Joyeux Bordel

Today's post features an exclusive sneak preview of Experimental Group's brand new late night London bar which launched this week in EC2.

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Joyeux Bordel - Translation : Happy Mess (or brothel - take your pick)

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The Experimental Group is much more than just a clandestine Chinatown cocktail bar with a hard-to-please doorman.  Since opening up the original Experimental Cocktail Club (ECC) in Paris in 2007, the group have rapidly expanded and now operate 13 sites including ECC New York, Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels in Paris, NY and London, Beef Club and Fish Club restaurants in Paris, and even an Experimental Beach in Ibiza. 

On top of that, last month they added Le Grand Pigalle Paris to that list - their first foray in to the hotel business. Quite by chance, I was in the City of Light at the weekend and squeezed in a visit to Le Grand Pigalle hotel bar, but that's a long story...

Anyway, back in London, their 14th site has just opened at 147 Curtain Road in Old Street, and it's a boozy basement number called Joyeux Bordel.  

Now what can I tell you about it? Oh, well you can make reservations. Just send an email to reservation@joyeuxbordel.com - the desk is open Mon-Sat until 5pm.

Opening times might help too:

Monday - Wednesday: 6pm - 2am

Thursday - Saturday: 6pm - 3am

Sunday: 6pm – midnight

Hooray for late night opening hours, there aren't nearly enough places of worth open after midnight.

Once you've made it past the doorman, you'll make your way down to a spacious but cosy candlelit cocktail bar. I'd always opt for a seat at the bar myself - this is where you'll find Adrien Russotto, Joshua Esposito and Florian Dubois working their magic, along with some ECC alumni most probably.  If you do go for table service, Berliner Sabrina or Finnish/Egyptian Rameses from Helsinki will look after you.

The full menu has just been released:

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Bric-A-Brac - Yellow Chartreuse, Lillet Blanc, Elderflower Cordial, Pepper Mix, Sage, Lemon & Champagne - £10

Picotin - Lemon, Aquavit OP Anderson, Suze, Cocchi Americano, Luxardo Maraschino - £10

Black Beard - Appleton 7, Smith & Cross Rum, Homemade Falernum, Aperol, Fernet Branca, Grapefruit Zest - £11

É Nossa - Cachaca Yaguara, Lime, Sugar, Peychauds & Peach Bitters, Ginger Ale - £11

Saint Germain Des Prés - Hendricks Gin, St.Germain, Lime Juice, Elderflower Cordial, Egg White, Spiced Tincture, Cucumber Juice - £10.50

Tommy's Cut - Vida Mezcal, Agave, Lime, Sweet Vermouth, Pink Grapefruit - £10.50

Jolly Mess - Vulson White Rhino Rye, Eaux de vie de Poire, Antica Formula, Cardamom Syrup, Mozart Dark Chocolate Liqueur - £10.50

Softly Softly - Suze, Dolin Dry, Hendricks Gin, Chilli Thai Tincture, Olive - £9.50

Sparrows Can't Sing - Madras-infused Vodka, Applejack, Strega, Lemon, Vanilla Syrup, Simple Syrup, Coriander - £9.50

Something Italian - Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Cynar, Amaro Ciociaro, Lime, Ginger, Soda - £10

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Picotin was the pic'o'the'bunch (new low for me there), bringing complex flavours together to form a satisfying thirst quencher. Second place goes to Tommy's Cut, a subtle twist on a Tommy's Margarita that you'll finish in a few gulps.  Jolly Mess is another winner if you like your cocktails boozy.

Of course, you can always go off menu, and I unsurprisingly went in an agave direction with a superb Mezcal Negroni (Vida, Calle 23 Tequila, Barolo Chinato, Rabarbaro) and an equally excellent Mezcal Highball creation with ginger ale.  I also highly recommend Fabiano's classy Americano twist with Belsazar Red and a touch of sea salt - apparently a splash of bourbon doesn't hurt either.

