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

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

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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 

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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

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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

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

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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

Luxardo Distillery in Padua // Food, Drink & Art in Venice

MATT THE TRIP - A little jaunt to Padua & Venice to see the Luxardo Distillery in action with the Luxardo family, Craig Chapman from Cellar Trends, The Cocktail Lovers aka Sandrae & Gary, Mark Ludmon from Bar Magazine, Douglas Blyde & Su-Lin Ong.

Day 1 - Gatwick, 11.30am, flight to Italy in two hours.  Only one way to pass the time with drinks journalists - two rounds of Negronis and snacks from Jamie's Italian.  Matteo Luxardo, 6th generation distiller joined us for the flight, after a busy week of Luxardo promotion in London at Imbibe Live.

The first round were fine examples of the genre, but the second efforts were oddly different.   There would have been time for a third variation had we known in advance that our plane was delayed due to an inoperable loo - I've never heard that one before.  The pilot dealt with it like a true Brit - he came down to the departure lounge and advised us all to go for a pre-flight toilet trip.

Jamie's Negroni at Gatwick

From Venice airport, we drove to Montegrotto, a sunny spa town frequented mostly by Italians over 70 according to Matteo.  After a quick spritz / negroni in the hotel bar, we popped over to nearby Ristorante Cencio, a charming restaurant with a cosy garden on the hillside.  We started with a glass of Luxardo Sangue Morlacco with Prosecco, the first of many cherry based treats.  The combination doesn't have a name yet, so all suggestions are welcome!

Luxardo cherry liqueur was renamed with the curious name of Sangue Morlacco (Morlacco blood) by the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio in 1919, at the time of the Fiume military expedition, due to its dark red colour and in honour of the Morlaccos, fierce warriors of Dalmatia who fought for the Republic of Venice and defended their homeland against the Turks.  It is a liqueur of marasca cherries (a sour cherry variety exclusively cultivated by Luxardo), obtained by the infusion of fermented marasca juice, matured for two years in larch vats.  It does wonders for a Blood and Sand (with rye whisky, Angostura bitters & orange juice).

Fountain at Gran Hotel Montegrotto Terme

Ristorante Cencio in Montegrotto

Sangue Morlacco - now available in the UK

A fantastic dinner of aperitivo plates and fish followed, starting with two different fish tartares and octopus carpaccio.  This was followed by fried zucca flowers with anchovies (first of many on the trip), zucchini tart with fondue sauce, a wild herb soufflé, and porcini mushrooms served with polenta.  That would have been enough for any normal evening, but we pushed on with two beautifully cooked turbot twins on a bed of moreish potatoes, and an impressive tray of salt crusted seabass.

Matteo, "the wild child of Italy", kept us entertained with stories about his relations & upbringing, including his time in the navy, reminding us that whilst Luxardo is a worldwide brand, it is still just a family business.

Social media reaching the Italian hills

Small plates at Ristorante Cencio

Turbot twins at Ristorante Cencio

Salt Crusted Seabass

After the savoury courses, we had a pause with some Apricot Liqueur and Sangue Morlacco making its way round.  Hopefully, we might soon see Luxardo's Albicocca Liquore Della Lupa (Apricot liqueur of the she-wolf!) turning up in bars around the UK.  Lupa, the symbol of Rome, is reffered to after the liqueur won an award there all the way back in 1935!

Liqueur of the she-wolf

The evening finished in style with a boozy glass of vanilla ice cream laced with Sangue Morlacco and garnished with a luxurious Luxardo cherry.  The perfect nightcap ahead of a busy Friday.

Sangue Morlacco laced ice cream

Day 2 - After a healthy breakfast by the pool surrounded by octogenarians in loose-fitting dressing gowns, we made our way over to the Luxardo Distillery, a short drive away in Torreglia.  Before taking a tour, Matteo gave us a quick history lesson.

Girolamo Luxardo, originally from Genova, was sent to Zara in Dalmatia (now Zadar in Croatia) as consular representative of the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1817.  His first wife, Maria, was rather handy at making liqueurs using old monks' recipes, and in 1821 Girolamo founded a distillery to produce Maraschino. Girolamo was obviously quite a character, ending up with 20 kids (fifty years apart in age), and a second wife (originally intended for his son, but he fell in love with her on the boat from Ancona!).  

Fast forward almost century and 3rd generation Michelangelo Luxardo constructed an impressive modern distillery in Zara in 1913, though both World Wars caused closures and a lot of damage, and many family members lost their lives.  Matteo's grandfather Giorgio escaped with 3 families in 1947, and sensibly rebuilt safely outside of a city this time, in the Torreglian hills near Padua.

Firmly up to speed on the back story, we went for a wander to see the creative process behind their 5 lines - drinking liqueurs, confectionery liqueurs, fruit syrups, jams and of course, the famous cherries.

Vats from 1947 are still in use, ash for the 2 year Maraschino infusion (marasca cherry stones, pulps, leaves, branches et al) and larch as previously mentioned for the Sangue Morlacco.  Nearby, barrels of orange blossom, mandarin, bitter orange and sweet orange lie in wait to surprise a Triple Sec, one of many Luxardo products that hasn't made it to the UK yet.

