The Hour Glass - The Fir Room at Piquet - Brunswick House

Today on the blog - a quick round up of some fine eats from last week:

Wednesday 25th November - The Hour Glass was refurbished and reopened as a pub and dining room a few months ago by Dave Turcan and Luke Mackay, who also own Brompton Food Market, a highly-rated food shop and deli near South Kensington station. The ground floor pub is a traditional boozer - a nice place for a pint and a bar snack, though the beer selection is behind the times. Upstairs, you'll find Chef Luke Mackay's dining room, a calm and cosy space for unfussy, upmarket pub grub.

I only had 60 minutes to spare at The Hour Glass. Aside from being mathematically and thematically pleasing, this was a good test of their lunchtime efficiency. I just about managed to get through bar snacks, starters and a main, though an Uber was required to get me to my next destination in time.

Bar snacks arrived in no time. The pick of the bunch, unsurprisingly, were the Rare breed Cumberland Scotch egg and the Rare breed herb & pancetta sausage roll. Add in Triple cooked beef dripping chips and some Montgomery Cheddar Welsh Rarebit and you probably wouldn't need to order anything else.

Starters also impressed. Wood pigeon with pickled quince, black pudding and toasted hazelnuts was a quartet of our favourite foods, smartly combined, and Potted Rabbit with Bacon Butter, Toast & Gherkins was full of flavour and generously portioned.

By the time my Flat iron steak with dripping chips, bone marrow gravy & watercress arrived, I was looking at my watch - my fault not theirs. But I couldn't leave behind those chips. Or anything else on the plate for that matter. I'm so often underwhelmed by mains after exciting starters, but this was glorious. Shame I had to wolf it down! [Don't pretend you would have eaten it any slower]

So I departed, leaving Dad The List and our foodie friend Chris to enjoy dessert at their own pace. They were so full up at this stage that they shared a delicious pudding of blackberry and almond tart with crème fraîche. This was a first for them as they are more likely to order two puddings each than admit to being beaten.  The other two puds on offer were buttermilk pudding, damsons and honey, and chocolate & porter cake with cornflake ice cream and honeycomb.  As he wrote this after a light breakfast on a freezing morning, Dad the List cannot imagine how he failed to sample all three!

The Hour Glass - hourglasspub.co.uk

279-283 Brompton Road, SW3 2DY

Mon-Sat 12pm-11pm / Sun 12pm-10.30pm

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Thursday 26th November - Allan Pickett's Piquet arrived a couple of months ago, and handily picked up 4 stars from Fay Maschler not long after opening, and a great review more recently from Jay Rayner:

"...energetic, with an ear to the ground" - **** Evening Standard

"Piquet is terrific..." - The Guardian

Fay & Jay were referring to the downstairs dining room, which is only half of Piquet's premise. On the ground floor, you'll find The Fir Room where I spent most of an evening last week. Both levels show off Allan Pickett's combination of English and French cuisine, but The Fir Room is a more relaxed affair, perfect for a quick bite at lunch, sharing plates with friends, or even just a drink at the attractive bar.

We worked our way through some taster plates from The Fir Room's menu - photos you see below don't represent the larger portions that you would receive! Highlights included:

- Piquet Charcuterie Board - Rillette, Terrine, Ham, Coppa, Toast & Pickles - £12.00

- Le Piggy Burger - Smoked Patty, Pulled Pork, Streaky Bacon, Chips - £10.00

- Pork Crackling, Picked Crab with Espelette Pepper - £7.50

- Plancha Cooked Mackerel, Horseradish Cream - £6.50

- Pigs Head Croquettes with Sauce Gribiche - £5.00

Pork Crackling, Picked Crab with Espelette Pepper

Pork Crackling, Picked Crab with Espelette Pepper

Piquet Charcuterie Board - Rillette, Terrine, Ham, Coppa, Toast & Pickles

Pigs Head Croquettes with Sauce Gribiche

Pigs Head Croquettes with Sauce Gribiche

Le Piggy Burger - Smoked Patty, Pulled Pork, Streaky Bacon, Chips

Le Piggy Burger - Smoked Patty, Pulled Pork, Streaky Bacon, Chips

The standout plate (or rather bowl) was a comforting Casserole of Cod Cheeks, Baby Squid, and Haricot Blanc which would set you back £9.50 in The Fir Room, or £16.50 downstairs. It prompted several cries of "Please Sir, I want some more".  In this case, Sir was GM Alain Morice, a charming host and knowledgeable sommelier who kept us in line with several fine wines (and a sherry):

- Casa de Passarella, A Descoberta Branco, Dao,2014

- Santiago Ruiz, O'Rosal Albariño, Rias Baixas, 2014

- Ivo Pages, Me Gusta Tu, Tempranillo, Catalunya, 2013

- Gutierrez Colosia, Amontillado Seco, Sherry

There's plenty to enjoy at The Fir Room, and I hope to return soon for the full dining experience downstairs, especially when you can get 3 courses for £19.50 at lunch and pre-theatre.

