Islington Brewhouse & Kitchen - Wild Game Co. - Talented Mr Fox - Experimental Cocktail Club

Tuesday 21st October - London may well have 70+ breweries operating at the moment, but there is only a handful of good brewpubs.  

To that short list, we can now add Brewhouse & Kitchen, who have just set up shop in Islington following success with their pubs in Portsmouth and Dorchester.  Another branch will also open soon a couple of miles away in Highbury.

My immediate impression was that it looked like a pretty standard pub, but there are some lovely design touches on closer inspection, including cheeky beer quotes, hidden hop drawers and arty beer bottles.  Then of course there's the fully operational brewing equipment rescued from the sadly extinct Lamb & Botanist brewpubs, not hidden behind glass but sitting proudly in the pub right next to the punters. Look out for friendly Head Brewer Pete Hughes patrolling the area.

I tasted 6 of Pete's launch beers on my visit, but here is the full list including some seasonal Autumn & Winter specials 

Arc Angel – ordinary bitter, 3.6% (traditional, caramel, bitter) 

Spandau B – session IPA, 4% (light, bitter, hoppy) 

Myddleton – blonde ale, 4.5% (simple, balanced, refreshing) 

Britton – American brown ale, 5% (dark, complex, hoppy) 

Watchmaker – strong bitter, 5.5% (traditional, balanced, bitter) 

Chaplin – IPA, 6% (intense, bitter, hoppy) 

Autumn & Winter specials: 

Suffragette Ninja – milk stout, 4% (rich, sweet, roast)

Triple A – rye ale, 5% (dry, spicy, floral) 

Vlad – winter warmer, 5.5% (fruity, spicy, malty) 

Raleigh – smoked porter, 5.5% (smoked, roast, chocolate)

The darker beers were particularly successful, and I also went back for a second go at the 6% Chaplin IPA.  There's plenty here to keep beer lovers happy, especially as there are many more draught and bottled options in reserve.  If you really fall for a particular beer, you can take home a 5 litre mini keg of the stuff too.

5 Litre Mini Kegs

I worked my way through some canapés (e.g. lamb koftas, pork belly in cider, mini fish & chips with mushy peas) but a return visit for the eye-catching beer-can chicken might be in order.  Food & beer pairing is strongly encouraged with third pint glasses available and a host of tempting mains from £10 on the menu.

Beer Can Chicken

If you really want to get your hands dirty, sign up for a £99 Brewing Experience Day which gets you 5 hours of learning, brewing, beer banter, a hearty lunch and 5 litre minikeg to take home.  

Also coming soon on Tuesday 25 November will be the first in a series of beer & food matching events at Brewhouse & Kitchen Islington.  This one will be with Don Parkin and Phil Harding who will bring their Honkytonk beer trolley for an expert fun guide through of seven courses of beer & food matches.  Tickets will cost just £25 - Book via phone 0207 837 9421 or email islington@brewhouseandkitchen.com

Islington Brewhouse & Kitchen is a welcome addition to an area that isn't short on top boozers.  Why not make a day of it with the likes of Three Johns, Craft Beer Co, Charles Lamb, Earl of Essex and North Pole round the corner.

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Wednesday 22nd October - Fitzrovia is about to be overrun by lobster restaurants, but street food veterans Wild Game Co. have arrived first on Charlotte Street to keep those crustaceans at bay. There's no need to look it up on Google Maps, just keep walking until you see a giant stag...

All the meat at Wild Game Co. comes from owner Andy Waugh's family business in the Highlands, Ardgay Game.  On the launch menu there are burgers (from £6), salads, bargain steak frites (only £12.50), and heart-warming stovies (£3.50).  Expect the likes of partridge, pigeon and rabbit to make an appearance on a specials board soon too.

We went straight for The Veni-moo (£8.50), a venison burger & a Highland beef burger, with double cheese and beef bacon, and home-made bearnaise sauce, with some beef dripping fries (£2.50) on the side.  It was a joy to eat, and a cut above anything I had at posh burger joint Bobo Social down the road.

"Steak & Chips!" from the new @WildGameCo 65 Charlotte St Fitzrovia (site formally Double J's) http://t.co/Vbs4gNEuZ5 pic.twitter.com/gil2jSXibA
— Wilkes McDermid (@wilkes888) October 21, 2014

The building sadly doesn't allow for an alcohol license, so there's more Irn Bru than Innis & Gunn, but home-made root beer and more will soon make an appearance.  

