Park Road Kitchen - Tommi's Burger Joint - Provincial - Di Lieto

Saturday 8th March - Battersea is great. The Candlemaker, Doodle Bar, Street Kitchen, Franco Manca, Powder Keg Diplomacy, Draft House, King of Ladies Man, Galapagos Foods, Southsider Cocktail Club and more on your door step.  It just got better.

Park Road Kitchen, a new rotisserie & deli, has just opened at the end of my road on Battersea High Street.  Since it opened on 6th March (14 days ago) I have been in 6 times.  Make that 7 by the end of today.  Let's just call it thorough research.

Owner Sam Mousawi and Head Chef Santo Natoli first met at the popular Caffettino coffee shop down the road, which Santo owns with his two brothers.  Santo's parents are Sicilian and he has an extensive background as a chef. From culinary school, he went on to train with Angelo Paracucchi in Tuscany and in Paris at a 2 star Michelin restaurant. Santo then moved to London where he worked for Scott's in Mayfair, Marco Pierre White's Drones and Harrods Georgian Restaurant before becoming private chef to Harrods proprietor Mohammed Al Fayed for 3 years!

Sam (left), Santo (centre) and the team at Park Road Kitchen

Park Road Kitchen is open Tue-Sat 10am-9pm and Sunday 11am-6pm serving up rotisserie chicken with roast potatoes, and all sorts of delights at the Deli Counter.  I've worked my way through pretty much everything now, although new dishes keep turning up.  

Start with Roast Beets, Butternut Squash, Parsnip, Red Onion, Honey & Mustard Dressing and Roast Cauliflower with Toasted Almonds & Harissa - my two personal favourites so far.  Work your way over to delicious Fish Cakes, Saltimbocca, Swordfish, Meatballs, or Octopus with Peppers, Celery, Spring Onion & Smoked Paprika.

I feel a little bit special when I'm sitting on the 344 to Vauxhall eating Octopus and Roast Beets, safe in the knowledge that I have the best food on the bus by a long way.  You can sit in to eat, but everything is served in takeaway cardboard boxes.

Then there's the chicken - served in 1/4, 1/2 or Whole portions with incredibly moreish roast potatoes on the side.  They haven't gone crazy with the flavours of the chicken, it is just lightly marinaded and beautifully cooked.  There are plenty of sauces, herbs and spices available to buy to take home with you - try the little spicy green bottle if you think you can handle it!

I can't recommend Park Road Kitchen highly enough, they are making some extraordinary food in a very small space, and the service with a smile from Sam & co. is always appreciated!

Despite filling my face with beets and tentacles, I found myself eating a second lunch just over the river about 30 minutes later.  Tommi's Burger Joint had been threatening to open a second site on King's Road for about 4 months, and it finally happened a couple of weeks ago.  I popped over to meet Wilkes (read his preview post here) to take a look at their new home, not really intending to have too much to eat on this occasion.  However, once they told me that all the food was free for their launch, it would have been rude not to tuck in.



The décor is much the same as the Marylebone site. The upstairs window seats are perfect for watching the entertaining Made in Chelsea types swanning around.  There is also a spacious downstairs area, though I prefer the natural light option.

Photo Credit : Wilkes

Tommi's is run by a bonkers bunch of Icelandic folks, who were on hand to dish out some Viking beers.  Hopefully they will bring in some Einstock brews soon and perhaps some Mikeller & Evil Twin from across the Norwegian / North Sea.

The menu is simple & affordable, and the burgers are high quality fast food, which is what they want to be.  The hint of horseradish is a big plus for me, and meat lovers should order the steak burger for £8.90.  Don't miss out on their extensive range of sauces - Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup is the one to go for.

Photo Credit : Wilkes

Photo Credit : Wilkes

A speedy 45 minute trip on the 345 took us over to Craft Beer Co in Brixton where we met up with Natalie, Chris, Zoe, Luke, Lauren, Caroline & Cath for a few pints before dinner.  I've mentioned Craft several times as it always part of my Brixton trips (much like Seven).  I was very taken with Three Friends Brewing Motueka Pale on this occasion.