The Fir Room at Piquet - piquet-restaurant.co.uk

92-94 Newman Street, W1T 3EZ

Mon-Sat 11am-11pm / Sun closed

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Monday 23rd November - Speaking of great value lunches, there aren't many better than those on offer at Jackson Boxer's Brunswick House in Vauxhall (whose "weekend lunch" I mentioned a month or so ago). 

Two courses for £16, or three for £19, 12pm-3pm, Monday-Friday, surrounded by all manner of mirrors, chandeliers and decorative elephants? Don't mind if I do. Be sure to look around LASSCO's rooms and cellars if you have time - I got a a bit snap happy as you can see.

Mirrors and lighting at Brunswick House

The menu changes regularly, but this is the sort of high-calibre food that you can expect:

- Squid, Charred Leek Puree, Confit Lemon

- Ox Tongue Pastrami, Radish & Capers

- Chanterelles & Smoked Egg Yolk

- Hake, Buttermilk Potato Puree, Bottarga

- Dexter Skirt Steak, Red Cabbage, Cauliflower & Yeast

- Salt Baked Celeriac, Parmesan Butter & Grellot Onion

- Roast Pumpkin, Marmite Butter

- Chocolate & Walnut

- Ardrahan, Quince, Thyme & Orange

The superb staff are always primed to expand on the economically described dishes. My standout dishes from lunch, in greater detail, would read as follows:

- Squid Noodles Sautéed in Coriander & Lime, Purée of Grilled Leeks and Squid Ink, Confit Lemon, Onion Ash

- Chargrilled Dexter Skirt, Yeasted Cauliflower Purée, Buttered Cavolo, Red Cabbage & Apple Mustard

I'm not sure which I'd prefer to see on the menu, but I'm always happy to have a chat with servers when they've got all the facts and more up their sleeves.

Squid, Charred Leek Puree, Confit Lemon

Chandeliers at LASSCO's Brunswick House

Chandeliers at LASSCO's Brunswick House

Hake, Buttermilk Potato Puree, Bottarga

The Cellars at Brunswick House

The Cellars at Brunswick House

Dexter Skirt Steak, Red Cabbage, Cauliflower & Yeast

A grand room at Brunswick House

The Cellars at Brunswick House

Glorious food, beautiful surroundings, great service.
3 courses for £19.
Thanks.

Brunswick House - www.brunswickhouse.co

30 Wandsworth Road, Vauxhall, SW8 2LG

Brunch, Brunch, Brunch

Literally. Brunch, brunch, brunch. One benefit of falling a bit behind on writing up places is the ability to then group together a bunch of brunches. Hooray for tardiness!

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First up, brunch at Brunswick House in Vauxhall where it is actually labelled as "Weekend Lunch". Pipe down at the back. Lunch, brunch, brunch didn't have the same ring to it.

Vauxhall doesn't have a lot going for it, food and drink wise, and it's a pretty ugly place by all accounts. Dirty Burger was a welcome addition in 2013, but not somewhere to sit and enjoy a meal. There are really only two places worth going - Italo Deli in Bonnington Square, and Brunswick House (ask Marina), both of which are run by members of the talented Boxer family who are also responsible for the absurdly popular Frank's Café in Peckham.

Italo Deli in Bonnington Square - owned by Charlie Boxer, father of Jackson

Lassco (an architectural salvage firm that you know from Maltby St. Market) lovingly restored Brunswick House in early 2000s, paving the way for Jackson Boxer and his brother Frank (of rooftop car park fame) to found a coffee and sandwich shop in 2010 that was initially known as the Brunswick House Coffee Rooms. After a tough first month, they relaunched as Brunswick House Café, which then eventually became Brunswick House as years went by. You can read the whole story on Jackson's blog here.

It's been fascinating watching it grow in to the confident restaurant that it is today, and it's a magical place to spend a few hours, surrounded by Lassco's chandeliers and knick knacks.

Jackson opens up at 9.30am every day for breakfast (10am at weekends), switches to lunch for a few hours at 12pm, and kicks dinner off at 6pm (except on Sundays when Brunswick House closes at 4pm). In between, you can hang out in the bar which has a great menu of snacks and cocktails, plus an array of hot drinks that will be familiar to Italo Deli regulars.

