Le Chalet - Pont St - 40 Maltby Street

Half Term + Food & Drink Blogger = Boozy Lunches! I'll keep the chat to a minimum as the photos tell most of the story.  Check out www.mattthelist.tumblr.com for more food & drink snaps from London and beyond!

#1 - Thursday 30th October - First up, lunch with Dad The List on the roof of Selfridges.  Des McDonald and his Q Grill restaurant ran On The Roof with Q here during the summer.  For the winter months, Des is back again with Le Chalet, an alpine ski-lodge eatery, mostly under cover, with the appropriate décor, cosy blankets on every chair, and a dedicated hot chocolate cocktail "choctail" bar.

Interior Shot provided by Le Chalet

Though I was tempted by the likes of the Hazelnut (Hazelnut, almond liqueur, dark chocolate, hot chocolate - £9.50), I stuck to the cold cocktails with a wonderful Honeycomb Old Fashioned (Maker's Mark, honeycomb, whisky barrel aged bitters).  

Most of the drinks would do for dessert, such as the Choc-work Orange (Orange, Dark Chocolate), Roasted Chestnut Julep (Maker's Mark, Sweet Chestnut Liqueur, Mozart dark chocolate) and Gingerbread Slipper (Brugal, gingerbread, lemon, egg white).

Honeycomb Old Fashioned

Le Chalet "Choctails"

For the first time in many a month, we ordered "starters" rather than "small plates":

- Cornish crab, pickled celeriac, Colman’s mustard - £12.50

- Sweet walnut and Stilton tart - £8.75

Whilst they weren't much to look at, both were full of flavour and the salad garnishes were more than just an afterthought.  Other wintery options include pumpkin "hummus", oxtail and winter root broth, and air dried beef with baked raclette.

Sweet Walnut & Stilton Tart // Cornish Crab, Pickled Celeriac, Mustard

The mains:

Smoked Highland Venison, Black Pepper "Neeps" - £24

Spit Roasted Pork, Black Pudding Fritter, Chorizo Cabbage, Apple Sauce - £29

Check out those Selfridges rooftop prices...  Ignoring that, there was a decent amount of beautifully cooked meat with the smokey venison particularly standing out. The black pudding fritter was also a great success, and the crackling was a treat.  

Smoked Highland Venison, Black Pepper "Neeps"
Spit Roasted Pork, Black Pudding Fritter, Chorizo Cabbage, Apple Sauce

Best of all though was the stunning Eggnog Snow Egg (£8) which was almost too good-looking to destroy.  Almost.  A light tap on the top with a fork brought it all crashing in, revealing a squishy marshmallow like vanilla egg custard delight that I clearly can't really describe.  Go and get one.

The Apple Streusel with "Lashings" of Custard (£7.50) was more of an apple pie and crumble hybrid, which is no bad thing, but it was always going to come second to the Eggnog Snow Egg.

Eggnog Snow Egg

Apple Streusel with "lashings of custard"

Le Chalet is a charming refuge from Selfridges and Oxford Street if you can afford the premium prices.  Perhaps just come up for a choctail and a dessert if nothing else!  Des McDonald is keeping himself busy this Christmas period, running Q on Ice at the Canary Wharf Ice Rink too.

Matt The Tip - Check out Forza Win(ter) and The Lodge in Balham for more festive food fun

ForzaWin(ter) 2014 from Forza Win on Vimeo.

Entrance to Le Chalet at Selfridges

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#2 - Friday 31st October - The following day, I popped on a shirt (rare), and wandered around the backstreets of Sloane Square in the unseasonable sunshine in search of the Belgraves Hotel.  The lovely folk at Zomato sent me a £100 voucher (from a Twitter competition) to splash out at Pont Street, so I took along one of my siblings for a belated birthday meal.

Sophie Michell became the UK's youngest female Executive Chef when she joined the Belgraves Hotel, and she relaunched the restaurant in September 2013. Since then, Sophie has also opened The Gorgeous Kitchen in Heathrow Terminal 2.  And if she needs a reference, she can call upon the likes of Claudia Schiffer and Leonardo DiCaprio, for whom she has worked privately.

We kicked off with some superb complimentary Blue Cheese Brioche whilst we perused the menu. Delicious bread is always a good sign.

