unique travel pics from rarely visited distilleries were of great interest.

It all starts with the agave plant and a machete. The jimadors (harvesters) cut through to the piñas (the pineapple-shaped hearts) which are then cooked in the ground in covered fire pits for up to five days which gives Mezcal its unique smoky flavour.  

This is where it differs from Tequila production. Tequila is technically a Mezcal, made only from the blue agave plant in the Jalisco region, but it is cooked in large industrial ovens for the most part and therefore doesn't get that smoky characteristic.

The roasted piñas are then mashed and left to ferment naturally with water. The resulting liquid is then distilled, and you're done! It's a lengthy, artisan process, which might make you appreciate your Mezcal a little more when you are handing over a £50 note in Amathus or The Whisky Exchange.

Tom told a whole host of entertaining stories, the most memorable being that of Ilegal Mezcal. New Yorker John Rexer bought a bar in Guatemala when drunk (as you do), named it "Café No Sé", and began smuggling unbranded Mezcal over the border using a combination of uncles, priest outfits and porno - "Regalos para mis amigos and libros para los niños". The booze became popular and was eventually named Ilegal for obvious reasons. The FAQ on their website is a great read - www.ilegalmezcal.com/faq-ilegal-mezcal

"No te preocupes. Yo tengo un tío."

We tasted two bottles of Ilegal, one aged in American oak (less common for Mezcal), along with some Derrumbes (sweet, spicy and boozy at 46%) and San Cosme (milky, almost chocolatey). The sweet and smokey young (joven) Ilegal was my favourite, just ahead of Derrumbes. Both have gone on the list for when I replace my almost-empty bottle of Del Maguey Vida (itself a great entry level Mezcal).

After the tasting, we also had a chance to mix our own cocktails with the Rev J.W. Simpson team, picking from a five-strong list of Mezcal Cocktails created especially for the Spirited Sermon evening by the bartenders. I kept it fairly simple with a Tommy's Margarita style Flor de Jamaica with Ilegal, hibiscus-infused agave, lime, and kaffir lime bitters, whilst Maggie got top marks for her Bandito - Ilegal, lavender, grape, herbal liqueur, and ginger, topped with champagne.

Bandito with a face

The Spirited Sermons are a fun and friendly way to get to know a spirit better whilst sipping on classy cocktails. They are continuing right through to the end of the year, so there are plenty of opportunities to make it down - I've included my top picks below:

/// 6th October 2015 - Rev Presents Spirited Sermon Special with Makers Mark ///

London Cocktail Week partners Makers Mark will be coming down for a Spirited Sermon Special. Guests can expect the usual exquisitely crafted Reverend cocktails, lashings of lovely bourbon, fascinating insights into the history and production of the spirit, and some good ol’ Kentucky fun.

/// 27th October 2015 - Day of the Dead Special with El Jimador Tequila ///

Dia de los Muertos is one of the great festivals in Mexico, where families and communities gather and dress up in parades to celebrate the lives of departed friends and family members, inviting the spirits back for a visit and helping their passage to the next life. A joyous time often lasting three days, skulls and skeletons are brightly coloured and detailed, with people spending a whole year working on their outfits and figurines. Expect face painting, dancing and raising glasses of Mexico’s number one tequila, El Jimador!

/// 24th November 2015 - Japanese Whisky, A Love Story – with Nikka Whisky’s Stefanie Holt ///

The birth of Japanese whisky is both beautiful and tragic, with the early attempts at recreating the magic nectar of Scotland in Japan finally coming to fruition with the birth of the two great Japanese whisky houses, and culminating in the incredibly intricate and complex liquids produced by Japan. These are recognised by experts and aficionados as some of the best whiskies in the world today.

Tickets are £25 (or occasionally £12.50 through Timeout) which gets you three cocktails, a tutored tasting of three spirits, and a spot of mixology practice. It's a no brainer. Get tickets here.

Autumn & Winter Spirited Sermons at Rev J.W. Simpson - www.revjwsimpson.com

Arrive at 6pm or 8.30pm for tutored tastings, cocktail making and boozing

32 Goodge Street, London, W1T 2QJ

-----------------------------------------------------

 

Back to food, the full 2016 Michelin Star and Bib Gourmand list was revealed a day early last week after a bookshop prematurely started selling the guide. Hot Dinners has all the info you need on the 2016 winners here.

