Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town - Wigwambam - Kimchinary

It's been a slow week venturing out for The List thanks to another fun London tube strike, so I'm considering spending next week in Dawlish or Sochi to get away from it all.  Who's with me?

Friday 31st January - In a simpler time, when certain employees of TFL decided to actually do their job, I made my way over to Liverpool Street to try out a few places, starting with a trip to see the Mayor.

The Breakfast Club started life in Soho back in 2005 but has since spread its wings to Angel, Hoxton, Spitalfields and Battersea.  The Spitalfields branch was the first to get on the speakeasy train with their hidden bar, The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town.  When it first opened, you needed to ask to see the Mayor before being led through a Smeg Fridge to the downstairs bar but this formality seems to have disappeared over time.  

Depending on when you arrive, you may face a short wait in The Breakfast Club itself (which is one good looking place), or if you time it really badly, a queue around the block!  The Breakfast Club gets extremely busy for weekend brunch, so The Mayor opens up from 12pm on Saturdays & Sundays to serve more brunch behind the fridge - a late weekend afternoon might be your best bet for getting in straight away.

We rocked up at 6.30 last Friday and there was only standing space available, but before too long we squeezed into two seats at the bar - the only place one should ever sit in a cocktail bar.  Not only do you get the most out of the entertaining bartenders, you also get the best view of the eye-catching decor.

Cocktails are £9 with the exception of the £11 King Yellowman's Answer which won the Rumfest 2012 cocktail competition with its tempting mix of pineapple, Blackwell rum, pear juice, lime juice and coffee, topped off with a flaming, over-proof rum filled scotch bonnet.  Click here to see Mayoress Kate Jackson take you through the recipe.  

Golden Hind was an interesting blend of Kamm & Son's (Gingseng spirit), gin, lemon, red grapes, sage, ginger and fresh apple.  Our entertaining barman gleefully added in The King's Ginger liqueur in the absence of fresh ginger, but to be honest it could have done with even more booze as it was almost too drinkable.  A refreshing Spitalfields Spritz with Aperol, coriander, bitter lemon and Prosecco also disappeared very quickly.  I highly recommend Tommy's Chilli & Lemongrass Margarita having had it previously elsewhere.  I might go for the chicken-filtered mezcal next time I'm in.

For the most part, the cocktail list is simple but solid, allowing the buzzing atmosphere to take centre stage. Get in early on weekdays (it opens at 5pm), order some of the Mayor's cat food, and don't forget to leave via the My Little Pony / He-Man wallpapered toilets to preserve the hidden entrance feel.

If you want The Breakfast Club cocktails without the worry of waiting, try out The King of Ladies Man in Battersea, their relaxed 70s bachelor pad bar tucked away behind a fake laundrette -great for disco drinks, interesting bottled beers, and any food that revolves around cheese (order the Smokey Joe Mac n Cheese). Watch this space for details on their next branch in London Bridge which will be opening soon complete with a tequila-driven "Mr Lucky" bar somewhere inside.

For our second stop, I decided to revisit one of my favourite popups from 2013 - Wigwambam on the roof of Queen of Hoxton.  If you make it past the unnecessary bouncer, through the sticky ground floor and up several flights of stairs, you will be rewarded with one of London's coolest (and hottest) hangouts.  It gets pretty busy, but if you can't pack into the boiling wigwam (heated by a massive central BBQ) then you can spill out on to the attractive open air rooftop space.

It is almost identical to last year's popup with the addition of some Nordic inspired "Eastern Lights" visuals which are projected on to the interior and exterior of the wigwam. Hot drinks are still good value at £5.50 / £6 - sadly there was Pumpkin Spiced Cider left, but hot buttered rum and hot gin punch hit the spot.  Every day something different is cooked on the central BBQ, and the Crispy Pork Leg with Chestnut and Herb Stuffing smelled fantastic.  You can also get yourself 5 marshmallows for a pound to roast over the open fire.

The Wigwambam website has this mysterious message:

"If you have a keen eye, be prepared to unearth a discovery of your own elsewhere on the rooftop. Explorer, Arthur Lane has made his mark on the Queen of Hoxton and it’s up to you to tweet your findings for fellow pioneers to uncover too..."  

I'm pretty sure this amounts to free drinks tokens hidden around the tent - let me know if you find any!  The website also states that there are several "Drink and Do" events including spoon carving, pinhole photography, speed listening (?), pumpkin carving and origami workshops - check the Facebook site for details.  Even more exciting, you can hire the whole place out by sending an email to jennie@mothershipgroup.com

We resisted the crispy pork leg and made our way over to the Catch Bar at the Hoxton end of Kingsland Road.  Catch is a lively little bar which is making a name for itself with top food residencies.  All last year, Death by Burrito were in the house serving up contemporary Mexican street food alongside a Ryan Chetiyawardana (White Lyan) cocktail list.  Now the keys to the kitchen have been handed over to KERB regulars Kimchinary for at least 3 months, every Wednesday-Sunday.