Wild Game Co. is bound to be very popular as there isn't too much else in this area like it. Pleasantly low prices and speedy service (not to mention delicious food) will appeal to students and the lunch crowd in particular.  Andy, still in street food mode, was chatting away to all the customers, and I can imagine you would feel like a regular here in no time.  A very promising start - I'll check back again soon. 

Keep an eye out for Wild Game Co.'s special events around town such as their 8-course game extravaganza, Struie Road, at Workshop Coffee.  

It's also worth perusing their excellent website - www.wildgameco.co.uk - which has all sorts of enticing recipes and more information on their meat.

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I'm delighted to announce that the Talented Mr Fox pop-up is back in residence at One Leicester Street.  The permanent Peg + Patriot in Bethnal Green helped to fill the temporary void, but it's great to have Matt Whiley, Ally Martin & co. back in business in Central London.

Natalie and I popped in after dinner at Wild Game Co.. I'll keep it brief as you can read my original write-up here.  Unsurprisingly there's a cracking new cocktail menu, plus a subtle TMF paintjob to boot.

Male & Female toilets or Mr.Fox?

Highlights include:

Princess Consuela (Banana, Cognac, Bitters, Absinthe Rinse) - £11

Green House (Chlorophyll Dogs Nose Gin, Kummel, Lemon, Tomato Vine) - £11

Young Cuban (Bacardi, Tio Pepe, Orgeat, Lemon, Dill) - £9

Kummel On My Face (Tequila, Apricot, Lime, Black Salt, Fig Leaf Soda) - £10

French Flip (Croissant Cognac, Egg Yolk, Port) - £10

We also had a sneak peek at an off menu Tunnocks Tea Cake Martini which could become a permanent fixture if it proves to be popular.

Princess Consuela

French Flip from above

French Flip and Tunnocks Tea Cake Martini

Kummel On My Face

Young Cuban

It's hard to order a bad drink at Talented Mr Fox, there is almost always space without reserving ahead, and you get a show when you sit at the bar.  For those reasons and more, TMF comfortably sits on my list of Best Cocktail Bars in London.  Get over there before it disappears again!

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Another contender for that list is Experimental Cocktail Club, just round the corner on Gerrard Street. I'm a huge fan of the original outpost in Paris, but talk of it being difficult to get in has led me to take my business elsewhere thus far.

But it was early-ish on a Wednesday evening, and Natalie was keen to get another point on the leaderboard, so we tidied up our hair, tucked in our shirts, and tied our shoelaces before greeting the bouncer outside ECC Chinatown.  

"How many?"

"Two."

"OK"

Well, that wasn't very hard.  Up the stairs we went...

I feel a fool for not dropping in before.  ECC Chinatown is a stunning candlelit cocktail bar spread over two floors, with a DJ spinning funky takes on 20s swing.  For a Wednesday night, the atmosphere was phenomenal - tables were packed and the bar was buzzing.  We loved the layout that allows you to peer down to tables below through the middle of the stairs, as well as the mirrors above the bar on the first floor.  

All of this fun comes at a cost of course, with drinks around the £12 mark.  There's also a cover charge of £5 after 11pm, but there won't be many better bars that stay open til 3am in London.  If you really want to splash the cash, order one of their Vintage Cocktails that start at £120.

Birds eye view from second floor

Bartenders were working double time trying to keep up with all the orders, and our drinks were worth the wait:

Popeye's Better Half - Plantation Original Dark Rum, spinach syrup, lemon juice, virgin olive oil, egg white and soda - £12.50

La Medicación - Ocho Blanco tequila, Ramazzotti, St Elizabeth Allspice Dram, agave nectar, ginger syrup, lime syrup & Del Maguey Vida Mezcal Mist - £12

And there's plenty more where that came from, if you can afford it.

We were really impressed with our first visit to ECC, and with Talented Mr Fox and Opium a stone's throw away, Chinatown is bizarrely a real destination for cocktail lovers.  It will take all of your willpower not to stop off somewhere for Chinese food afterwards...

London Whisky Weekender - Peg + Patriot - East London Liquor Company

Sunday 18th May - What's better than a boozy Sunday? A gloriously sunny boozy Sunday, that's what.