Four of the six newly awarded restaurants are in Mayfair (Araki, Umu, Bonham's, The Goring) and are for the most part out of my price range. The other two are Fitzrovia's Portland (whose Game Pithivier nearly crashed Instagram), and Lyle's in Shoreditch - both big hits with the foodie community.

By chance, I went for lunch at Lyle's the day before they were awarded their first Michelin Star, and in all honesty, I was a bit disappointed. It was enjoyable but not thrilling; not one of the finest restaurants in London. Surely Robin Gill & co. deserve a look in first? Does it help to have a Sethi or Young Turk on board? What do I know? After all...

- Former Young Turk James Lowe wasn't in the kitchen - he was off being cheffy in Mexico

- I've only been once, and it was for lunch rather than the set menu dinner

- Several foodie friends whose opinions I value greatly rate it very highly

- I'd perhaps built it up in my head too much beforehand

Then again, it has a critics score of 6.5 on Hot Dinners compared to 8.5 for The Dairy, The Manor and Peckham Bazaar amongst others. Maybe South London isn't allowed Michelin stars... 

The décor has come in for some criticism, but I actually quite like the minimalist, almost brutalist layout at Lyle's, with huge windows allowing sunlight to pour in.  It seats 50 and opens early on weekdays (8am) when it does a roaring coffee trade.

Dinner is a £44 strictly set menu affair, but at lunch you can choose from ten or so dishes plus a few desserts.  At £30 or so for 3 courses, it's not bad value, though I'd rather be treated like I'm on a tasting menu at The Dairy with 4 courses plus treats for £24 at lunch.  Here's what we ordered:

- Duck Hearts, Cauliflower & Almonds - £6.90

- Blood Cake, Redcurrants & Dandelion (x2)- £7.50

- Saddleback Loin, Burnt Apple & Fennel - £16.50

- Dexter Flank, Onion & Pickled Walnuts - £16.90

- Monkfish, Greengages & Liver - £15.90

- Fig Leaf Ice Cream, Figs & Verbena - £6.90

- Treacle Tart & Milk Ice Cream (x2) - £6.30

Duck Hearts, Cauliflower & Almonds

Blood Cake, Redcurrants & Dandelion

Saddleback Loin, Burnt Apple & Fennel

Treacle Tart & Milk Ice Cream

My favourite bits? Probably the treacle tart (always been a sucker for it) with its fresh milk ice cream, followed by the complimentary bread and a bottle of Siren Calypso. The Blood Cake was no Bao, and the burnt apple really didn't do it for me or the saddleback loin it was accompanying. Dad's Duck Hearts were rather winning - I can't get enough of cauliflower at the moment - and his main of Monkfish, Greengages & Liver was the most successful large plate, though not something I would order myself.

Maybe it was just an off day, or perhaps the 40 minute Overground journey took its toll on me, but I won't be rushing to recommend Lyle's. For a different perspective, read Leyla's writeup on The Cutlery Chronicles. I wouldn't be adverse to returning, especially as the service was superb and the atmosphere very friendly, but there's plenty more on the to-do list so it may be some time. I should probably save up for Mayfair too, I hear they have some Michelin-starred restaurants there.

Mon-Fri: 8am-11pm / Sat: 12pm-11pm / Lunch: 12pm-2.30pm / Dinner: 6pm-10pm / Closed Sundays

Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ

Lyle's - lyleslondon.com

--------------------------------------------------

10 restaurants currently on my hitlist: The Clove Club, Oldroyd, Craft, Typing Room, Naughty Piglets, Paradise Garage, Salon, Newnham Arms, The Marksman, Gymkhana

--------------------------------------------------

To finish on a more positive note, here are some of the best things I've consumed this week:

- A load of beers at the magnificent Trans-Atlantic Rainbow Project event at Beavertown's taproom

- Epic 48 Hour Short Rib Beef Kare Kare from The Adobros Filipino Supper Club

- Gizzi's Bananas Foster Waffles from Waffle On at The Watch House

- Tortilla with Paprika fresh out of the oven at Park Road Kitchen

- Mum The List's GBBO-inspired Peach Frangipane Tart

- A monster 20" veggie pizza from Homeslice Fitzrovia

-  Photogenic cocktails at Bermondsey Arts Club

- Flatmate Emma's Secret Chocolate Cake

- Lundenwic's Mini Chocolate Fondant

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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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...

