Matt The Jaunts : London Fields to Hackney Wick

Matt The Jaunts preamble: Whenever I take Matt The List abroad (keep an eye out for #MattTheTrips on Twitter / Instagram) we fit in as much as possible each day, from the pre-brunch coffee and doughnut (two separate stops of course) right through to the final nightcap at a 4am bar or a late night pizza delivery (thank God for Sizzle Pie).

Highlights have included 15 food & booze stops and as many miles of walking on my first day in NYC with Tim back in 2014, and similar hauls more recently in Paris and Portland (Oregon) with a strong team, all of which deserve proper posts on here at some point.

After a silly summer of travelling and ticking off a tonne of places (including 120 joints around West Coast USA in 14 days), visiting American friends inspired us to embark on similar outings around London.  It's an expensive game, and particularly exhausting for those with hefty work schedules, but we always love London a little bit more after an epic day out exploring.

So that's what Matt The Jaunts is...

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Route 1 : London Fields to Hackney Wick

Mentmore Terrace in London Fields

10.30am - Two tubes, two buses, and a train later, and boom I'm in London Fields. Just like that. Our first stop is Patty & Bun 'The Arch' on Mentmore Terrace.  All-time leading points scorer Tim is already seated and has got his legs out. 

Brunch buns are served from 10am-4pm on Saturdays and 10am-7pm Sunday, otherwise it's Smokey Robinson burgers all round. I power through a magnificent Smoked Ox Cheek, Scrambled Egg, Westcombe Cheddar & Pickled Chilli Bun (£6.50) whilst Tim desperately tries to contain Cheesy Scrambled Egg, Smoked Guacamole, Slow Roasted Tomatoes & Spring Onion Creme Fraiche (£5.50). Delicious carnage. Allpress Filter coffee with unlimited refills for £2 doesn't hurt either.

Smoked Ox Cheek Bun with Scrambled Egg, Westcombe Cheddar & Pickled Chilli at Patty & Bun "The Arch"

11am - We can't resist popping in to E5 Bakehouse next door for a treat. Brunch looks good here too, but on this occasion we come away with a gooey chocolate and sea salt cookie. They are pretty serious about their bread here, and there are often baking and cooking classes to get involved with. If you are craving pizza, pop in here on Sundays (or head to Lardo nearby). E5 Bakehouse is open 7am-7pm every day.

Looking for more coffee stops nearby? Try Climpson's Arch, Bolt or Coffee is My Cup of Tea.

Sea salt and chocolate cookie from E5 Bakehouse

11.30am - Two points already in the bag, and it's time for a loosener. Netil Market is hiding a teeny, tiny brewery and beer shop called ºPlato Brewing and Supplies so we stopped by for some 5% How Now Nut Brown Ale and a 5.4% Tenterhook IPA, direct from the source. Locals Olly and James join us, but they stick to classy cans of Red Stripe from another stall.

Netil Market is a glorious place; possibly London's loveliest little market. Be sure to visit if you haven't before, and start with a Bao bun and a Terrone coffee. It's open every Saturday from 11am-6pm.

Never been round the corner to Broadway Market? Head to The Cat & Mutton for Mother Clucker fried chicken, Hill & Szrok for next-level meat, and Kansas Smitty's for jazz and juleps.

Beer taps at Plato Brewing & Supplies in Netil Market

Plato Brewing & Supplies beers in Netil Market

12pm - Since it's sunny, we head up countless (three) flights of stairs to reach the Netil 360 Rooftop, only to find that it's their "closing party" and £3 entry despite it being a) midday and b) totally empty. No deal. 

We celebrate our combined £12 saving by snacking on artisan croissants and a Breton-style Kouign-amann (key-in-your-man) from Yeast Bakery. N.B. It's only open on Saturdays from 9.30am-5pm (at the time of writing). 

A couple more local London Fields tips: 

- A new bar and restaurant from Night Tales called NT's has just opened with top booze, a great view, and banging food from street food heroes Morty & Bob's. Check out my photos from a recent visit on Matt The Tumblr. 

- Leo Carreira is about to start his residency at Climpson's Arch. Som Saa will be a hard act to follow, but the ex-Viajante chef is more than capable of handling that.

Kouign-amanns from Yeast Bakery

12.30pm - We trade O&J in for Sparkles, an experienced team member from our recent USA road trip, and head down Well Street towards the relatively new Mother Kelly's Bottle Shop. I'm a huge fan of the original Mother Kelly's in Bethnal Green. This little sister site in Homerton is currently just open for bottle sales and growler fills - no drinking in. Ask nicely and you can taste some stuff from the taps. Rumour has it they are converting the basement in to a drinking den. I'll be back. Damn fine bottle selection unsurprisingly.