Hanna Soderlund is the crafty chef behind Kimchinary and has brought her popular Korean / Mexican tacos and some exciting side dishes to Shoreditch.  Meanwhile Catch have put on a flavour paired drinks menu of Korean Soju and British Craft Beers.  We had to wait a few minutes for a table, so we started off with pints of the local Pressure Drop Pale Fire and resisted the urge not to belt out some of the wonderfully cheesy tunes that Catch were playing.

As soon as we were seated we got stuck into the tacos (£6 for two) which arrived almost as soon as we ordered them! Each one is a work of art but you won't be able to look at them for long without stuffing them in your face. We all went for different approaches for minimising mess but this is not a knives & forks meal. We started with Gojuchang Pulled Pork with apple & sesame coleslaw, house kimchi and chives.  This ended up being our favourite and the portions got bigger and bigger as we ordered more!   

Best looking taco of the night goes to the Buttermilk Fried Squid with celeriac & radicchio remoulade and kimchi guacamole - delicious.  

The "Bulgogi" Ox Cheek and Tongue taco with radish kimchi, blackened spring onion and horseradish wasn't as photogenic, but it was no less tasty.  Dukbokki was the standout side option - a sweet and spicy bowl of squishy gnocchi-esque Korean rice cakes with rainbow chard and rainbow shallots.  The Kimchi Chimichanga was also superb - don't be put off by the "mini burrito" description, the portion size is generous for a £4.50 side.

We washed all of Hanna's wonderful creations down with various craft beers, including the fine trio pictured above - Five Points Pale, Crate Golden Lager and Beavertown 8 Ball.  As it was a Friday night, many seemed to be just in for drinks but hopefully got peckish after a couple of beverages.  The food arrives so quickly that you can just keep ordering as you go.  The Catch Bar waitresses were very efficient and friendly, as was Hanna who we had a couple of chats with.  

Special mention has to go to one excellent member of Catch staff who was very helpful moving us around to different tables as our numbers expanded, and even did a little dance number for us to demonstrate that they were clearing space on the dance floor.  They certainly have some bizarre customers to deal with, including a couple who decided a busy bar was the best place to have sex, and a pushy pair who tried to nip in and sit on our table when we were standing over it.

Anyway, go and check out Kimchinary at Catch Bar (Wednesday-Sunday) as soon as you can - 3 months will fly by before you know it.  You can also find Hanna and her team at Kerb street food events.

Porky's - Brewdog - Blues Kitchen

Saturday 29th June - Trust the Northern Line to stop running on the one Saturday that I actually need to go to Camden (or does that happen every Saturday?).  Thankfully I was already most of the way up after my students had a concert in the Royal Academy of Music near Baker Street, so I hopped on a bus from Euston to get to Porky's BBQ near Camden Lock.  Team List for the evening consisted of List Leader Natalie, one-time List Leader Taro (making up for missed pulled pork after our trip to Pitt Cue Co) and Foreign Office Max (who was making the most of his last few days before being sent to Vilnius).  Max greeted me with a ludicrous present of a tiny violin, all the way from Mexico, which has proved to be a huge hit with my students.

Anyway, back to Porky's.  They have opened recently and serve up slow cooked meats and burgers with a great selection of sides.  They also have a wide range of draft and bottled beers - Fordham's Wisteria Wheat was particularly drinkable.  The cocktails available are all twists on a classic - we didn't get involved but it's an interesting list.  Porky's don't take bookings but there is plenty of space if you go at a sensible time, and a nice little garden at the back.  I love their logo, and regret not buying one of their staff t-shirts on the way out!  We ordered a mix of ribs and pulled pork with some mac & cheese, sweet potato fries, pulled pork croquettes and BBQ wings.  Everything was delicious, including the house gherkins on the side.  The pulled pork didn't quite match the offering from Lazybones for me, but it was still very tasty.  We were there at the same time as Ribstock was taking place in Haggerston - perhaps Porky's will make an appearance there next year?  

We decided to make a quick stop in Brewdog Camden for a post-piggy pint.  I first discovered Brewdog when I was up in Edinburgh for the Fringe festival a few years ago.  Their pubs are more like bars with dark stone walls and high stools and tables.  They brew their own excellent beer (start with Punk IPA and work your way up the ABV%) and have guest ales from pioneering breweries such as Nogne O and Mikeller.  The range of bottles is always top class too.    If you haven't been to a Brewdog bar before, you need to either order a Tactical Nuclear Penguin (32%) or a Sink the Bismarck (41%) - two of the strongest beers in the world, sold by the nip.  Brewdog Camden has a downstairs room called the Hop Bunker.  I'm not quite sure what goes on down there!   I think there is just more seating and rotating art exhibits.  Downstairs at Brewdog Shoreditch is slightly more exciting with the Underdog speakeasy serving beers and beer cocktails - some of you may remember that Underdog was part of the first ever List trip.