Mezcal Negroni - Del Maguey Vida, Calle 23 Tequila, Barolo Chinato, Rabarbaro

Picotin - Lemon, Aquavit OP Anderson, Suze, Cocchi Americano, Maraschino Luxardo

To soak up the booze, they have sensibly put together a few small plate options including some delicious Rillette, Roasted Ham and Cooked Ham from local butchers and restaurant Hill & Szrok, plus an Androuet Three Cheeses Selection. London has been slow to pick up on the high end and late night bar snacks trade - hopefully more will follow suit soon.

If you've had your fill of cocktails, cheese, and charcuterie, you might want to investigate Joyeux Bordel's back bar.  Start off with a taste of ECC partner Xavier Padovani's Vulson White Rhino Rye which was only released in January - read more here.  In the early part of the week, you might find Xavier & co. pouring £5 tasters of extremely rare spirits from his vintage selection which they've decided to stop hoarding and start sharing.  A late 1950s Grand Marnier was cracked open this week.

On top of all of the fine food and drink, Joyeux Bordel is also going to be a hotspot for DJs, with Daniel Willis from The Clove Club heading up the music.  The inoffensive DJ booth is part of the furniture rather than a garish corner feature, which is always a good sign.

Sound good? I thought so.  Go and say hello from 6pm tonight. Happy Brothel everyone!

www.joyeuxbordel.com

Email - reservation@joyeuxbordel.com 

Ceviche Old Street - Mr.Fogg's Tipsy Tea - Street Food at Voltaire

- A Peruvian Pisco Disco at the new Ceviche

- Tipsy Tea at Mr.Fogg's Mayfair residence

- Street food and live jazz at Voltaire

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Thursday 26th March - I was fortunate enough to be invited along to the launch party of Martin Morales' second Ceviche restaurant, which has just opened in Old Street on the historic former site of the Alexandra Trust Dining Rooms.  

They've paid homage to the old layout with similar signage and bustling open kitchens, but Martin Morales' love of art and music is also evident with the space doubling as a contemporary Peruvian art gallery (see some works here).  Space was made for DJ sets from Mr.Scruff and Natty Bo, a sign of Pisco Discos to come featuring music from Tiger's Milk Records, Martin Morales' Peruvian record label which you may have come across in Andina's Music Room on Shoreditch High Street.

The Music Room at Andina - showcase for Martin Morales' Tiger Milk Records

A return trip for a thorough test of the menu is in order, but after eating a tonne of tasters and sampling more than one drink from the dedicated Pisco bar, I've got enough to work with for now. The chefs weren't hiding, sweating away in front of our eyes with smiles on their faces, mixing up fresh ceviche, grilling chickens, and setting fire to various edible treats.

We grabbed at Torreja de Sesos (Lamb’s brain fritters, tomato and rocoto chilli jam), Tequeños de Ají de Gallina (Wonton fritters filled with traditional chicken recipe, onion, parmesan, single cream, amarillo chilli dip), Don Ceviche Seabass (amarillo chilli tigers milk, sweet potato, red onions, limo chilli), Corazón de la Tía (Panca marinated beef heart skewers, rocoto chilli sauce) and boxes of rotisserie chicken.  All delicious.

Pastel del Choclo (Corn and feta cheese savoury cake, Huancaina sauce, avocado, salsa criolla) were a revelation. I ate at least 15 of them...

To finish, we stuffed ourselves with sticky Picarones Old St (Pumpkin doughnuts with chancaca honey). Odd but moreish.

But it's not all about the food.  There's a serious cocktail bar here too with Peruvian Pisco naturally at the centre of it all.  In a nice twist on the classics, they have infused Pisco with various botanicals to create "Impostors" masquerading as whisky, gin, rum and tequila in Old Fashioneds, Negronis, Mai Tais and Sunrises.  

You may find it hard to look past their classic Pisco Sours, which they batch make to meet demand, but Duncan's Pisco Punch is worth a go, made with Pisco Italia, Pineapple Syrup, Sweet Vermouth and Bitters, and you can take home a pre-bottled version if you so wish.