The sun well and truly got its hat on last Sunday, so I skipped out of my flat in my finest pair of shorts and made my way to Bethnal Green where local Taro was waiting, sunglasses at the ready.  We ambled up Cambridge Heath Road to the impressive Oval Space, home to London Whisky Weekender for 3 days.

Oval Space in Hackney

We attached our wristbands and collected some under "under the counter" tokens (for tasters of extra special drams) before making our way into the main room where all of the distillery stalls were set up. Diving straight in at the deep end, we started by working through most of the wonderfully peaty Laphroaig range, including the brand new (and very approachable) Laphroaig Select.  I used one of my magic tokens to try some of the fantastic 18 Yr which didn't disappoint.

We ran into Amanda from Berry Bros. & Rudd (BBR) who pointed us in the direction of their Islay malts and some pretty funky rums - the 10 Yr Fijian Rum took us both by surprise.  BBR have got quite a collection going now with the likes of No.3 Gin, Pink Pigeon Rum & King's Ginger to their name.  Time for them to open a bar?

We continued to dip in and out, sipping wee drams from the likes of Auchentoshan, Glen Garioch, Bowmore and Old Pulteney (a personal favourite), whilst appreciating some superb blues and rock & roll bands that were centre stage for a music heavy Sunday session.

There was plenty else to do on site, with Jameson taking over the Pickle Factory space serving up Jameson Picklebacks, cocktails & a BBQ, as well as more drinks in the Oval Space terrace bar, and street food out in the courtyard.

Deeney's and Original Fry Up Material both impressed with their haggis wraps & smokey burgers. Deeney's can be found at various markets including Broadway Market just round the corner from Oval Space, whereas Original Fry Up Material are currently residing in The Three Compasses pub in Dalston.

Taro enjoying an Original Fry Up material burger

It's a shame that Whisky Weekender isn't on every weekend, but Oval Space will be running many more events throughout the summer and opening up their attractive terrace bar.  Keep your eyes on Whisky Lounge who organised this party, as they have lots of great ideas up their sleeves. 

Oval Space terrace bar

Going strong, Taro and I wandered over to Patriot Square in Bethnal Green, home to the Town Hall Hotel which has recently mixed things up with an exciting new bar & restaurant double act.  

It used to be the home to Viajante with head chef Nuno Mendes, who's now having a grand old time with all the celebs at the [insert overhyped or sensational] Chiltern Firehouse.  In its place comes The Typing Room with Jason Atherton alumnus Lee Westcott in charge of the kitchen.  I have only heard good things so far, but I hope to check it out myself soon.

Anyway, we were already full of haggis & beef so we only had eyes for Peg + Patriot, the new bar from the Talented Mr Fox team.  TMF is one of my favourite spots for a cocktail in London, so expectations were very high.

They toyed with the name Peg & Riot before deciding on Peg & Patriot, with peg referring to an informal unit of alcohol measurement.  

We settled down at the bar and cast our eyes over a bonkers cocktail menu that features salt beef beigels, coal oil and irn bru.  They distill all sorts of bizarre liquids on a little piece of kit that sits at the back of the bar, including the Dog's Nose Hop Gin which they sell under their Moonshine Kid moniker. Garnishes receive similar levels of attention with addictive pieces of fried olive brine & beeswax coated cherries the pick of the bunch.

Distilling timetable in the background

Fried Olive Brine

Beeswax Coated Cherries

We started with two summery drinks - a playful Pimm's style Riot Cup Number One made with White Port, O'Clock Sugar, Cucumber Phosphate & Ginger Ale, and an exotic Pina Colada inspired Barley Legal with Burnt Pineapple Rum, Buttered Banana, Barley, Cultured Coconut and Lime.  Both refreshing & refreshingly different at the same time.

Ally Martin from Talented Mr Fox was a few seats away doing some quality control Sunday drinking.

Bartender & Martin Miller's Gin brand ambassador Ally Martin - boss man at Talented Mr Fox, One Leicester Street

My cunning plan to overlap my enablers failed as Caroline was running an hour late and Taro had to dash off to a concert in town.  Luckily, two more drinks enthusiasts turned up for a drink and we tried a few more concoctions.  Rich Woods (Cartizze / Duck & Waffle) and Sean Ware (Brand Ambassador for Bombay Spirits) joined me at the bar, enjoying an evening off before running a week long Bombay Sapphire Imaginarium popup at Callooh Callay (which ends 24th May).