-----------------------------------------------------------

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Shaker Bar School - Bottledog - Dinner by Heston

Saturday 26th April - In November last year I wrote about an evening of drinks & sweet potato fries at Shaker & Co, a lively cocktail bar that turns into Shaker Bar School during the day.  For completeness, I returned a few weeks ago to participate in one of their 5 hour Cocktail Masterclasses, which anyone can sign up for online (£149 - 11am-4pm on various dates).

It felt a little odd making my way to a bar in Warren Street on a Saturday morning, but I reminded myself that I probably would just be at a Bermondsey based brewery alternatively.  After struggling to open the door (demonstrating my hand eye coordination), I made my way in and met my classmates for the day, a mix of bartenders and enthusiasts looking for top tips on making some of the classic cocktails.

Buy a Mexican Elbow to squeeze the juice out of these fellows 

Amit & Panu were our mixology hosts and warmed us up with a very quick chat on the history of cocktails. It is widely regarded that the first definition of the word "cocktail" as a type of drink was when a reader allegedly wrote in to a New York newspaper in 1806 enquiring about a previously wirrten recipe of a bittered sling.  The editor responded, defining what exactly the new born cocktail was:

"A cock tail, then, is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters.  It is vulgarly called a bittered sling."

Back then, a cocktail was just one type of mixed alcoholic drink in a wider family that included the likes of sours, slings, fixes, fizzes and flips.  Now, the word has grown to cover all of these.  

Put simply, a cocktail is a mix of strong (spirits, liqueurs) & weak (ice, water, fruit juice), and sweet (sugar syrup, honey) & bitter / sour (bitters, lemon, lime) elements.  If you learn to balance these correctly, and of course pick ingredients that go well together, then you can start creating your own drinks at home. However, nailing the classics first is essential for any budding bartender.

We kicked off with two very simple cocktails, Tom Collins and Moscow Mule, which don't require a shaker at all.  Instead, they are simply "built" in the glass (i.e. adding the components one at a time) and gently stirred with a long bar spoon.  

The Tom Collins makes use of sugar syrup, which can be bought or made at home (dissolve sugar in water around 1:1 or 2:1 ratio) - beware of Gomme Syrup which actually contains some orange blossom flavouring, Simple Sugar Syrup is what you want.  As with the Mules, changing the base spirit changes the name of the cocktail.  Gin makes a Tom Collins, but with Cognac instead it becomes a Pierre Collins.  Vodka is used in a Moscow Mule, but I prefer Jamaican Mules (with Jamaican Rum), The point of the vodka is that it just adds strength rather than flavour, allowing the ginger & lime to take centre stage.

Amit was very fussy about "the window" at the top of the glass, i.e. leaving space at the top so drinks are less likely to be spilled - "Drinks are for drinking not for wearing".  Ice should be piled high though, and if using straws and garnishes, grouping them together looks best.

Moving on to the shaker, we mixed up some Daiquiris, Margaritas and Cosmos.

Daiquiris (JFK's favourite cocktail) benefit from light & refreshing rums - avoid the dark molasses.  Also, be fussy about your sugar in general. Caster is what you want, not granulated, so that it will dissolve easily.

Strawberry Daiquiri

Margaritas (daisies in Spanish) allowed is to practice our rimming (snort). Rub a lime wedge around the edge, roll it in some sea salt (not the cheap stuff), and then, crucially, wipe any salt away from the inside rim of the glass.  You don't want it floating around in the cocktail.

An excellent variant is a Tommy's, served on the rocks with 50ml tequila, 25ml lime and 15ml agave syrup. Or even better, seek out a smokey mezcal for the base spirit.  Hard to beat.

Margarita - supposedly created in 1946 by Margarita Sames at a cocktail party in Acapulco

Cosmopolitans are famous for the flaming of the orange garnish, though apparently this piece of flare was first use with the Flame of Love cocktail originally created for Dean Martin.

The key is to hold the orange very close to the flame, keeping your fingers out of reach of course, before squeezing the disc, releasing the warm oils over the surface.  

Cosmopolitan

Video of Shazia flaming the orange (may not appear for email users - click through to the blog):

Cosmos, daiquiris and margaritas

Next up was something slightly more complicated - Sours.  The addition of egg whites shouldn't scare you. Much like with Ceviche, you are effectively "cooking" the egg with citrus, making it totally safe to drink.

Make sure you start with egg white and lemon in the mixing glass before you add the alcohol, to give it more body.  Then add your spirit of choice (Pisco / Whisky / Midori are all worth a try) and sugar syrup.  Omit the sugar syrup for Midori.