There's plenty to enjoy on the bottled beer menu too including the Somos Libres Pale Ale brewed exclusively for Ceviche by Hammerton Brewery, plus beers from Wild Beer Co. and Siren.  It is a shame though that there's no sign of Peruvian craft beers. Perhaps they will turn up in the future.

Shot of Duncan's Pisco Punch taken from Ceviche's Instagram account

There's plenty to enjoy at Ceviche Old Street, there's space for everyone, and it won't break the bank. It's a welcome addition to the area, and I look forward to returning for a full meal soon.

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Friday 27th March - "There ain't no party like my nana's tea party" - Flight of the Conchords.

Whether you agree with this or not, you might like to venture over to Mr.Fogg's residence for his boozy twist on Afternoon Tea.

Alongside the usual spread of sandwiches, cakes, pastries and petit-fours, Phileas Fogg, Esq. also offers a selection of alcoholic teapots:

1840 - Earl Great infused Tanqueray No,TEN, Cointreau, Creme de Peche and Orange Marmalade

Woburn Abbey - English Breakfast infused Tanqueray No.TEN, Creme de Bergamot, Lemon Juice, Bee Pollen Sugar, and Milk on the side

Catherine of Braganza - Green Tea infused Tanqueray No.TEN, Cointreau, Creme de Apricot and Orange Marmalade

Anna Maria Russell - Tatratea Liqueur, Sloe Gin, Lemon Bitters, Ruinart Champagne

Belvoir Castle - Jasmine Tea infused Tanqueray No,TEN, Rose Liqueur, Pomegranatae Juice, Cherry Purée, Ruinart Champagne, Harry Brompton's London Iced Tea

Isabella Mary Beeton - Rooibos Tea infused Tanqueray No.TEN, Muddled Ginger, Ruinart Champagne

5th Duke of Rutland - Tatratea Liqueur, Cognac, Angostura Bitters, Absinthe, Ruinart Champagne

The Champagne Teas are smartly served with the Ruinart Champagne on the side for you to add, whilst the Gin Teas are ready to go. They wouldn't be my first tipple of choice, but they suit the occasion well.  Each teapot has its own little garnish to set them apart, but we lost track pretty early on.  Perhaps some delightful labels wouldn't go amiss? 

Elsewhere, the attention to detail at Mr.Fogg's is overwhelming - the magnificent décor; the immaculately dressed staff; the classical soundtrack; "The Illustrated London News" with upcoming events. This is clearly the Mayfair branch of the Inception Group (Bunga Bunga, Maggie's, Barts).  

Check out their new 1940s Underground Station themed bar - Cahoots

If you don't fancy stopping in for tea, the bar is just as delightful on a regular evening, or you could turn up for their Monday night talks - David Harper from BBC antiques shows is up next on 27th April. 

Mr.Fogg's Tipsy Tea is currently running every Friday at 3.01pm til 6.01pm and every Saturday at 2.01pm-4.01pm and 4.16pm-6.16pm. Mr.Fogg's is also gearing up for summer - a Hendricks Botanical Garden is currently being constructed outside.

Tipsy Tea Prices: £38/person for Tipsy Tea with Single Teapot // £58/person for Tipsy Tea with Bottomless Gin Teapot // £68/person for Tipsy Tea with Bottomless Champagne Teapot

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Tuesday 24th March - Haven't you always wanted to eat street food in a private vault whilst listening to some jazz from Mitch Winehouse and his band? Well NOW YOU CAN! 

Voltaire in Blackfriars has invited three of London's best street food traders to take over their kitchens until late May, as they also launch as a music venue in partnership with the Amy Winehouse Foundation.  Here are your food options:

1. The Cheese Truck - 25th March-10th April - Wednesday-Friday evenings, 5.30pm-10pm

Grilled cheese sandwiches. Simple. Gooey. Delicious. What the #foodporn hashtag was created for.