"Weekend Lunch" therefore kicks off at around 12pm, but there's no harm in settling in before that for a healthy juice concoction or a daily loosener and a Ham Hock & Coolea Cheese Muffin from the breakfast menu. Much like at The Manor and The Shed, they've got one of those "I want it all" menus. Jackson is usually on hand to go through it all in ludicrous amounts of detail, though it doesn't really help with the decision making.

Between four you could definitely tackle the whole menu anyway, with space for dessert. We nearly managed it:

- Cauliflower, Fennel & Pecan Butter
- Girolles, Burnt Bread & Chard
- Blackberries, Cow's Curd & Sea Aster
- Tomato, Aubergine & Riseley
- Coco Beans, Poached Egg & Coppa
- Fried Lamb Breast, English Corn & Spring Onions

Every plate (intended for sharing) was carefully thought out beautifully presented, as you can see below. Cauliflower, Fennel & Pecan Butter was a tough one to share, but all was soon forgotten as a gorgeous plate of Tomato, Aubergine & Riseley made its way round the table. I could go in to more detail, but you'd be better off hearing it first hand from Jackson. That said, we were so mesmerised by his plate descriptions that a lot of it went in one ear and straight out the other as we tried not to drool on the table.

Cauliflower, Fennel & Pecan Butter

Blackberries, Cow's Curd & Sea Aster

Tomato, Aubergine & Riseley

Coco Beans, Poached Egg & Coppa

Desserts weren't listed on the Weekend Lunch menu, but they do have a list of puddings tucked away in case of emergency. We ordered three:

- Raspberries, Sorrel & Sour Cream
- Greengage Sponge & Yoghurt Sorbet
- Toasted Ginger Cake & Spiced Plums

I usually prefer something in the Treacle Tart or Tarte Tatin direction for dessert, but it's hard not to be seduced by a Toasted Ginger Cake with Spiced Plums, especially at this time of year. You could just pop in for a slice of this with a cup of tea and leave very happy. In fact, I might do that tomorrow.

Toasted Ginger Cake & Spiced Plums

OK, so it's not really brunch, but it was at brunch o'clock and a poached egg did make an appearance. There are so few places where you can have "brunch" in London at a leisurely pace with room to move your elbows, and it doesn't get much better than at Brunswick House. Oh, and you can book. How novel!

Keep your eyes peeled for their "Sinning on Sunday" events aimed mainly at those in the industry. The next one is an enticing Jordanian Mansaf Feast in collaboration with Arabica Bar & Kitchen on Sunday 8th November. Get tickets here.

Brunswick House - www.brunswickhouse.co

30 Wandsworth Road, Vauxhall, SW8 2LG

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For brunch #2 we're off to Egg Break in Notting Hill, Soho House's contribution to London's egg revolution. Knowing Soho House (Pizza East, Dirty Burger, Chicken Shop), this site will be the first of many, but it's not a chain yet and this cosy brunch spot is full of character.

Prices have sadly gone up since I went in September, in some cases by as much as 33%, but there were some bun bargains in there that were too good to be true.  The technicolor Fried Chicken Bun with Pickled Green Tomato, Red Onion, and Mayo was an absolute steal at £6, but it's still affordable at £8, though it doesn't come with any sides. Speaking of which, you should definitely get yourself some Fennel Sausage for £3 and their rather special Hash Browns, also for £3.

Fried chicken bun, fried egg, pickled green tomato, red onion, mayo

Fennel sausage

Elsewhere I can recommend the intriguing plate described as Farro, 63° Egg, Avocado, Radish, Beetroot, Feta, and Sorrel Pesto which has crept up a quid to £9. So many questions... well, two. What is Farro? And why is my egg acute?

Google to the rescue as ever. First off, farro is a whole grain that's a bit chewier than rice when cooked - duh. Secondly, I have discovered that people are truly obsessed by egg poaching. Read this ridiculously detailed post from The Food Lab. Basically, the eggs are slow cooked, sous-vide style (in a water bath) at 63°, for an hour or so (or something slightly more precise than that) to achieve the perfect runny yolk - ideal for #eggporn.

Farro, 63° egg, avocado, radish, beetroot, feta, sorrel pesto

Farro, 63° egg, avocado, radish, beetroot, feta, sorrel pesto

We finished off with Baked Salted Caramel & Creme Fraiche (£4) which wasn't as exciting as we hoped, but it did give me a chance to get channel my inner Andy Warhol (see below). 