After something stronger? Head over to Brahms & Liszt on Chatsworth Road for all the Mezcal and more in an off-beat off license and tasting room from Quiquiriqui queen Melanie Symonds.

Growler fill station at Mother Kelly's Bottle Shop

Great sharing bottles at Mother Kelly's Bottle Shop

Cans for the road from Mother Kelly's Bottle Shop

1pm - We purchase some high-class roadie cans for later, and head a few doors down to The Gun, a charming little pub with a vintage façade. The nice lady behind the bar kindly agrees to chill our Mother Kelly's stash whilst we sip on brews from Buxton, Partizan and Pressure Drop, and watch Spurs struggle against City.

1.30pm - Ella comes to join in the fun, and we ascend to The Gun's modest rooftop for a game or two of Shut The Box. I proceed to Batten Down The Hatches at the first time of asking. Downstairs, Spurs have found their shooting boots. It's all coming together.

Anything else nearby? Well Street Kitchen looks friendly, and a new neighbourhood bar called Machine No.3 is opening any day now.

The Gun on Well Street

Shut The Box!

2.30pm - Ella is too good at Shut(ting) The Box so we push on for Hackney Wick with our crafty Mother Kelly's cans, stopping for roadside LPs at Vinyl Pimp and incredibly slow coffees at The Hackney Pearl, a colourful café with lots of al fresco seating.

Seminal records at Vinyl Pimp

The Hackney Pearl

3pm - We level up from a strong quartet to a five-a-side team as List Leader 2013-14 Natalie joins us at Hackney Wick station. We march on to Crate Brewery and Pizzeria for... well, beers and pizza. It's a marvellous spot for outdoor boozing on the canal, especially when the sun is out, though the interior design is worth a look too, as is their Brew-Shed events space down the road.

The core beers are solid if not terribly exciting, though a couple of specials and a Crate sour catch the eye before I realise there are some awesome American bottles in the fridge.  A big bottle of The Bruery Reueze all the way from San Diego is reasonably priced - another beer is ticked off the bucket list.

Their pizzas do the job, though there are many better and less expensive examples of the genre in London these days. Across the car park, Burgerhub are slinging out enormous burgers for £6 - just sayin'. Our sixth and final team member Andy heads straight for it.

Crate Brewery and Pizzeria

A bottle of The Bruery Rueuze from San Diego at Crate Brewery and Pizzeria

Courgette, Feta, Red Onion and Gremolata pizza at Crate Brewery & Pizzeria

4.30pm - Our ultimate stop is the Howling Hops Tank Room bar, where 10 beers are served super fresh, directly from the brewery tanks. It's a beautiful, enormous room, evoking America's spacious brewery taprooms more than our Network Rail cupboards. Howling Hops grew up brewing out of The Cock Tavern's basement, but they have really moved up the property ladder here - something to aspire to!

Howling Hops Tank Room Bar

Howling Hops Tank Room Bar

Tim & Sparkles sharing

Natalie's tankards

Big Ella or small beer?

From Howling Hops, our ninth stop in 6 hours, we all go our separate ways, though there's plenty else nearby to enjoy. Counter Café & Roastery is another special spot on the canal, and you could peek behind the scenes Sandows cold brew coffee brewery and Truman's Beer round the corner if you so wish.

Got some suggestions for additions to this route? Want to send us out around another part of London? Leave comments below and I'll get back to you straight away.

Scores on the doors - 9 food & drink stops, 8 of them new to us: Tim (8), Sparkles (4), Ella (4), Olly (2), James (2), Natalie (1), Andy (1). Check the Team List leaderboard here.

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Coming up on Matt The Jaunts : 

King's Cross to Camden // Duck & Waffle to Dandelyan // Balham to Brixton 

Night Tales - Wigwambam - Cafe Pistou - Jerusalem Tavern

On the blog today - Mezzanine whisky, hot cocktails & street food at Night Tales, marshmallow roasting in a rooftop wigwam, comforting provençale food at the new Café Pistou, and a classic London boozer in Clerkenwell.

 

Friday 7th November - Street Feast rule the evening street food scene, but last Winter, Night Tales gave them a run for their money with a stunning pop-up in Dalston.  They are back again, but this time slightly more central in the Red Gallery space where Old Street, Rivington Street & Great Eastern Street all come together.

Pop-up dates: 

Fri-Sat - Nov 14th, Nov 15th
Fri-Sat - Nov 21st, Nov 22nd 
Thu-Sat - Nov 27th, Nov 28th, Nov 29th
Thu-Sat - Dec 4th, Dec 5th, Dec 6th
Thu-Sat - Dec 11th, Dec 12th, Dec 13th
Thu-Sat - Dec 18th, Dec 19th, Dec 20th

Night Tales is always open for food, booze and beats from 6pm-midnight (£4 entry), and running every Saturday in December from 12 – 5pm is a carefully curated Christmas Arts and Craft Market. You can expect to find unique gifts, street art installations and performances.