Cheese toasties are a big deal. Along with The Cheese Truck, we've got Grill My Cheese and Morty & Bob's slinging sandwiches on the streets, and The Melt Room setting up shop soon in Soho.  Get down to Voltaire to feast on this:

- Classic Keen's Cheddar, Ogleshield and Mixed Onion (£6.50)

- Cropwell Bishop Stilton, Sweet Cure Bacon and Pear Chutney (£7)

- Rosary Goat's Cheese, Honey and Walnuts with Rosemary Butter (£7)

- Queso Chihuahua Cheese, Chorizo and Rocket (£7.50)

Plus fondue fries, triple cheese croquettes with chilli and chorizo jam, and sweet stilton, dark chocolate and walnut brownies. Yes please. Read more about The Cheese Truck here.

2. Bill or Beak - 15th April-22nd May - Wednesday-Friday evenings, 5.30pm-10pm

Mega burgers built around duck (bill) and chicken (beak) - good luck with the first bite.

Some of the friendliest traders on the circuit, Bill or Beak made waves at Wapping Market in 2014, and ended the year in style running their own Turntables popup in Hackney Wick (along with The Cheese Truck and a few others).  Here's what you're having:

- Bill - shredded duck and pork, spring onions, coriander, mint, and a Vietnamese dressing with tempura shallots (£5)

- Beak - grilled, corn-fed chicken, Caesar anchovy dressing, tempura capers, rosemary croutons, and fresh parmesan (£5 - or both for £9)

Plus fries topped with house hoisin, pickled cucumber mayo, topped with chicken scratchings (£4.50)

Award-winning shot of the Beak burger by @annixontong

Bill AND Beak - captured by the mighty Gaztronome

The Bill or Beak brunch special - occasionally spotted at Wapping Market

3. Randy's Wing Bar - 6th-22nd May - Wednesday-Friday evenings, 5.30pm-10pm

No, not Randy Swing Bar. Careful on Google now... and don't ask which one of them is Randy.

Richard and Andy (get it now?) burst on to the street food scene with their signature Buffalo Wings after an extensive wing tasting pilgrimage to USA (it's a tough life), and are now working towards a permanent location.  If you don't catch them at Voltaire, try and get tickets for London Wing Fest before they're all gone.  Here's what to expect:

- Randy's Buffalo Wings with blue cheese and celery (£4.50 for 4)

- Randy's Asian Wings sprinkled with crushed fried peanuts and toasted sesame seeds (£4.50 for 4)

- Randy's Buffalo Shrimp with Lemon & Dill Dip (£5)

Plus Chicken Scratchings with Rosemary Salt or Asian 7 Spice (£3.50)

If you miss out at Voltaire, there will always be another chance to catch these fine foodies at work elsewhere.  Both The Cheese Truck and Bill or Beak are popping up at The Job Centre's Kitchen Hijack in Deptford throughout April for example.  

For more street food fun, keep tabs on the likes of Southbank Centre Food Market, Kerb and Street Feast.  The latter is gearing up to relaunch the brilliant Model Market in Lewisham on 17/18 April, with Dalston Yard and a brand new Shoreditch Yard site following soon after. It's going to be a great Summer!

Cartizze Bar - The Whip - Underground Drinking Club

Friday 4th April - A rambling List outing normally involves a sensible mix of cafés, pubs, breweries, restaurants and bars.  This time it went - cocktail bar, cocktail bar, cocktail bar.  Let's see how well that panned out...

The evening started in style in the heart of Mayfair with List Leader Natalie.  We made our way to Lancashire Court, the Diagon Alley of Mayfair, for the launch of Cartizze, a classy cocktail bar with a penchant for prosecco.  It is tucked underneath Mayfair Pizza Co., with Mews of Mayfair and Hush also nearby in the fairytale hidden courtyard.