Finally, we headed over to the Blues Kitchen, a fun restaurant bar with live music every night to join my friend Tom (Homeslice team mate) for his birthday.  Check ahead to see when they start charging for entry.  The atmosphere is great, and the place was packed for most of the evening.  Beer options are lacking but there are cocktails on offer too including frozen margarita slushies.  Look up to see quirky lights made from gramophones and trumpets.  The music was lively and entertaining but the venue struggles to replicate the energy you get in the tiny Aint Nothin' But Blues Bar in Soho.  It's still a fantastic place to get together with friends and have an all in one food, drink and dancing night out, and there is always Proud nearby if you want to extend the evening.  I eventually hopped on to a night bus, which turned out to be the first of 3 after I fell asleep on the 44 and woke up in Earlsfield - sadly this is not the first time the 44 has sent me to sleep.  At least I didn't get as far as Tooting this time.

Stag's Head Hoxton - Dead Dolls Club - Dukes Brew and Que

Friday 24th May - Hot on the heels of Sister Jo and Fiancé Ant's Extreme Garnishing adventures in Clerkenwell, Sister Em and boyfriend Al got in touch about an evening in Hoxton and Haggerston to put some more points on the board.  I met Albert for a cheeky pint of Guinness in his new local boozer, Stag's Head Hoxton, whilst Emilio was speeding over (points for anyone who gets that videogame reference) from work.  Stag's Head is a quirky pub giving off a few different vibes - barbers waiting room / saloon complete with piano / cosy pub with fireplace / gig venue behind red curtains.  Check the website for events as they host everything from punk music to afternoon tea dances plus movie screenings and BBQ parties. 

We popped back to Al's new canal-side flat to collect Em and to briefly experience his ridiculous new electrostatic speakers and ploum sofa before heading along the canal to Haggerston.  I wanted to pop in to Street Feast to say hello to The Good Egg, and to have a quick drink in the lovely upstairs Gin Store - read about my first trip to Street Feast in Merchant Yard here.  I had a cocktail rather than craft beer this time around which was excellent and generous in size.  As I said before, it's one of my favourite places at the moment, and it won't be around for ever!  Apart from the free Street Feast every Friday, there are exciting one-off ticketed events coming up on Saturdays such as Craft Beer Battle (this Saturday), Ginstock and Ribstock which are run by Tweat Up.  

Ben Spalding Stripped Back "Menu"

We moved up the road for another quick drink at Dead Dolls Club, an attractive little bar restaurant set up and designed by Tinker & Tailor duo Adam Towner and Katy Gray Rosewarne who also run the creative studios called Dead Dolls Club Creative Studios in Hackney.  On the bar front, they have a special G&T menu alongside an interesting cocktail list.  I had a refreshing Bathtub and Tonic whilst Al had an extremely tasty Gardener cocktail.  The Foragers have sadly just ended a lengthy residency on the food side, but a new summer burger menu is on its way which promises to be delicious.  On Thursdays they also have live music - check the website for details.  They are making great use of a small space and the design is really eye catching - well worth a visit for food or drink or both!

We couldn't stay for long as we had a reservation down the road at Dukes Brew and Que, "home to Beavertown Brewery and the best smoked meat in town".  This has been high up on my List since Haggerston local Rayna recommended it to me.  It is extremely popular so make sure you book ahead.  They only had space at 21.00 for the three of us but we took it.  The atmosphere is fantastic with people spilling out on to the streets with food and drink.  The busy bar is worth visiting on its own - I had a local Beavertown mashup brew to start and a Moor Raw later on, both very drinkable.  Beavertown make a lot of excellent beers - 8 ball, smog rocket and their Alpha experimental series are all impressive.

The food lived up to my high expectations.  Embob went for a cute pulled pork slider, whilst I had its big brother which was one of the specials that day.  Al said his Duke's burger was the best he had tasted in London.  Everything was served in trays, similar to but shallower than the ones in Pitt Cue Co (another great place for smoked/slow-cookeds meats - read more here).  None of us went for their incredible looking ribs so I guess we'll have to return.  They also do an American Style Brunch on Sat/Sun from 11-3 - no reservations.  Check out the communal wash basin outside the saloon door toilets downstairs!  The staff were extremely friendly and fun throughout - we were honoured to be served by our Saviour (see picture below!).  Get on that Overground to Haggerston asap - with Street Feast, Tweat Up events, Dukes, Dead Dolls, Passing Clouds, Fox Craft Beer House plus much more further up Kingsland Road, you really are spoilt for choice.