Baked Salted Caramel & Creme Fraiche Pop Art

All in all, we had a lovely time and a filling brunch that didn't break the bank. There's plenty else on the menu that I'd like to try, as long as the prices don't continue to rise! It's a good spot to know about in the back streets of Notting Hill, and has earned its place on Map The List.

It's open 7 days a week from 8am-10pm serving a variety of eggy plates (from Eggs Florentine to Spaghetti Carbonara), but expect to queue for a spot of brunch at the weekend.

Egg Break - www.eggbreak.com

30 Uxbridge Street, W8 7TA

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Brunch #3 is a quick one. Some of the Honest Burgers outposts do brunch. Did you know that? Nobody else seems to. We dropped in to their Clapham Common branch early one Saturday morning, hoping to beat the crowds, only to find the restaurant completely empty, comme ça: 

Photo provided by Honest Burgers

Photo provided by Honest Burgers

Perhaps everyone was in Fields or Brickwood round the corner. So what do Honest Burgers do for brunch? A big fat fry up for £8.50 (see below), stuff on toast (e.g. chipotle bacon beans with a fried egg for £5), and super cheap brunch buns.  The Honest bun with smoked bacon, cumberland sausage, fried egg and garlic mushrooms is a mere £5, and ludicrously it comes with a big portion of their rosemary chips too - this isn't marked on the menu by the way, for some reason. Unlimited refill coffee or tea will set you back £1.50, and cocktails are £5. Bargain. Go nuts.

Smoked Bacon, Cumberland Sausage, Black Pudding, Fried Egg, Garlic Mushrooms, Bubble & Squeak, Chipotle Bacon Beans and Sourdough Toast for just £8.50 - photo provided by Honest Burgers

N.B. Only a couple of branches currently offer brunch / breakfast - Clapham, Tooting and Liverpool Street at the time of writing. 

In Clapham, brunch is served from 9.30-13.00 every Saturday and Sunday on Venn Street opposite the Clapham Common Picturehouse. During the week (Mon-Thu) you can get a burger and a cinema ticket for £15 - another burger bargain.

Honest Burgers - www.honestburgers.co.uk

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None of those doing it for you? Here are some of my other favourite brunch spots:

Milk - Balham // Fields - Clapham Common // Pimlico Fresh - Pimlico

Top of my brunch to-do list: The Good Egg - Stoke Newington

Italo Deli - Craft Beer Co WC1 - Graphic Bar

A quick round up of a few bits and bobs from the last couple of days:

Friday May 9th - Bonnington Square is one of Vauxhall's best kept secrets, a peaceful retreat tucked away just a minute's walk from the station.  Amongst an impressive array of plantlife, you will find Bonnington Café (a charming vegetarian restaurant) and Italo Deli.

Bonnington Café is fairly well known for its rotating chefs (who you must email to secure a booking) and affordable prices (3 courses for £14, BYOB), but Italo Deli deserves attention too.  

I stopped off here for lunch, and found myself surrounded by several familiar products from my Saturday jaunts around Bermondsey.  Coleman Coffee, La Grotta Ice Cream and Kernel Beers sat amongst artisan cheeses & meats, fresh pasta, fruit & veg, pastries & Rococo chocolates.  I took a seat with a Coleman flat white, before filling up with a bowl of Conchiglie with Pork Belly & Creamed Peas.  There were several tempting lunch offerings including Asparagus Soup with Buttered Hazelnuts & Creme Fraiche and the mysterious Salad of beautiful things.

I had such a lovely time chatting away to locals that I found myself returning after work for an al fresco beer with colleagues.  It stays open til 7.30 on weekdays (2pm on weekends) so it is not intending to be a bar, but its a great spot for a couple of drinks.  The beers were sold at retail prices so Kernel bottles were a steal at £2.30.  They have just opened up a large pavement outside so it will really come into its own in the summer months.  Go and check it out next week when they are having a street party!

Vauxhall is very much on the up with railway arches providing the best spaces once again (much like Paradise Row in Bethnal Green).  Dirty Burger arrived a few months ago, Vauxhall have been running a pop-up cinema, and a new VauxWall climbing centre just opened.  In a couple of weeks time Dram & Smoke are rocking up with a Scottish pop-up restaurant in a Vauxhall steelyard, promising scran, bevvy and general flumgummerie - launching 23rd May, book tickets here.