Lancashire Court by day

Cartizze is named after the revered 1000 foot high Prosecco vineyards in Veneto, and some Italian class has been brought to the bar with a Nero Marquina marble fireplace, just one detail amongst many in a stunning bar.  Vintage cocktail shakers are dotted around, and the backbar is a treasure trove of glassware rather than the usual overwhelming rows of bottles one can't afford.

Cartizze Bar

We were shown to our seats (table service only so worth booking ahead) and greeted with some delightful bar snacks.  Master mixologist Rich Woods (UK winner of the Bombay Sapphire ‘World’s Most Imaginative Bartender’ 2014) was on hand to talk through some of his cocktail creations.  

We started off with the silky smooth Olive Oil Gin Fizz (Gin, lemon, lemon sugar, olive oil, egg white prosecco) and the quirky Truffled Liquorice Sour (Chivas Whisky, lemon, egg white, liquorice, sugar, truffle).  The strong truffle flavour was particularly present in the foamy head of the sour, and will definitely divide opinions.  We were both very taken with it, though agreed that one might be enough.  The Olive Oil Gin Fizz was sublime and Natalie was tempted to stick to it all night.

Olive Oil Gin Fizz

Truffled Liquorice Sour

Bar snacks at Cartizze

We worked our way through several more impressive cocktails, including the delicious Amor y Amargo (amaretto, cynar, apricot liqueur, lemon, egg white, vanilla sugar, prosecco), a seasonal Rhubarb (rhubarb liqueur, fresh rhubarb, prosecco), a boozy Mayfair Elegante (light rum, gin, blood orange liqueur, clarified citrus, bitters), and a seasonal Sicilian Gimlet (blood orange gin, blood orange and lemon cordial)

I took an enjoyably bitter path with a Barrel Aged Negroni, a Sbagliato (Campari, Sweet Vermouth, Prosecco) and a Mayfair Aperitivo (Punt e Mes, fresh grapefruit, orange, tonic).  The barrel aged cocktails will change every now and then - ask on the night for more details.

The palate cleansing Sgroppino (limoncello sorbet, lemon verbena liqueur, prosecco) was attractively presented as three scoops of sorbet bathing in a pool of lemon liqueur & prosecco.

Mayfair Elegante

Five more fantastic cocktails from Cartizze Bar

A lot of effort has also been put into the concise food menu, with the likes of Truffled Salted Peanuts, Tuna Tartare with Candied Chilli and Cucumber and San Daniele Ham wrapped figs with Truffle Honey & Roquette making it on to the list.  

The two most theatrical dishes were the 36 month old parmesan with 12 year old balsamic vinegar and the Hand Dived Orkney Isles Scallops & Smoked Pancetta in Brioche Buns.  There was enough parmesan for most of the room, and it turned up with its own smoking chamber.  Meanwhile, the scallop & pancetta sliders arrived on a Himalayan salt board.  Only a few months ago I had been mocking Natalie for buying one as a gift, having never heard of it before, and here one was in all its glory!

Be prepared for Mayfair prices and you will have a fantastic time at Cartizze.  The location is date heaven, the cocktails & food are top notch, and the service is charming.  One waitress was particularly attentive, or so we thought until we realised there were twins working the floor!  The jazz soundtrack was the icing on the cake.  Highly recommended!

Rich Woods - The Cocktail Guy at Cartizze

Lancashire Court by night

I had somewhere to be at 11pm, so we had time for one more drink in the neighbourhood.  We decided to call in at The Whip, a Kentucky Derby inspired julep bar tucked away above The Running Horse pub.  The classic Mayfair boozer (dating back to 1738) was reopened at the end of 2013 by James Chase (Chase Distillery) and Dominic Jacobs (former bar director at Sketch), and the 1st floor cocktail bar followed in early 2014.