For dinner, most of us made our way over to The Provincial in Market Row for some "Latin Fusion". We stood at our table for a few minutes as the resourceful waiter ran around finding chairs for us. You can BYOB but 6 tapas & 1 litre of Sangria for £30 sounded good to me and Cath.  That said, Market Row Wines is right there and has a wonderful selection of booze.

Aside from some dodgy patatas bravas and fairly uninspiring chips, the food was very good.  Chorizo cooked in wine, Romana calamari and Garlic prawns were all particularly delicious.  There are also main courses available - order the squid.  The Provincial was slightly less busy than most of its neighbours which led to a pleasant atmosphere (apart from one drunk chap) and excellent service. 

I'd just like to briefly mention my other favourite new lunch spot which I recently discovered with work colleagues.  If you find yourself near Oval, make your way over to Di Lieto Bakery & Deli on South Island Place just off Brixton Road.  

At lunch, they serve up several hot food options, mostly very generous portions of fresh pasta & meat or seafood for around £4.50.  We hardly ever have the same thing twice, and the quality is always incredibly high.  Then there's the freshly baked bread brought to your table, soup, pizzas, great coffee, and tempting pastries (we've created the Di Lieto special - Nutella shoved inside one of their fresh ring doughnuts), all served by a very entertaining bunch of Italians to very happy locals.  Seek this one out.

Last but not least, I am very excited about heading over to When Mac Met Cheese in Bayswater which opens tomorrow (Saturday March 22nd) for 3 months.  Sam is one of my favourite street food traders, and he is well known for his awesome Mac'n'Cheese and his ridiculous Deep Fried Oreos.  There will also be a bar with some banging cocktails apparently.  It will be open Wednesday-Sunday - check the poster below for exact times.

Tooting Tram and Social - Chicken Shop - Provenance - Peter Spanton Tonics

Tuesday December 3rd - This post is a little on the late side.  Two of the people involved have since moved to Sweden, and one of the 3 venues is shutting down - but which one?

The evening started with a couple of drinks at Tooting Tram & Social (TT&S), one of Antic London's flagship "pubs".  Much like Effra Social and Balham Bowls Club, TT&S makes clever use of an unusual building, in this case an old tram shed.  It is set back from the street down a beautifully lit alley, very easy to miss!  

Inside is just as stunning - the spacious ground floor is overlooked by a mezzanine, and the tram shed roof is miles away above you.  Massive chandeliers, bunting, wall decorations, all sorts of furniture and a stage keep your eyes wandering.

Throughout the week there are all sorts of events including bands, comedy, theatre and sports screenings, but at the weekend they make full use of their 2am license with DJs and live music.  As you can see below, it is a really atmospheric venue, and entry is always free.

On our visit, there were no ales on but this was a temporary problem apparently.  The bottled beer selection was ample and the London Fields Wheat on tap went down very nicely.  The Tuesday night background triphop music selection was a little unsettling but I'll let them off.  An open mic session was scheduled for later on, but we decided to move on elsewhere to grab something to eat.  

We passed by Graveney & Meadow, another quirky Antic establishment with drinks, tapas and cakes on the menu which is on The List for my next trip to Tooting, along with Little Bar and Apollo Banana Leaf.  I am also looking forward to visiting Tooting Market which seems to be heading in an exiting Brixton Village direction under new ownership.  Busan BBQ ran a successful popup there on Feb 1st, and Bindlesticks promises wine, travel trinkets & books, and live music. Time to buy in Tooting!

Instead, we wandered over to the new Chicken Shop, Soho House's second site for tasty rotisserie chicken and sides following great success in Kentish Town.  It didn't start well as an anxious front of house said that there was only room for 3 not 5 for at least 30 mins despite the constant quick turnaround and visible spaces - perhaps there were some health and safety issues, but a tired Lauren and Natalie (in no need of Team List points) decided to head homing anyway, leaving Ben, Anita and I to spread our legs in one corner.  