We rocked up at around 6.45pm when the queue was already heaving - go early before they reach capacity.  They have done wonders with the space - beautiful lighting welcomes you in before your eyes are drawn to the street food traders, the buzzing bars and the cosy corners with hanging gardens. Cast your eyes up to spot the raised mezzanine whisky bar which affords great views of the fun at ground level.

On our visit, we could choose from Voodoo Ray's, Patty & Bun, The Rum Kitchen, Yum Bun, Morty & Bob, Popdogs and Randy's Wing Bar on the food front.

It had to be Patty & Bun to start, and we stuffed ourselves with an Ari Gold (a superb cheeseburger enhanced by special smokey P&B mayo) and some Shrimp Poppaz (Fried Shrimp with Black Tomato & Urfa salsa, topped with chilli, tomato and spring onions).  They also have The Pig Dipper (a messy pork belly creation) and Skinny Chips (with roast chicken mayo and chicken skin salt).  We followed this up with the reliably delicious Yum Bun, and I suggest you do the same.  

Voodoo Ray's Pizza - based in Dalston

Shots of Patty & Bun

Morty & Bob's Grilled Cheese

Yum Bun

There are three bars to get involved with, and we headed straight for Tales of Whiskey up the stairs. It's a dedicated whisky bar with a strong cocktail offering too, including Boulevardiers (a Negroni for whisky fans), Bacon Old Fashioneds, and Rose Sours (Bourbon, lemon, sugar and a Rose Champagne syrup reduction).

Boulevardier

Rose Sour and Boulevardier

Back on the ground level, there's also the Hot (and Cold) Cocktail Hut where you can pick up Five Spiced Mulled Negronis, Night Espresso Martinis and Almond White Russians, and a more standard bar with wine and beers to get you through the evening.

Night Espresso Martinis

Ella keeping warm

With no winter version of Street Feast in sight, Night Tales is most definitely the place to be at the moment.  Take a bunch of friends, get in early and grab a garden booth for the evening - you won't want to leave!

Matt The Tip - for a similar experience in Hackney Wick, try out Turntables, a new food, drink & DJ venture opening up in the old Smokey Tails spot on the waterfront.  Bill or Beak, The Cheese Truck, Popdogs and White Men Can't Jerk are already confirmed for street food.  The launch night is tomorrow (Thursday 13th November - 5-11pm) and they will be open every Friday-Sunday until 20th December.

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Whilst in East London, we couldn't resist a quick trip to the Wigwambam, one of my favourite annual pop-ups.  For the winter months, the roof of Queen of Hoxton is transformed in to a wigwam & bonfire retreat with a real festival vibe.  This year, the theme (which isn't strictly necessary) is Woodlandia.

It's open from 4pm Monday-Saturday, with rotating daily food options on the central BBQ, and heart-warming drinks options to match.  Feeling pretty full already, we stuck to marshmallows and committed to smelling of smoke for a few days by huddling around one of their bonfires outside the atmospheric wigwam.

Unorthodox Marshmallow Technique - don't try this at home.

Here are some more details on the food, drink and events on offer at Wigwambam this time around:

Hot Drinks:

- Hot Buttered Rum £6
- Egg Snog £7 (A modern take on a winter classic: egg nog with Monkey Shoulder)
- Warm & Toasty Toddy £6 (A homemade infusion served with Monkey Shoulder / Zubrowka)

Wigwambam's Woodlandia BBQ: - cooked in front of you the  central ‘schwenkgrill’ 

Daily menu: 

 -Five-Bean Flame Finished Jacket Potato­ (option to add Burnt Ends)
- Wild Salmon and Herb ‘En Papillote’ (cooked in paper)

Rotating menu: 

- Monday & Tuesday – Venison Burger / Wild Boar Spiral Sausages
- Wednesday – Slow Gin Pulled Lamb Shoulder
- Thursday – Tender Bourbon Smoked BBQ Beef Brisket
- Friday & Saturday – Apricot & Herb Stuffed Pork Loin / Garlic & Rosemary Spiked Lamb Leg

- Served with Garlic Pot Roasted Root Veg // Wild Slaw with Beetroot, Radish & Carrot

Rooftop Events:

This season, Woodlandia WigWamBam will host ‘Drink & Do’ workshop events that include origami workshops starting on 11th November (National Origami Day) and ‘Republic of Somerset’, a traditional cider tasting with a specially curated BBQ menu hosted by The Cider Box on 15th November. They've also teamed up with Lottie the Cocktail Gardener (from Midnight Apothecary in Rotherhithe) to host a cocktail master class in January, teaching you how to use herbs and flowers to infuse, garnish and flavour cocktails.