Blue Cheese Brioche

We took our time before settling on our starters:

- Scallop Carpaccio, Mandarin, Fennel, Olive Oil, Yuzu, Basil 

- Fried Squid, Smoked Paprika, Chilli, Saffron Aioli

The fried squid was highly enjoyable, but it was a distant second to the outstanding scallop carpaccio that would surely convert any fennel haters.  The waiter only turned his back for a second and it was all gone.

Scallop Carpaccio, Mandarin, Fennel, Olive Oil, Yuzu, Basil 

Fried Squid, Smoked Paprika, Chilli, Saffron Aioli

In anticipation of an evening of eating and drinking around London Fields, I thought I'd keep things light with some pasta (stuffed with ricotta cheese).

Gnudi is one of my all time favourite foodie words (along with Chiboust!) and this was a fine example of the genre, though rather different to the superb Pea Gnudi plate at Rotorino.  Jo gave the thumbs up to her cutely presented plate of lemon sole & cockles.

- Gnudi, Ricotta, Tomato Sauce, Rosemary, Pecorino
- Lemon Sole, Dorset Cockles, Sea Astor, Bottarga Butter

Lemon Sole, Dorset Cockles, Sea Astor, Bottarga Butter

Last but not least, the puddings:

- Doughnut Balls, Salted Caramel, Vanilla Milkshake

- Cinnamon Rice Pudding, Creme Fraiche, Apple Compote

Cinnamon Rice Pudding, Creme Fraiche, Apple Compote

I had already set my heart on the doughnut balls stuffed with warm caramel sauce a week before our lunch, and they didn't disappoint. You may not want to share them, but don't expect to get anything else done that day.  A coffee was needed to give my body time to assess the damage, but we eventually managed to roll ourselves out of the front door and back out on to the sunny streets.  

It was a lovely meal in pleasant surroundings - thanks to Zomato for making me aware of it!

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#3 - Saturday 1st November - After a couple of hours of Bermondsey exploration en famille, we sought refuge in 40 Maltby Street due to countless recommendations from locals and critics.

It is presented as a wine bar (and shop), but this place quickly fills up with people wanting to munch their way through 40 Maltby Street's chalkboard menu.  There are no bookings, so get there early. We were fine at midday, but it was packed an hour later.

Opening times: 

Wednesday 5.30pm – 10pm
Thursday 5.30pm – 10pm
Friday 12.30pm – 2pm & 5.30pm – 10pm
Saturday 11am – 10pm

The kitchen closes at 9.30pm for dinner and at 3.30pm for Saturday lunch

J.C.Garnier La Roche Bezigon 2012 - £5.80 / 125ml

The menu is one long list of items that would vaguely fit into starter and main categories.  I would suggest sharing a few of the smaller items before keeping a large plate all to yourself.  We started with:

- Crumbed Lamb Breast and Green Tomato Ketchup - £5.50

- Carrot, Clementine, Sunflower Seeds & Mint - £5
- Warm Salt Hake, Leeks, Walnuts - £7

Crumbed Lamb Breast, Green Tomato Ketchup

Carrot, Clementine, Sunflower Seeds, Mint

Warm Salt Hake, Leeks, Walnuts

And our "mains":

- Onion & Oatmeal Tart with Watercress - £7

- Venison Ragout and a Brussel Top - £11

- Fish Stew with Saffron and Fennel - £14

Venison Ragout, Brussel Top

Fish Stew, Saffron, Fennel

What can I say? Everything deserved its place on the table. The Warm Salt Hake was a revelation, and the Venison Ragout was the best thing that I ate all week (and I consumed rather a lot).  

Fantastic, affordable food in a relaxed setting, on a par with Peckham Bazaar, Rotorino, Honey & Co and The Dairy.

In the words of Jay Rayner:

"Regulars at 40 Maltby Street want to keep it a secret – but the food at this quirky kitchen is just too good for that" - The Guardian

Pescatori - WC Wine & Charcuterie - Drakes Tabanco

Following on from my June catchup post, here is a round-up of some great outings from the beginning of July, before America, Canada and Scotland got in the way.