There is a lot of unnecessary space in the attractive open kitchen area that chefs never seemed to venture near, but perhaps this was to keep us a safe distance from the roaring rotisserie fires that could power a small country. 

We took off as many layers as the law allows and ordered pretty much everything on the menu - 1 whole chicken for £15 (half = £8.50, quarter = £4.50), corn on the cob, coleslaw, crinkle cut fries and butter lettuce & avocado salad.  Sides are all £4.  Sauces of the smokey and hot variety are provided on the table.

It all impressively arrived within minutes (I've waited longer in McDonalds) and disappeared just as quickly, washed down with bottles of Camden Pale Ale and pints of Birra Moretti.  A couple more interesting bottled beers wouldn't go amiss but you are in and out so quickly it's not essential.  Anita stuck to wine and agonised over the choice of House / Decent / Good.  The delicious chicken went especially well with the Smokey Sauce, and the corn & salad sides stood out.  I appreciate the simple menu, but I do feel there is room for them to offer a little more, as Poulet Rouge in Balham does.  £5 desserts are available in the form of Deep Filled Apple Pie, Lemon Cheesecake and Warm Chocolate Brownie but we gave them a miss this time.

If you can't face the heat in the kitchen, then you can order takeaway.  The chicken is skilfully, speedily and brutally chopped and bagged by the chefs and sent on its way - see Wilkes' vine video post below.

Takeaway Rotisserie Chicken video from Wilkes

Brutal.

Our final stop was for a quick pint at another Antic pub, The Provenance in Collier's Wood ("Collywood") down the road from Chicken Shop.  It's a wonderful little boozer (more traditional than Antic's quirkier offerings mentioned above) with great beer, cosy decor and friendly locals.  The vintage interior (complete with a safe?) harks back to the pubs original style from the late 1800s.  Unfortunately though, I have just heard that The Provenance is closing down, following soon after the closure of Antic's Battersea Mess and Music Hall which shut up shop a couple of weeks ago.  Hopefully this is just a coincidence and all is well in Antic land, but regardless this is sad news.  Get in there quick before it goes!

Rather than end on a sad note, I'll finish up with something entirely different - a boozy Sunday night of tonic tasting with friends.

On Sunday February 2nd, together with flatmates and a couple of friends, I tested out four of Peter Spanton's exciting range of tonics with a variety of spirits.  The drinks in question were No.1 London Tonic, No.3 Cardamom, No.4 Mint & Bitters and No.5 Lemongrass.  On the panel was Maggie, Ali, Rich and Sophie, who gets special praise for creating our tasting chart without a ruler in sight!  

No. 1 London Tonic - On its own, it has a floral aroma & a citrus hit - very zingy and sweeter than average tonic.  It really opened up Gordon's and Hendrick's making wonderful G&Ts.  It was a bit lost when put with the all powerful Thai-spiced Opihr Gin, but this destroys most things in its path.  Popular with everyone on the panel, and all for under 4 calories!

No. 3 Cardamom - The tastiest of the lot on its own - very refreshing and drinkable. Similar aroma to the Opihr Gin in fact, but a much subtler taste.  Interestingly, we found it didn't add too much to Gordon's, Tanqueray and Opihr compared to the London Tonic.  We also tried it with Dry Vermouth but found the flavours didn't mix - possibly going to blame an old bottle of Vermouth for that one though!

No. 4 Mint & Bitters - This is an acquired taste! Smells like mint and cocoa but finishes as chocolate orange in the mouth.  We tried it with Mount Gay and La Hechicera rums and found it all a bit too sweet.  It fared better with Cleveland Bay Vodka and a dash of bitters, but was a tad overpowering with most of the spirits.

