The Good Egg - Ziferblat - Craft Beer Social Club - Platterform Sea Adventures

Saturday 15th February - Another day, another overdue write up on The List.  Easter Holidays are round the corner, I'm going to sort it all out. Probably. Anyway, better late than never? Absolutely! Four absolutely awesome places to mention from one fun day out in East London, starting with The Good Egg brunch at Cortado.

Run by old friend Joel Braham, The Good Egg has been getting a lot of great press recently, all thoroughly deserved, praising their delicious eggy brunches which are currently running at Cortado in Hoxton (Sat&Sun - 9am-4pm) and The Hangover Club in Hackney Wick (Sat only - 10am-4pm).  You can book places through Grub Club (highly recommended for a Mother's Day Special this Sunday) or you can just rock up and try your luck.  Rumour has it, Joel will be opening his own joint for The Good Egg soon too.

We called ahead and reserved a table for a Saturday morning, with my sisters and Al & Tim coming along to try and pick up a few crucial Team List points before the 1 year cut off point on Feb 22nd a week later.  The Cortado is well placed next to Regent's Canal, and is nicely set up with egg-based jokes lying around, plus Yumchaa tea, Allpress Espresso, cakes, and Mimosas & Bloody Marys available.  A lovely little bowl of free fresh fruit was brought to our table for us to enjoy whilst we mulled over the menu.

I normally go for the outstanding Shakshuka (Cotswold Legbar eggs baked in a smokey, spiced tomato & pepper sauce topped with lemon yoghurt & toasted za'atar sourdough served with Merguez sausages or Halloumi) but I couldn't resist a bit of pesto so I went for the special of the day, Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs & Ham - two poached eggs with Italian Prosciutto on sourdough toast topped with homemade pesto. It disappeared in seconds.

Three went for the classic & reliable Breakfast Burrito (Tortilla packed with fluffy eggs, crispy potatoes, refried black beans, mature cheddar, roasted chilli salsa & homemade guacamole) whilst Jo controversially went for an egg free Reuben (home cured salt beef griddled with Swiss cheese, Russian dressing & sauerkraut on rye).  Sadly noone ordered the Gary Barlow (that bloke off the Eggs-factor), a sandwich with chorizo, avocado & a fried egg.

The food is always fantastic, the staff are always charming, and the locations are always cosy & cool - The Good Egg brunch should be on everyone's to-do list.

Next stop, Ziferblat. Em & Al left, but Caroline joined at this quirky Russian café / social experiment tucked away above Bar Kick in Shoreditch. The premise is simple, pay 3p per minute that you stay and help yourself to as much tea/coffee etc as you wish. Food is not provided but you can bring along anything you like and make use of the tiny kitchen, provided that you help to look after the communal space.  You can even volunteer to help out in exchange for free minutes another time.

Ziferblat started in Russia as Pocket Poetry - classic poetry was put on tiny laminated cards and left for passers by to find and pop into their pockets.  Eventually they moved into a little attic in Moscow which they called the Tree House where people could come and play the piano, read books, recite poetry, have a coffee etc.  Payment was voluntary and a suitcase was left near the entrance for donations.  That was such a success that the Tree House is now Ziferblat HQ and many more "Ziferblats" have opened since.  New York is next on the list.

You fill in a timesheet on arrival, and pick a ceremonious clock from the shelf.  We went for Harold who was a little stuffy, but he was a lot more chirpy than poor old Alfred.  It's a lovely little touch (of which there are many) that makes a stay in Ziferblat even more pleasant.

All around, people were messing around on whiteboards and flipcharts, making origami, chatting, working, reading (spot Tim soaking up Art in the USSR below) and relaxing.  We got involved with a venn diagram project on Sane/Single/Crazy/Attached men that some ladies near us had undertaken.  It does have that hippy commune vibe going on (especially when you are washing up in the kitchen), but at the same time there's free wi-fi, groups celebrating with champagne, and others working away on iMacs, so there's no chance of it going all Martha Marcy May Marlene on you.

Ziferblat is open from 9am-11pm every day, give it a try and don't forget to bring biscuits, preferably milk chocolate hobnobs. Thanks.

Next stop, more personnel changes. Tim & Jo out, Lauren, Paul & Luke in.  We wandered round the corner to find the Craft Beer Social Club's latest pop-up pub.  The CBSC has popped up in London Fields and Shoreditch High Street already, and had a very brief month long stay in a flat basement in Leonard Street which we went along to.