 

Wednesday 5th November - Watch as I neatly segue from Wigwambam to Cafe Pistou where their Shepherd's Pie is presented in a bizarre wigwam style - scroll down for that to work...

Café Pistou is a charming, all day provençale brasserie that has just opened on the fringes of Exmouth Market where Strada used to be.  It's a good looking place with the old stripped-back décor and some pretty funky lighting.  It's also bigger than it first appears with a few more covers tucked away in a quirky little extension at the back.  

Café Pistou should come into its own in the summer when the doors and windows can be opened up on to the streets, but it's a perfectly cosy candlelit dining spot for now.

I kept it French with a bottle of 6.8% Meteor Wendelinus (Crate & Redchurch beers are also available), whilst Natalie started strong with an excellent Provençal Martini (£8.50) which involved vermouth infused with provençal herbs.  

Some other cocktails of interest:

- Spicy Fig & Watermelon Martini - Finlandia, fig liqueur, watermelon juice & chilli syrup.

- French Negroni - Grey Goose L’Orange, suze, Noilly Prat rouge & pink grapefruit 

- Pear Thyme Sour - Grey Goose La Poire, thyme liqueur, lemon juice, egg white & Peychaud bitters

Meteor Wendelinus - 6.8%

"Light bites" and "Small Plates" all arrived at once.  

- Fougasse - Traditional Provençal bread with a pistou dip - £4

- Pissaladiere - Puff pastry tart with caramelised onions, Chorizo and goat’s cheese - £4

- Salt Cod Croquettes in crispy breadcrumbs with a sweet pepper & tomato mayonnaise dip - £6

All three were simple, light, delicious and easy to share, and there are plenty of reserve choices on the menu if those don't take your fancy including Courgette Flowers and Barbajuan's (Deep-fried Provençal ‘wontons’ with a goat’s cheese & honey pepper dip).

Pissaladiere with caramalised onions, chorizo & goat's cheese

Salt Cod Croquettes

No more than 5 minutes later, our "large plates" also arrived.  I have never had such rapid service in my life!  It suited me fine, but if they keep this up they won't make a lot of money on drinks, and someone aiming for a long & romantic French dinner might find themselves back at home in front of Take Me Out sooner than they had hoped.

- Chargrilled lamb cutlets, pistou and sunblush tomatoes - £18

- Provencal Shepherd's Pie with ratatouille, feta cheese, Puy lentils, chickpea purée and spiced feuille de brique - £9

The lamb cutlets were unsurprisingly full of flavour - eat with your hands if you want to get your money's worth.  The big surprise though was the twist on a Shepherd's Pie, with a flaky and tasty wigwam outer shell that Natalie enjoyed destroying once photos had been taken.  The reward was a comforting dish that I could eat all day, perfect for this time of year.

Chargrilled Lamb Cutlets

Shepherd's Pie, apparently!

And to finish:

- Vanilla Creme Brulee - £5.50
- The Pistou -  Charcoal roast plums with blackcurrant, plum & olive oil sauce, vanilla mascarpone and blackcurrant sorbet. Served with a caramel & pine nut crisp and basil sugar - £6

Having seen an epic Creme Brulee on a neighbouring table, we knew that was a safe bet.  Meanwhile, The Pistou was a generous bowl of sweet treats though it was a little busy and confused - we would have liked more of the caramel & pine nut crisp and basil sugar, and slightly less of the overpowering blackcurrant sorbet. We enjoyed cutely presented coffees at the same time.

Creme Brulee

The Pistou

Café Pistou is a lovely addition to the delightful Exmouth Market food & drink scene.  Pair it with a trip to the Exmouth Arms and Café Kick to make a night of it.

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Three courses and cocktails in record time meant the night was young, so we wandered over to The Jerusalem Tavern (named after the Priory of St. John of Jerusalem) for one (or two) more drinks.  

Matt The Fact - "The Jerusalem Tavern is both fabulously historic and a complete fabrication. Although the premises date from the early 18th century, the current shopfront wasn’t added until 1810 and the place didn't open as a pub until the 1990s."

But who cares how old it is? It's still a London institution, with St.Peter's Brewery beers from Suffolk the main attraction, and ludicrously cheap whiskies on the back bar.  After some IPA and Red Ale, we switched over to Ardbeg 10 and Auchentoshan 12 (both around £3.50 per dram).  You can also buy mini-kegs and gift packs of St.Peter's beer to take home - I bet they make a killing on Christmas Eve when all their punters realise they forgot to get any presents...

And that's pretty much all you need to know.  They've got hot food, cosy corners, friendly bar staff, affordable booze, and a great atmosphere.  A true London gem.

N.B. The Jerusalem Tavern is open 11am-11pm on weekdays - it is closed at the weekends.