Sister Em moves up into 12th place with 8 points - lots of work still to do but for the moment comfortably ahead of Sister Jo who is on 3 points.  One of my favourite List trips so far was to Feast back at the beginning of March.  They have just released tickets for the next Feast food festival which will be held from July 4th-7th at Brick Lane Yard and will include offerings from Spuntino, Moro, Flat Iron, Patty and Bun, Yum Bun and Bonnie Gull plus many more.  Get your tickets fast before it sells out here.

Lazy Bones - Old Red Cow - The Longroom Pub - Zetter Townhouse

Tuesday April 30th - My last outing of a very busy April (I count 50 places in total - possibly a bit ridiculous, but I was on holiday for a month) was a fairly quiet night in Farringdon.  I often get to the Barbican for a concert with time to kill so I was keen to investigate the area.  Libby and Cath arrived for the first stop at Lazy Bones - a stylish new bar that serves up slow-cooked meats alongside fun snacks and great drinks in a secluded square near the station.

Libby and I both went for 8 hour-cooked pork shoulder in pale ale, fennel, honey, and smoked paprika with a cabbage, carrot, fennel, beetroot, celeriac, radish and yoghurt slaw.  It sounds a bit over complicated but it was delicious.  The 6-hour cooked Brisket Chilli with homemade guacamole also looks fantastic.  Cath went for two sets of wings - Sweet and Spicy (ginger, honey, coriander, hot sauce and lime) and BBQ (with hickory smoke and chipotle chilli) - both tasty and very messy!  The accompanying cheesy chips could have been more cheesy.  Elsewhere there is a DIY popcorn station where you can add your own toppings, whilst to drink there are bottomless soft drinks and a range of craft beers and cocktails to keep you busy.  The only thing missing is a proper dessert menu.  I'm sure they could come up with some enticing options if they put their mind to it.  As it stands, they just offer a brownie! That is a small complaint however and I highly recommend heading over to Lazy Bones - the main meals are special.

Olly, having just finished work in Moorgate, joined us just as we were leaving.  The next stop was meant to be Bird of Smithfield - a new multi-floor restaurant from Alan Bird with rooftop and cellar bars.  We were hoping to go to the underground Birdcage bar (after they tweeted me to say it was open) but found it surrounded by Polish builders.  It is apparently now opening properly next Wednesday.  Instead we moved down the road to the Old Red Cow - a great little pub with lots of ales and ciders to choose from akin to Euston Tap and Holborn Whippet.  I like that the upstairs room has just as many beers on tap so that you don't have to continually go downstairs as is the case in so many pubs.  We just had one before moving on to another pub round the corner.

The Longroom Pub (next to Burger and Lobster) is another stylish little place (exposed brickwork, hipster lightbulbs - you know the score) with a whole host of beers on tap.  We had just missed a Grain Brewery tasting when we arrived, so I ordered a pint of Grain Bramble beer to make up for it.  The main reason to visit is their house cured salt beef.  I was tempted but still full up from Lazy Bones, though we did try to order the Salt Caramel Tart with Craft Beer Ice Cream' which had sadly run out.  There was a good crowd of people in considering it was a Tuesday night, and I will certainly go back to try some of the food.

Our final stop was Zetter Townhouse Cocktail Lounge - a Tony Corigliano (69 Colebrooke Row) bar with Bruno Loubet food attached to a hotel in a Georgian Townhouse in St. John's Square.  Olly had been earlier that week and needed sleep so headed home, leaving the three of us to push on the discreet front door (you will only see the ZTH marking when you get right up to it).  Inside is a mad living room with bookcases, an open fire and artwork all over the walls.  We waited by a bookshelf to be seated where Libby got attached to some scientific tomes.  Once seated, we went for some house cocktails - Cath's Milk Collins (gin with milk syrup and more) was interesting, and Libby's Flintlock (with gunpowder tea tincture pyrotechnics) was complexed and strong!  I went for The Richmond, a drinkable Manhattan with an apple honey twist.  It's a cosy, well-lit bar that would be perfect for a date, though they do slightly try to spoil the atmosphere with a bizarre club-beat infused swing soundtrack that doesn't quite fit.  

I have made some inroads in to the many places to go in Farringdon, but I will still need to return to Bird of Smithfield plus a whole host of places in Clerkenwell / Exmouth Market.  There is another 5cc Cocktail Club underneath the Exmouth Arms (read my take on the Shoreditch one here) plus the excellent Craft Beer Co pub and table-football bar, Café Kick, not too far away.  I have been busy this week with trips to places in Brixton, South Kensington and Rotherhithe still to report on.  Libby moved in to 5th place on Team List after Farringdon but might not stay there long!  Natalie and Sam continue to add points later in the week to consolidate the top two spots.  Happy Cinco de Mayo!