Thursday 10th July - First up, a lovely lunch at Pescatori, a classy Italian seafood restaurant which holds court in both Fitzrovia and Mayfair.  Mary and I popped in to the Charlotte Street branch to fill up on fish.

Slightly better weather would have allowed us to sit outside on their attractive new terrace space (which even has its own menu Mon-Fri 3.00-5.30pm), but the restaurant is no less impressive.  It's a much larger site than I first realised, and several local suits in the know were already halfway through their mains when we sat down.

The A La Carte menu is fairly extensive which must keep the chefs on their toes.  We started with a very fresh & generous portion of Bruschetta di granchio (handpicked Dorset crab, with avocado on toasted bread - £10.50) along with a classic plate of Prosciutto with parmesan shavings (£9.95) - can't go wrong.

Bruschetta di granchio - fresh handpicked Dorset crab with avocado

Freshly sliced Parma ham with parmesan shavings

We tested the chefs (and waiting staff) a little more with our mains, opting for Spaghettini all'aragosta, their signature pasta dish with native lobster, San Marzano tomatoes, garlic & chilli, and a special salt baked seabass with samphire, which was skilfully prepared in record time at the table.

The spaghetti (£22.50) was large enough for two, and a delight to eat.  Simple flavours, done very well. Meanwhile, the seabass was a beautifully cooked, melt in your mouth fish feast.  Our planned three courses was starting to look a little unnecessary.

Spaghettini all'aragosta - Native lobster, San Marzano tomatoes, garlic & chilli

Salt baked seabass with samphire

The epic proportions of the excellent main dishes nearly defeated us, but we roused ourselves to share a dessert. It didn't let us down.

Gnocchi di latte - sweet baked dumplings with glazed dark rum.  I'm a big fan of almost every word in that description.  

It was possibly the best pudding I've had all year, and I've had my fair share.  Easy on the eye, not so on the arteries, it easily stretched to two people and was a steal at £6.50.  

Gnocchi di latte - sweet baked dumplings with dark glazed rum

A fantastic way to round off a luxury lunch.  Prices are fairly steep, though not for the area, and as I mentioned above, one massive main course would definitely do you for the day, though don't you dare leave without eating some of those dumplings first. 

View the menu and follow Matt The List on Zomato

Later that day, I was out and about again, this time for the launch of WC Wine & Charcuterie.  You've guessed it, it's a wine and charcuterie bar inside a refurbished 100 year old public toilet, right next to Clapham Common tube station.  I like to think that they went through a few options in the pub first before deciding what to specialise in - "Wedding Cakes? Walkers Crisps? Wychwood Cider? Wensleydale Cheese? I've got it, WINE AND CHARCUTERIE"

WC follows The Attendant and Bermondsey Arts Club down the London bog route, though planning apparently started a few years ago and just took a long time to sort out.  It was worth the wait as they have totally transformed the space into a beautiful, cosy wine bar, extending old cubicle walls & doors to create booths, and using old wine crates in a variety of ways.  There is also a rather pleasant garden up at street level, enclosed by white picket fences

They apparently unearthed a number of gems when they were refurbishing, including some rather raunchy letters that are on show for all to see in the men's bathroom (which uses original urinals). You can also find some entertaining old school graffiti scratched in to the wooden booths if you explore closely with a light on your phone.

I guess I should talk about Wine & Charcuterie now?  Well, the thing is, I'm no wine expert, and we were drinking bubbles when we went, but I have no doubt that they have a very strong wine list.  More my scene is the Brixton beer on tap.  

As for food, you have several options.  

Small plates including - Chadwick’s Black pudding Scotch egg & pickles £4, Iberico Leg w/ gherkins  - £8, and a special - Foie gras parfait for 2 with Pedro Ximinez jelly, cornichons bread - £10.

Charcuterie board at £15 - Coppa, Hungarian paprika & chilli, WC Ham hock terrine, Wild Boar Salami, Bresaola, Smoked duck breast (£2 supplement)

Cheese board at £15 - Brie de Meaux (cow, France), Cantal, (cow, France), Drunken Burt, (cow, Cheshire), Golden Cross, (goat, Sussex), Fourme d’Ambert, (cow, France)

Superior Cheese & Charcuterie at £25 - Smoked duck breast, Jesus De Lyon, Truffle Salami, Pork Rillette, Brie De Meaux with wild honey, Fourme d’Ambert, Piccalilli, Mixed Olives, Sourdough & oils

There's also a mezze platter, a ploughman's board, oysters and salads - plenty to keep you happy.