No. 5 Lemongrass - The least appealing on the nose (which divided the panel) but refreshing to taste. The pairing with Tequila Ocho and lime was one of the best drinks of the night, and it held its own with Tanqueray, although we still preferred the London Tonic with classic gins.  We chucked some Opihr in again, but it still punched the tonic in the face - damn tasty still!  We also tried it with Cleveland Bay Vodka, which didn't compare as well to the Tequila and Gin options.  Peter suggests that it would work well with Brandy too.

18 combinations later, our chart was filled up (with decreasingly intelligent comments), and we picked our favourites.  Best Solo Tonic went to No.3 Cardamom, Best Combination was tied between No. 1 London Tonic and Hendrick's, and No. 5 Lemongrass with Tequila & lime.  It's great to see more competition for Fever-tree turning up, and Peter Spanton's beverages deserve to do very well.  Track them down, and let me know how No. 7 Acai Blend tastes if you get your hands on it!

Bar Chocolat with Blanch & Shock and Bompas & Parr

Monday September 16th - Midway through my first day back teaching at school over 4 months ago, I got an email from Barchick saying I had won two tickets to the last night of the Bar Chocolat popup that evening.  Luckily my plans had just been cancelled so I got hold of List Leader Natalie who was up for it.

We joined a queue of excited Londoners on Earlham Street, ready for a 3 course meal from experimental foodies Blanch & Shock and Bompas & Parr, inspired by an indulgent new liquid chocolate liqueur from Baileys called Chocolat Luxe.

On entering, we passed through three art installations before we reached the Chocolat Luxe bar.

Bompass & Parr installation

Chocolat Luxe bar & Microleaf Canapé

After a quick look around, the dining room was revealed and we sat down.  We found ourselves sitting next to knowledgeable Food & Drink-o-phile, Wilkes McDermid, whom I have met many times since.  

Our first course was a fascinating & tasty mix of seafood and vegetables, all served on ice with wooden pincers.  See the menu below for details!  Wine was smartly paired with the food throughout the evening.

The first course was impressive, but the second course was spectacular.  Food and theatre combined as an army of waiters created a unique work of edible art right in front of our eyes.  I had heard good things about Blanch & Shock and they lived up to the hype with this flashy feast.

It was a really fun and sociable way to eat, though you almost didn't want to move any of the food!  Several ingredients were in a "no-mans land" area which I fought over with a complete stranger.  I obviously didn't take on Natalie, you know what those northerners are like.

For the sweet course, Blanch & Shock passed the baton over to Bompas & Parr.  We started by coating our lips in gold leaf, before taking on a variety of miniature puddings that were spread around the bar area, whilst drinking a glass of Chocolat Luxe (served Rococo style with a raspberry).  

The Chocolat Luxe itself isn't really my thing, but it will appeal to a lot of people.  It could be used in a variety of ways but is probably best served as an after dinner treat, as it was by Bompas & Parr.

Thanks to Barchick for the tickets, and to B&S and B&P for the theatrical spread.  Keep an eye on all of their websites for exciting future projects, of which I'm sure there will be many in 2014.

What am I drinking this week?

Alcohol seemed to be the prevailing theme from my Christmas presents this year, and I am now the proud owner of some wonderful spirits, including Oriental-spiced Opihr Gin, a bottle of smoky Peat Monster Whisky and some incredible "El Carrizal" Anejo Tequila Ocho (which would convert any tequila absconder). I have also finally got some Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters and Mozart Chocolate Bitters for my back bar, both very different and useful.  There were several more more mini gins, beers and liqueurs which Twitter followers have been busy trying to identify over the festive period.  

Christmas came early a couple of weeks ago in the form of a bottle of Ruby Blue Wild Blackcurrant liqueur, one of four new bottle-aged liqueurs from Northern Ireland.  They also produce Wild Blueberry, Cranberry and a Chilli Pepper liqueur.  In a nice touch, every bottle contains the berries which have been added to the distilled Irish grain spirit, and every bottle has been aged for at least three months.  My Wild Blackcurrant liqueur is very drinkable on its own, and is also a great substitute for Cassis in a Kir Royale.  Head over to Gerry's to get your hands on your own bottle.