Now, the fussy bit, which bartenders often disagree on, is the shaking method.  We went for a Dry Shake (with 1 ice cube), before doing a Wet Shake (a short, sharp, fast shake with loads of ice).  Different approaches will change the smooth consistency of the drink - experiment at home! Then, swirl the shaker before straining in to an ice filled glass very quickly for the best results.  A quick spray of oils from an orange peel, towards the rim rather than right into the drink, lends a nice aroma.

We finished up with some Mojitos & Caipirinhas, two extremely popular refreshing summer drinks that don't require a shaker.  Mojitos are the bane of most bartenders lives, but probably account for the majority of their paychecks.  Both require "churning" with the wrong end of a bar spoon, and "muddling" limes and sugar.  Go easy on the muddling, and make sure the mint is added to mojitos post-muddle, otherwise a lot of bitterness from the backs of the leaves comes through.  A generous mint garnish at the end goes a long way too.

Sours and Mojitos

Mega straw mojito

We ran out of time for Manhattans & Old Fashioneds, and had a very quick look at a Dry Martini, but we learnt a great deal about 8 classic cocktails (and drank a fair few too).   Thanks to Amit & Panu for a fascinating and informative day. Sign up for courses here.

After 5 hours of drinking & making cocktails, heading out wasn't really on the cards, but I did drop in to Brewdog's new beer shop, Bottledog, halfway down Gray's Inn Road.

No sign of Brewdog branding at Bottledog

Unsurprisingly, they have a superb selection of bottles, with a noticeably strong Mikeller presence.  You'll have to be quick if you ever want any Westvleteren XII (one of the most highly rated beers in the world) as it normally disappears in minutes.

You can buy hops, malts & other home-brewing essentials in-store. If you can't be bothered with all that, get yourself a growler and fill it up with Bottledog's fresh beer.

Bottledog isn't the only place getting on the growler & craft beer act though:

Clapton Craft recently opened with 12 growler refill options and a wide range of bottles on site.  The Brew Testament (attached to Bottle Apostle wine shops) is in three locations across London selling bottled beers and ciders.  The Bottle Shop recently moved in to the Bermondsey Beer Mile next door to Anspach & Hobday, opening up 10-6 on Saturdays selling beer on tap or in bottles, to drink in the arch or takeaway. Beer bars like Mother Kelly's & Craft Beer Co also sell a lot of bottles on site to take away at reasonable prices.  

However, we shouldn't forget about two old-timers who were doing it long before everyone else - Kris Wines near Caledonian Road (est. 2001) which stays open til 11pm most nights, and Drink of Fulham near Craven Cottage (est. 2010) where you can pair beers with Gujurati cuisine and drink on site.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday 23rd April - And now for something totally different, another sneaky lunch with Dad The List at Dinner by Heston in Knightsbridge, round the corner from Alain Ducasse's Rivea that we also sampled recently.

Here's what Heston has to say about the name:

"It is never easy naming a restaurant and on this occasion I wanted something that represented our menu that is inspired by historic British gastronomy, so I searched for a name that had a bit of history, but was also fun.  'Dinner' fit the bill perfectly.  In the past, the main meal -dinner- was eaten at midday, before it got too dark.  But affordable candles and, later, gaslight saw dinner shift.  By the mid-1800s people were dining later.  People working in the cities were taking a 'lunch' to work and having their main meal at 5.00pm when they got home, while in rural areas the main meal was still taken at midday.

Even today, depending where you are in the British Isles, 'dinner' might be served at lunchtime, suppertime or, indeed, dinnertime!

This made 'Dinner' the natural choice for its typically British quirky history and linguistic playfulness. If nothing else, I hope it's easy to remember."

This was my first **2 Michelin Star** experience, so expectations were high, though we were sticking to the set lunch menu rather than A La Carte, which meant missing several signature dishes.  Our 3 courses cost £38, and we had two choices for each round.  Whilst nothing on the menu put us off, it's a shame that some of the more interesting dishes don't make it on there.  If we had gone A La Carte, a combination of Meat Fruit, Spiced Pigeon and Tipsy Cake would have set us back £67.  We settled for looking over at our neighbours' fancy plates instead.

Now, let's be clear, Heston Blumenthal doesn't cook at Dinner by Heston.  He's a busy man, probably filming some more of his fun Heston's Great British Food series, or setting up his Perfectionist's Café at Heathrow.  The head chef is Ashley Palmer-Watts, whose CV also boasts Head Chef at The Fat Duck, so we were in good hands.