All in all, we were very impressed, though a return visit is required to fully explore the food and drink.  WC is not a gimmicky bar in a toilet It's an atmospheric, classy wine bar, perfect for dates, or pre dinner / cinema drinks, and a great addition to Clapham Common.  

Friday 11th July - I'll quickly mention another pleasant meal in Fitzrovia, even though I wasn't really on blogger duty (friend's birthday meal, no camera at the ready).  Drakes Tabanco is a charming little sherry & tapas joint, "named after Sir Francis Drake, who accidentally kick-started Britain’s sherry industry after returning from his raid on Cadiz with 3000 butts of sherry contraband."

Shamelessly lifting more directly from their excellent website:

"Unfortunately the Brits were never fully exposed to the real stuff, hidden away for years in the great cellars of Jerez. Think dry, long-aged and full-bodied, like many fine wines, served chilled in a wine glass. The real gems are carefully nurtured over many years and released without being processed (en rama), meaning they retain their fullest character. It’s with these treasures that Drakes Tabanco hopes to excite a new generation – but this time without the cannons!

Tabancos are unique because they serve straight from the barrel, and for good reason – it tastes better. Drakes Tabanco is no exception, housing some of the finest wines Jerez has to offer.

They’re terrific on their own of course, but are simply mind-blowing when partnered with the right food. So with this in mind, we’ve created an Andalucian-inspired menu to bring out the best in both. But don’t be surprised to see a few wildcards thrown in from time to time, such as goose rillettes paired with a chilled glass of fino en rama. Why…because they’re just great together."

Out of character for me, I ignored the Spanish Rosita craft beers (yet to try) and went for a Fino "en rama" Especial sherry from Fernando de Castilla, £4.60 for 75ml.  Bone dry, it split the table, but was right up my street.  More wine and sherry flowed throughout the meal, some poured straight from the barrel.

As we booked as large group, Drakes chose the food and brought out an endless supply of tapas plates for a set price (£20/head ish if I remember rightly? Don't quote me on that).

I'm pretty sure it included the following and much more besides, but I could be wrong as it all happened so fast!

Smoked Pork Sausage £4

Cured Iberico Pork Tongue £3.50

Salchichon (salami-style) £5.50

Cecina (cured beef), Celeriac Remoulade       £9.50

Salt Cod Stuffed Piquillo Peppers, Flaked Almonds £5

Salmon Gravadlax, Beetroot, Horseradish Cream     £6.50

Deep Fried Baby Squid £6.00

Grilled Octopus, Chickpea & Chorizo £9/£18

Goose Rillettes, Toast, Gherkins, Caperberries £6.50

Pork & Oxtail Meatballs      £4.5

Braised Pig Cheeks, Hazelnuts, Potato Purée £7.5/ £15

At any rate, excellent value for money, and consistently delicious.   Superb charcuterie gave way to showstopping grilled octopus and braised pig cheeks via moreish salt cod stuffed peppers and salmon gravadlax.  I'd happily let Drakes choose my food every day of the week.  Desserts weren't quite as exciting though perhaps we were all a little too full by that point.  

In summary, it was a wonderful sociable meal,  with classy booze - highly recommended.

View the menu and follow Matt The List on Zomato

Matt The Tumblr latest from Scotland:

- Inveraray landscapes & Samphire seafood restaurant

- Isle of Islay Whisky Distilleries - Set 1 / Set 2 / Set 3

Map The List Update:

We came across an excellent iOS app for using Map The List on mobiles - MapsEngine Viewer. It works very smoothly online (worth the $2.99), and you can cache it all to use offline too. We used it all around America offline to great effect. Sadly there's no Android version yet so you will need to make do with Maps Engine Lite app (free) for the moment. 

Map The List versions of Chicago, New York, Minneapolis and Toronto are available upon request. Feel free to email me at matthew1hickman [at] gmail [dot] com for maps and tips.

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