The pub itself has an exciting cocktail list including Beetroot Lemon Balm Sours (Williams Chase GB Gin, Beetroot Juice, Pressed Lemon, Lemon Balm, Egg White, Honey) and Blackberry & IPA Tankard (Fresh Blackberries, Stem Ginger, Chase Rhubarb Vodka, Pressed Lemon, IPA) amongst other Chase-based concoctions.  Masterchef (The Professionals) quarter-finalist Andrew Justice's food menu is also very appealing with the likes of Hand Chopped Rump Skirt Of Beef with Triple Cooked Chips & Onion Marmalade and Steamed Toffee Banana Pudding with Salted Toffee Sauce, Banana Crisp & Clotted Iced Cream making me want to come back for a second visit.  Downstairs was rather busy though, so we plodded up to The Whip which was an oasis of calm in comparison.

Juleps are the order of the day and we struggled to choose from a very strong list.  In the end, I put a tenner on a No.1 Whip Julep (Chase Rhubarb Vodka, Williams Chase GB Extra Dry Gin, Lemon, Sugar Syrup, Mint Leaves, Basil Leaves, Cracked Black Pepper, Soda Water) which performed admirably.  I consulted the 3 step Julep drinking guide in the menu before holding down the strainer and sipping from the pewter cup.

No.5 (with Compass Box Aslya & Compass Box Spice Tree) and No.6 (with Plantation Gran Anejo, Tawny Port and Nutmeg) will have to wait for another time, as will the enticing bar menu that features Scallop Ceviche, Lamb Cutlets and Duck Ham & Rhubarb.  The perfect time to return is the weekend of the Kentucky Derby, coming soon on 2nd-3rd May.  See you then.

Bar food at The Whip

I had to rush off early as I had secured a booking for an 11pm-1am slot at the mysterious Underground Drinking Club (UDC) that was popping up for one night only somewhere in Old Street Station.  I parted company with Natalie and headed East to meet up with Tim, Andy and Roban, not knowing quite what to expect.  All we knew was that we had 2 hours of cocktail-based entertainment for £20/head.  I had faith in Offbeat Network responsible for UDC having previously been to their highly enjoyable Drink Feast event in late 2013.  

It was easy enough to find within the station as a queue was forming outside a normally empty shop space, making passers by feel out of the loop. 

Underground Drinking Club in Old Street Station

Once the 9-11pm punters had cleared the room, we made our way in and settled down on communal tables, with cross party socialising highly encouraged by Grouper Social Club, the other company behind UDC which is soon to launch in London after success in New York.  We befriended Charles and Estelle, making use of some entertaining flash cards with facts & questions on that were left on the table.  I had a hunch that the final 11-1 slot would be the most entertaining as the bartenders started to let their hair down at the end of an intense session that started at 5pm, and I wasn't wrong as you might deduce from some of the photos.  

Tim arrived late and had a disturbing flirtatious interaction with a bartender across the room in an attempt to catch up with one of the opening cocktails - a "welcome dance" sealed the deal.  The bartender eventually came over and introduced himself as William Pineapple, before encouraging us to choose some cocktail ingredients from the herbs & fruit left on the table.  The base spirits sponsoring the event were Langley's, Johnnie Walker and Russian Standard - we stuck to gin and whisky (as far as we know).

It all got a bit weird after the first round, and I won't go into too much detail as the photos say more than I ever could.  Drinks were spilled, plants were abused, lemons were eaten, shirts were swapped, bartenders were topless (Mr.Pineapple), fire was created, and shots were consumed.  The drinks were different (and very drinkable) every time, and by the end we had definitely made some new friends, which I imagine was half the point.  Two hours flew by but we absolutely got our £20 worth, both in terms of entertainment and booze.  Keep your ears to the ground for news on the next pop-up (or sign up to the mailing list). 

Wide range of drinks from the Underground Drinking Club

Lemons and tomatoes are tasty. No idea who bottom left is.

Tim & Charles bottom right ; Tomato based cocktail top right

Charles, our new best friend

William Pineapple dishing out the shots

William, Roban and some Langley's

The topless guy was our bartender.