With two options for each course, we naturally decided to order one of everything for completeness.  We started off with a Lemon Salad (c.1730) with smoked artichoke, goats curd & candy beetroot, and a Ragoo of Pigs Ear Chewitt (c.1750) with slow cooked egg, anchovy, onions & parsley.  The Lemon Salad was one of those dishes where the first mouthful flattered to deceive.  By the end it was a little bit repetitive.  The Ragoo (ragout, ragu - stew) of Pigs Ear Chewitt (a small pie), taken from The Compleat Housewife, was more interesting.  

The Compleat Housewife, or Accomplish'd Gentlewoman's Companion, written by Eliza Smith and originally published in London, England, in 1727, is considered the first cookbook ever to be published in the United States. It contained not only recipes, but also directions for painting rooms, removing mildew, and home remedies for treating ailments, such as smallpox.

"Take a quantity of pigs-ears, and boil them in one half wine and the other water; cut them in small pieces, then brown a little butter, and put them in, and a pretty deal of gravy, two anchovies, an eschalot or two, a little mustard, and some slices of lemon, some salt and nutmeg: stew all these together, and shake it up thick. Garnish the dish with barberries." - extract from The Compleat Housewife.

Complimentary bread

Lemon Salad w/ Smoked artichoke, goats curd & candy beetroot

Ragoo of Pigs Ear Chewitt

I quite enjoy a good story to go with the food, but it wasn't very forthcoming here, aside from some vague dates for the origins of the dishes.  The A La Carte menu has a bit more detail, listing the source material for the recipes, and there are cute bits of information tucked away elsewhere, but I would have appreciated some more.  Maybe I just need to go and do some light reading:

Frumenty - c.1390 - The Forme of Cury The Master Cooks if King Richard II

Powdered Duck - c.1670 The Queene-like Closet or Rich Cabinet by Hannah Woolley

Brown Bread Ice Cream - c.1830 - A New System of Domestic Cookery by Maria Eliza Rundell

Next up was Roast Pollack & Admirals Sauce (c.1826) and Roast Quail (c.1590) with Hispi Cabbage, Onion & Smoked Chestnuts.  Both were nicely cooked and presented, but they were quickly forgotten.  I can't find much mention of Admirals Sauce from 1826, but it does turn up in Mrs.Wilson's Cookbook (c.1920), and who knows what the Roast Quail hoo-ha was in 1590.

Roast Pollack & Admirals Sauce w/ monks beard, peas, shallots, brown butter & capers

Now, the desserts I can remember.  Steeple Cream (c.1774) with Vanilla, blood orange & pistachio crumble wobbled its way on to our table.  A really fun dish, with surprisingly subtle flavours, made by mixing jelly with cream, perhaps on this occasion moulded in a wine glass? Jelly, flummery and cream aren't so popular these days, but they used to be the crowning glories of dining tables back in the 17th & 18th centuries.

Meanwhile, my Rhubarb & Custard Tart (c.1800) with rhubarb jam, cardamom custard & rhubarb sorbet hit the spot, as no-nonsense delicious tarts so often do (Polpetto, One Leicester Street).

Steeple Cream - Vanilla, blood orange & pistachio crumble

Rhubarb & Custard Tart - Rhubarb jam, cardamom custard & rhubarb sorbet

As we were settling the bill, a lovely extra arrived in the form of a Dark Chocolate Ganache infused with Earl Grey Tea served with Caraway Biscuit.  Easy on the eye and the tastebuds.

Dark Chocolate Ganache infused w/ Earl Grey Tea served w/ Caraway Biscuit

Fancy tea list

The staff were exceptional throughout, the setting was lovely with a view of Hyde Park and all the plates went back empty, but I expected more from a **2 Michelin Starred** establishment.  It was recently named 5th best restaurant in the world (!) by The World's 50 Best, whereas it probably wouldn't make it into most people's top 5 in London, but I appreciate that I should probably reserve full judgement until I have tried some more of the signature dishes, or perhaps sat at The Chef's Table (£200/head for dinner at Dinner), just as soon as I win the lottery. Until that happens, I'll stick to the likes of The Dairy, Rotorino and Honey & Co.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt The Tumblr - Table Porter launch at A&H // Urban Food Fest // Film is Art : Kill Bill

Matt The Shortlist - Top 3 for Gin - London Gin Club // City of London Distillery // 214 Bermondsey

Matt The Wishlist - Lyle's // Lockhart // Typing Room // Clove Club // Upstairs at Ten Bells

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------