CBSC set themselves up in fun spaces, and serve up affordable and interesting British beers (mostly bottles) alongside rotating food residencies. Flippin' Cow were turning out some delicious looking lamb wraps when we were there.  Interestingly, they accept Bitcoin, the digital currency that has been making the headlines recently.  I won't bore you with the details, mostly because I don't really know what I'm talking about, but expect to see a lot more of Bitcoin this year.  The Old Shoreditch Station coffee bar nearby has already installed a Bitcoin ATM! Click here for a newbie guide to buying Bitcoins.

We absolutely loved the Leonard Street site, it was a cute little living room with cosy corners, low lighting and comfy chairs.  I could imagine it turning into a very sociable evening in such a small space, which is just what CBSC want.  What a shame it was only here for a month! Keep your eyes peeled for their next pop-up.

Now, the beer. Alongside the familiar Curious, Crate & Brixton beers, we also enjoyed Yakima IPA & Black Jesus from Great Heck Brewing, Yorkshire Special Pale Ale from Wharfe Bank Brewery and Wold Top Scarborough Fair IPA, all from Yorkshire.  We were less taken with St.Andrews Brewing Crail Ale but we had a good run.  

The bottle for Great Heck Brewing's Black Jesus kept us fairly amused:

The atmosphere was wonderful, the hostess/landlady was charming and beers were great.  We are all Craft Beer Social Club converts, and are looking forward to visiting them wherever they pop up next - I hear SW11 is nice this time of year.

Last stop - we lost Paul & Lauren who sped off to Brewdog Shepherd's Bush for a quick drink before a n awesome Less than Jake & Reel Big Fish gig, but Caroline & Luke were still in.  The three of us hopped on a bus to London Fields and made our way to the Platterform rooftop to experience the High Seas!  I wrote fairly recently about Platterform's lumberjack themed Skylodge which was a riot, so I was pretty keen to see what they had done with the place.

For fifteen weeks (count from 16th January), everything on the rooftop is Sea Adventure themed - décor, captain's cocktails, seafood residencies, games, hats - it's all going on.  Check the website to see what is coming up.  They have transformed the space in style as you can see in photos below, but do go and experience it for yourselves - there's nowhere more fun in London right now.

We were there for Dave Yorkston's Smoke House, and we happily worked our way through his whole menu.  Dave converted a cupboard into a smoking room for all the fish as you can see below. An absolute bargain at £24 for 4 (generous) courses, it was fantastic from start to finish - the smoked Bloody Mary sauce was a highlight. 

Dave Yorkston's Smoke House

Dave Yorkston's Smoking Cupboard

The week after saw TOKO Indonesian Kitchen, Bar & Deli taking over the cooking, serving up 13 courses for £24 all served on a large Rijsttafel ("rice table") sharing platter. TOKO will be launching a full-time establishment in London later in 2014.

TOKO Indonesian Kitchen, Bar & Deli

In the galley tonight is Vinn Goute Seychelles' Kitchen - you can buy tickets in advance here or just turn up and find a table.  Vinn Goute are presenting a tropical seafood feast including two of the Seychelles most prized fish- the Bourgeois Red Snapper and the King Fish.  The Foragers are then turning up for two weeks.

Vinn Goute Seychelles' Kitchen

Onto the drinks! There are great bottled beers, including Einstock, Five Points, Harviestoun and Anchor (nicely strung up above your head), but really you should embark on the Captain's Cocktail Quest. There's the Zissou Sour with mezcal, absinthe & sea salt foam, Fish Called Wonder with hibiscus anemone & vodka jellyfish, Black Pearl Margarita with tequila & black mustard tapioca pearls, and the bonkers Phileas Fogg with smoked bourbon sazerac & absinthe helium, to name a few of their crazy creations.  They may sound silly, but they are still very serious drinks to taste and will keep cocktail conoisseurs happy.

Phileas Fogg with absinthe helium

Is that a sea anemone attached to Julian's chin?

Fish called Wonder with hisbiscus anemone & vodka jellyfish

Black mustard tapioca pearls for the Black Pearl Margarita

Creating the sea salt foam for the Zissou Sour

Zissou Sour with Sea Salt Foam

We finished the evening with a game of Battleshots - much the same as battleships, but with 1, 2 and 3 length shot boards replacing boring plastic boats.  This includes Visu (Fisherman's Friend infused vodka!), Stickleback (Jameson / Beetroot Shrub with Pickleback Foam), and Limey (Mount Gay Eclipse / Lime & Apple / Jasmine, Grenadine & Crate IPA).  The 2 / 3 shot length ships are effectively shots with funky chasers.  They foolishly let Caroline use the foam machine herself - she misjudged the power and blew her side of the board to smithereens.