No such problem for the Maraschino though, a mainstay of the majority of London back bars.  It's become an essential bottle, not only for Manhattan cocktails but also Aviation, Martinez, Hemingway Daiquiri and others.  It's one of a handful of liqueurs produced by distillation, making use once again of Luxardo's sour marasca cherries.

Matteo Luxardo

We soon moved to the futuristic bottling line, which was put through its paces in front of our eyes with some cheeky quality control tests via rogue pieces of paper.  Only James Cameron's T-2000 would have dealt with the obstacles more efficiently.

A little further on, the luxury jams were given a more hands on approach.  170g of fruit is used for 100g of jam, streets ahead of your average supermarket 55% fruit-based-ish jars.   Luxardo are famous in Italy for their confectionery products, but it's not a mass market thing for them.

The Luxardo Distillery from Matt The List on Vimeo.

Franco and Matteo Luxardo - father & son

Before a visit to one of their cherry orchards, we stopped for lunch at Ristorante di Rifugio Monte Rua, a secluded spot with a stunning view and food to match.

Su-Lin hard at work

Luxardo Aperitivo with prosecco set the tone for another excellent meal which kicked off with plates of zucchini, buffalo meat, sweet prosciutto and more.  

A cheeky plate of burrata & basil ravioli "sunflowers" with bitter chocolate shavings preceded cherry brandy soaked pork with Luxardo cherries on top, but dessert stole the show.  Peaches were flambéed live at the table with Maraschino & Sangue Morlacco, and then placed alongside semifreddo pannacotta & wild strawberries - heavenly.

Live flambéed peaches, Sangue Morlacco & Maraschino w/ pannacotta & wild strawberries

To end the Luxardo stage of the trip, we made a quick stop to look at one or two of their 29,000 marasca cherry trees, which had been harvested by just 4 people a week or two before our arrival.  To keep up with demand, the Luxardo family get local farmers to grow the cherries for them before buying them back.

Jars of the cherries bathed in sugar syrup fetch up to £8 (for 400g).  You will no doubt have had one as a garnish at some point in your life, most probably in an Aviation or a Manhattan.  They make a superb present for any budding home cocktail maker, and bartenders are always happy to receive another jar.

Cherry harvest in progress

Sour marasca cherries

Head to Matt The List on Facebook for more photos from Padua.

At this point we said goodbye to our wonderful Luxardo hosts and made tracks for Venice. An evening of spritzes, cicchetti and Don't Look Now references was ahead of us.

Free advertising for Luxardo

After a speedy turnaround at the hotel, we took to the canals of Venice to find some cosy bacari, the small bars that dish out spritzes galore and cicchetti, small plates of food, often eaten by hand or using toothpicks much like pintxos in the Basque regions of Spain.

Osteria alla Ciurma was our first stop for arancini (fried rice balls), baccala (salt cod) croquettes and bargain €3 Aperol spritzes.  In fact, despite staying only a little bit off the beaten tourist track, the cost of spritzes remained pleasantly low all night.  The high price tags attached to this "cocktail" in the UK are laughable.

Next up was the lively Cantina do Spade which lacked the basic ingredients for G&Ts and Negronis, so more spritzes arrived, along with some more fried zucchini flowers (eaten at every meal so far).

All the cicchetti were just a warm up for an enjoyable dinner at Antico Dolo, though the speakeasy style toilet and funky English translations (crunky nougat anyone?) left the biggest impression.  We washed down tasty local food (polenta, squid ink pasta, more courgettes) with Cartizze prosecco, the highly-rated variety often referred to as the "Grand Cru of Prosecco" that even has a bar named after it in London.

Whilst some went off to find one more canal-side bacaro, Craig and I came across an open air showing of Brazil vs Colombia.  We ordered two dreadful negronis and settled in for the second half near a bunch of hopeful Colombian fans.  45 minutes later, they weren't so happy, James Rodriguez was in tears and Neymar was on his way to hospital.  Bed time.

Day 3 - We had a free morning before our flight home so I squeezed in a trip to the Doge's Palace (Bridge of Sighs and all that), a 30 second gondola ride, a quick whip round the Guggenheim and some more food & drink.

View from the Bridge of Sighs

The Angel of the City at the Guggenheim

Cheeky sculptures inspired by Picasso sketches

Peggy Guggenheim's dogs

Our last stops were the classic Caffe Rosso for one last spritz, Grom for superb gelato and Ristorante Terrazza del Casin dei Nobili for lunch on the waterfront.

Ristorante Terrazza del Casin dei Nobili

Pasta with Arugula Pesto & Prawns

Il Cagalibri - type that into Google

And what better way to end the trip than by travelling to the airport in a speedboat driven by a fashionable Venetian called Mario?

The Cocktail Lovers

It was a short stay in Venice and Padua, but we certainly made the most of it.  The Italians know what they are doing, and I expect I will be back in that part of the world before too long.  

Endless thanks to Su-Lin, Craig from Cellar Trends and the Luxardo family for organizing such a fantastic trip filled with outstanding food and drink in glorious settings.  If only every weekend was like this...