Dram & Smoke Scottish Pop-Up Restaurant coming soon

After a couple of Kernels at Italo Deli, I made my way over to the new Craft Beer Co in Covent Garden, their 5th London site after Clerkenwell, Islington, Brixton and Clapham.  No need to go into great detail - it does what it says on the tin, only this time there are a whopping 45 taps! Alongside the beers is a superb spirits selection and the reliabley tasty Forty Burgers - don't leave without dipping some Bacon Dust chips into a pile of Bloody Mary Ketchup.

It was totally rammed, no surprise given its location.  There are a few tables tucked away downstairs which most punters won't notice though.  It's just down the road from the Cross Keys, one of the two Brodie's Beers pubs in Central London.  We ended up at the other, The Old Coffee House in Soho, after a failed attempt to try out the new Soho Grind espresso & cocktail bar (sister to Shoreditch Grind) which isn't quite ready to open in the evenings yet.  It should be open soon though, with their own coffee blend and a little speakeasy bar tucked behind a sliding door.

I was back in Soho again the next day for some drinks at Graphic Bar, well known for its extensive gin selection and cocktails in paint pots!  I intended to drop into Churchill's Port House pop-up for dinner beforehand but had a rare case of exhaustion and sent along some friends to check it out instead.

Tasty tapas is matched with Churchill ports over 3 floors in Greek Street.  The Salmon Tartare with Avocado and Crusted port in particular got a big thumbs up, as did the atmosphere & service.  I think I might need to go along myself soon...

Anyway, I made it in to Graphic Bar for a couple of drinks. It's a good looking bar with rotating urban art covering the walls. I have popped in during the day when it is nice and relaxed, but it was in full on bar club mode when I arrived - not ideal! That said, they were turning out some impressive drinks to big crowds - a bitter sweet Hanky Panky was particularly delicious, and there was some fun OTT Tiki bartending with smoking skulls and blowtorches.  If you are going for the gin, you might want to head to Juniper Club that takes place every Monday at 7pm.

Finally, as a Battersea local, I'm excited about the Fabulous Feast, starting this week on St. John's Hill:

FABULOUS FEAST

Monday 12 May to Sunday 18 May 2013

St John’s Hill, Battersea 

What? A week long celebration of food & drink featuring exclusive menus for £15 and a food festival event 

When? Monday 12 May to Sunday 18 May 2013 - main event on Saturday 17th May

Who? The Traders Association of St John’s Hill, with support from the Clapham Junction Town Centre Partnership

Where? The bars, restaurants, pubs, cafes & eateries on St John’s Hill in Battersea 

Why? To invite people to enjoy the fantastic collection of eateries which line this popular South London street.

Back by popular demand the third annual Fabulous Feast on St John’s Hill. Reports from diners and traders were so positive, that they are pleased to announce the Hill will be hosting a third feast this year. Since last May, a selection of new food & drink venues have opened their doors on the street, so this year’s event promises to be bigger and even more diverse than the last. This event will take place from 12th until the 18th May 2013, with the big Food Festival event taking place on Saturday 17th. 

In the spirit of collaboration, the traders of the Hill have invited all quality food & drink producers to take part in this year’s event. They may not have local farms, but the brighter borough is full of fantastic food & drink producers and this will be an event that will showcase the delicious offerings from near and far.

This event will also feature the 2nd annual Great Battersea Bake Off. Bring your best baked delights to the Hill on Saturday 17 where award winning master patissier and international baker Eric Lanlard, owner of local cafe Cake Boy, will be judging this year’s winner. This tasty competition will be split into two categories: one for children and one for adults. Enter the children’s category and face this year’s challenge to bake something which celebrates the English strawberry! For the adult category, you must whip up your best Victoria sponge. We were overwhelmed with the amount of entrants last year so have your baking mitts at the ready! 

During the week long “feast”, each participating venue will offer an exclusive £15 menu to its diners. The eateries and drinking spots which line the Hill will use this as their opportunity to showcase their specialities. Each venue will offer something different for £15. A list of these offers will be published on the street website: www.stjohnshill.co.uk. These special menus proved extremely popular with diners and restaurants reported that they welcomed many new customers during that special week. 

On the Saturday, visitors will find the Hill filled with live food & drink events such as cookery demos, interactive classes and tutored tastings. There will also be a wonderful array of quality visiting food & drink stalls, including a selection of London’s well-known street food sellers. Learn to cook the perfect steak, mix a great cocktail and get hands-on with filleting fish alongside the experts from each venue kitchen.  This is the day for discerning eaters and keen cooks to enjoy the special events at the host venues on the Hill and to browse, taste and shop at the wonderful selection of top quality food stalls which will crowd the pavements from 11am til 5pm.