Battleshots at Platterform Sea Adventure Series

It was another great evening with the Platterform team, they are always entertaining hosts and they have an excellent sense of humour as you can see from the dating profile that they have set up for Mr Winkle on Tinder.

I've said it for every place in this post so far, but make sure you go and check this out. Very highly recommended, fun for all, and top food & drink in a totally unique location.  Thanks to various team members for keeping me company throughout the day!

Clutch - Climpson's Arch - Rita's Bar & Dining - Skylodge - Farr's School of Dancing

Saturday 7th December - Time to catch up on the busy run up to Christmas, starting with a rambling evening out in East London, centred around a trip to Platterform's new Skylodge space in London Fields.  Tim was keen to push on with his Team List account after spending many months away in Paris this year, so we packed in as much as we could.

Our original plan was to start at the Wigwambam on the roof of the Queen of Hoxton, but it was sadly closed for a private event.  The rooftop installation is Nordic themed this year. I was a huge fan of the wigwam last year, so I will make an effort to get back there soon for some hot drinks, spoon carving and their open grill in a cosy setting.  

Just round the corner is the attractive Shoreditch Food Village, a striking red tent with several street food vendors inside including Yalla Yalla,  We popped our heads in as Tim's tummy was rumbling, but we decided to push on for the moment.

Top Left Clockwise - Craft Beer Social Club, Wigwambam (x2) and Yalla Yalla at Shoreditch Food Village

We powered our way up Shoreditch High Street (passing by Martin Morales' new Andina restaurant) and down the Hackney Road before cutting off right down Ravenscroft Road to find new free range chicken joint, Clutch.

Clutch have quirkily set up shop in an old estate pub, in a quiet area in between Hackney Road & Columbia Road. They have transformed the space beautifully, with a stylish dining room (with incredible giant lightbulbs) and a trendy bar at the back.

Clutch Chicken

We were only making a flying visit en route to bars in London Fields, so we ordered a half bucket of Peanut & Chilli Crust fried chicken to go.  While we were waiting we sampled a couple of their interesting bottled beers from Moncada and Kernel, and had a nice chat with the barmen.  They serve a range of £9.00 "Clutchtails" with names like The Sour Grouse and Cackling Goose Cosmo.

Before too long our chicken arrived, with a Roasted Garlic & Creme Fraiche dip on the side, and we were on our way.  It wasn't the easiest thing to eat on a bus, but we enjoyed the jealous glances from fellow travellers.  It was truly delicious and I would highly recommend heading there for a sit down meal.

Peanut & Chilli Crust chicken at Clutch

They also run a very tempting brunch at the weekend (11-3 Sat, 9-3 Sun) with the likes of Dozy Drake (Duck Egg & Caramelized Onion on Sourdough) for £4.50.  

Dozy Drake for brunch at Clutch

Once we had disposed of our takeaway box, we made our way over to Climpson's Arch, a stunning little archway coffee roastery which doubles as a bar and food space near London Fields.  Trust Google Maps as you are sent down a seemingly abandoned road.  The beautiful Christmas tree told us we were in the right place, and we popped inside for some Camden Pale Ale.

Climpson's Arch at Christmas

They often have special food events running (e.g. Licky Chop and Wunderbar East last year) so check ahead before you go, but you are normally able to pop in for just a drink anyway.  Every Thursday in February they will be running a Winter BBQ Supper Club - read more here. Sunday Roast at the Roastery also sounds great.

Climpson's Arch

As we left we were joined by East Londoner Tom who hadn't been to London Fields Brewery, so we walked round the corner to have a quick drink in their cosy tap room.  Read more here from my last visit in July. 

We went for a 3 x 1/3 beer flight with Black Frost Stout, American Black and Shoreditch Triangle IPA - all tasty, but tough to judge after only a 1/3.  They also had a lovely tree, but it was 2nd best to Climpson's Arch.

London Fields Brewery at Christmas

After a bizarre episode with a friendly chap who seemed to think Tim was a doorman for London Fields Brewery, we were back on the road. Next stop: Rita's Bar and Dining

After some hugely popular popups at Birthdays and Feast, Rita's has found a permanent home on Mare Street.  They instantly received some great reviews, including 4 stars from Fay Maschler.  1/2 Fried Chicken with Warm Warm Honey and Sausage Gravy appealed even after a bucket of Clutch chicken, but we were just here for a quick drink on this occasion.  Returning here for food is very high on my to do list.