I moved on to a Pho Money Pho Problems made with Pho Spirit, Pak Choi & Lime Leaf, & Lime, garnished with an aromatic pile of ingredients.  It was a effectively a Daiquiri with a savoury Vietnamese twist - an acquired taste but right up my street.  On the side, I had a non-alcoholic Campari & Soda - get your head around that! They have also created booze-free Gin & Tonics. Better than it sounds!

Pho Money Pho Problems

Alcohol free Campari & Soda

I also sampled the Scottish Porn Star (Passionfruit Hops, Thyme, Super T, Lime, Shot of Irn Bru) and the Peg Martini (Yeast - aka Marmite, Koniks Tail Vodka, Fried Olive Brine), which had great flavours to match the quirkiness.  The Peg Martini was worryingly drinkable and probably would have lasted about 3 sips if I had been left alone with it.

Scottish Porn Star

Peg's Martini

Don't be fooled by the comedy names & nutty ingredients, these are serious drinks made by obsessive bartenders. Prices are reasonable with all drinks coming in at £10 or less.  The back bar (or top shelf) is full of great spirits including the excellent core Compass Box Whisky range, and top local bottled beers from Beavertown, Redchurch & London Fields are there if you need them.  If you get peckish, Iberico Pork + Fois Gras Sliders from across the hall are available.  Set aside an evening for Peg + Patriot, you won't want to leave.

Last but not least, once Caroline finally arrived (20 minutes before she was meant to be turning up for a date round the corner), we dashed over to East London Liquor Company (ELLC), a new bar and distillery in Bow Wharf just south of Victoria Park.

East London Liquor Company bar with distilling kit visible in the background

Let's just call this a first look at ELLC, as it really was a flying visit, and they haven't actually started distilling yet.  Jamie Baxter is the distilling man with a plan, fresh from making City of London Gin at CoLD Bar.  There are plans for whisky, rum & vodka, though first they need to unwrap the new equipment which is visible through glass behind the bar.

The lovely airy bar is already worth visiting though, with cocktails under £10, plenty of great spirits and some fine bottled beers.  Alongside Camden Hells, Pale Ale & Ink on draught, they also have a rotating guest tap which has started with the awesome Rogue Yellow Snow all the way from Oregon. This is less surprising when you realise ELLC is the latest Barworks venue.  They are the guys responsible for the 5CC cocktail bars and top pubs such as Exmouth Arms, Harrild & Sons, Electricity Showrooms (soon to get a 5CC) and the new Three Johns in Angel.

Going for a slightly scientific feel with all the kit on show in the background, our drinks arrived in a simple but attractive beakers.  I was extremely happy with my Ginger Tommy's (Quiquiriqui Mezcal, Lime, Ginger) and Caroline was equally content with A Rose by any Other Name (Gin, rose shrub, white wine) which was whirled together in front of us in an oversized mixing glass.

Ginger Tommy's

A Rose by any other name

There's no kitchen on site but grilled sandwiches & meat and cheese plates will fill the void along with marinated sardines and smoked almonds.  They also open for breakfast (10am Mon-Sat, 12pm Sun) with Granola, Toasted raising bread, Caravan coffee and T2 teas.

I'll be back again, hopefully with some in-house spirits emerging, and possibly coupled with a trip to Victoria Park and Victoria Park Village, both of which I have never properly explored.

The Bethnal Green openings are not stopping anytime soon with Dead Doll's Club (opening 30th May), Craft Cocktail Co and a 2nd Sager & Wilde joining the likes of Mother Kelly's, Satan's Whiskers and Redchurch Brewery in one of London's most exciting up-and-coming areas for food & drink.  Exciting times ahead!  Keep track of them all on The List Map.

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In other news... I have just launched Matt The Tumblr - a tumblr account for quick photo posts from various jaunts and events to deal with some overflow.  This may well be what I update for fun trips abroad to the likes of New York, Chicago, Toronto, Minneapolis, Edinburgh and Isle of Islay that are coming up this summer. Take a look and follow me if you wish!

Latest tumblr posts - Civilised Chelsea pub crawl // Luxardo at Dead Doll's House // Anspach & Hobday collaboration beer launch // Bacardi Bats at Shoreditch Grind

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