Photo Credit : Benjamin McMahon

We instead propped up the tiny bar (getting in the way of pretty much everyone) and had a couple of drinks. I went for a moreish Hard Cidre for only £5.50 (Kraken Rum, Cidre Breton, Vanilla, Apple) whilst Tim had a Palermo at £7 (Gran Centenario Plata Tequila, Campari, Grapefruit, House Soda).

We then started working our way through tasters of their top shelf concoctions, including some infused rums (e.g. Cinnamon & Honey, Vanilla) and a deadly bottle of Whiskey infused with very hot pickles which left us all in tears.

With our mouths still burning, we finally made our way to Skylodge, Platterform's latest rooftop residency after the fantastic Skyroom that I was a big fan of last year.  They have temporarily taken over the Hothouse roopftop that Coppa Bar & BBQ inhabited in the summer.  The theme is just about to change (more info on that later), but when we popped in it was a cosy lumberjack lodge.  I was very sad to miss the Thanksgiving launch party which involved chasing a terrifying looking turkey from Broadway Market to the Hothouse.

On arrival, we were warmly greeted by Julian who wasted no time in blowtorching some marshmallows for us.  They haven't wasted an inch of space in the lodge - keep your eyes peeled for Bigfoot's footsteps, a moose head made by the people behind Spitting Image, and some underwear on a tree stump!

To start, we sampled a range of beers from the Strawman Brewery which lives just below the Hothouse. The Amber, Saison and Munich were all equally impressive - I hope to see more of these guys this year.  I also took home a potent Imperial Stout which went down very easily at Christmas.

Strawman Brewery beers

We took our beers for a walk, taking in all the delightful decor.  The cosy snug complete with blankets and a fake fire seemed to be the most popular spot, along with the fun little huts down one side - head to the Lumberjack Love Shack if you dare.  One end had a small stage set up for Campfire Sessions and there was also a projector screen for their Bigfoot Film Club.

We made our way over to the Lumberjack Diner for some "Lumbersnacks" and hot cocktails.  Tasty wings, ribs, sloppy joes and pancakes all disappeared very quickly along with heartwarming drinks with silly names like the Hands-on Gretel.  Special mention must go to Aria for superb service in the diner.

As we were finishing up our food, we were drawn back to the main area by a game of "Moosical Logs" which was being taken very seriously by punters and a couple of Skylodge staff dressed up in Bigfoot / Lion onesies.

Feeling left out, we decided to take part in the (free) Lumberjack Olympics, starting with Pin the Beard on the Lumberjack.  As you can see below, Tom definitely cheated his way to the top in the first discipline.

Next up was "Deer Hunter" darts which Tim narrowly won.  Finally, we took on "Hammer Time" - who can hammer a nail into a tree stump with the fewest hits? Not me, apparently.  In fact, I may well have set the all time record high.  Tom stormed to victory and took the prize, a bottle of Beavertown Brewery's Stingy Jack.

Lumberjack Olympics at Skylodge

As I mentioned though, the Lumberjack theme is making way for a 15 week adventure on the high seas. The space has now been transformed into a Shanty Shack where you expect "Rum Rations", "Captain's Choice" cocktails and "Shanty Shots".  You can book in advance for food here - 4 courses and an after dinner drink for £30.  I'm certain it will be just as much fun as the Skylodge, especially as they are promising "music, drinks and games with the Captain after dinner".  Go and check it out soon before everyone discovers it!

Olympic Champion Tom decided to call it a night, but Tim and I squeezed in one more place before catching the last Overground home.  A speedy bus trip took us to Dalston Junction where we popped into Antic's latest pub, Farr's School of Dancing.  Antic London are responsible for some of my favourite South London pubs - Balham Bowls Club, Effra Social, Hagen & Hyde, Tooting Tram & Social - so I knew what to expect.

Their new site takes its name from a dance school that occupied the building in the late 30s.  At present, there is just one main room, but they plan to open a basement bar and an upstairs kitchen soon.  The décor is kooky as usual - look out for the motorbike hanging from the ceiling.  They had some interesting beers from Clarence & Fredericks which I haven't seen before, plus a couple from Wild Card Brewery.  

Antic have got it right again, this time right in the heart of hipster-land, right opposite Dalston Junction station - expect it to be busy!  

Farr's School of Dancing

Tim picks up a hard earned 5 points and moves up to 5th place on the Team List Leaderboard. Tom gets 3 points but has work to do to make it into the Top 20.