Shochu Kanteen - Union Street Bar - Call Me Mr Lucky - The Alchemist

Monday 8th September - RAMEN RAMEN RAMEN RAMEN RAMEN.

That's my impression of my Twitter feed this month.

I was a bit slow getting to Bone Daddies in the first place, and I still haven't made it to Shoryu or Tonkotsu. Now United Ramen, Kanada-Ya and Ippudo are getting in on the act too.  It's all a bit overwhelming.  In response, I've eaten a fair amount of the stuff in recent weeks, from Nanban in Brixton all the way to Momofuku in Toronto, and I was at it again on Monday.  

Shochu Kanteen is a new lunch time offering at Shochu Lounge, the bar beneath the award-winning Roka on Charlotte Street.  It's open for business from Midday to 3.30pm, Monday-Friday.

We started with a fresh juice of beets, ginger & apple, homemade but pre-bottled for maximum efficiency in a busy lunchtime period.  There are also iced teas, beers, and shochu with plum soda if you fancy something stronger.

Food also arrived impressively quickly.  First came some comforting steamed buns with dips & extras on the side - Korean spiced lamb shoulder with pickled cucumber, and Teriyaki Salmon with pickled red onions.  

Then came the ramen - a massive bowl of Tokyo Style soy ramen with char su pork, bamboo shoots and soft egg for £11.  It wasn't the most beautifully presented I have ever seen, but it was delicious and extremely filling.  Perhaps it should be a tad cheaper and smaller for a lunchtime crowd, but I was content.  

For the sake of research, we also got ourselves a plate of Fried Tako Balls - Octopus croquettes with kewpie mayo.  A lot of flavour came from the accompanying mayo and the octopus was rather adept at hide and seek, but I would happily have eaten several more.

There are also salads available - one for £5, two for £7, three for £9:

- tomato and hijiki with shiso and wafu dressing 

- edamame and mixed bean with chilli and bonito

- crispy ramen noodles, cha shu pork and soya eggs

Fried Tako Balls - Octopus croquettes with kewpie mayo

To avoid falling asleep for the afternoon, we finished with two cute Little Tsubo (pots) of vanilla and chocolate, served with a bag of peanuts & marshmallows to add at your leisure.  The focus again is on speed of delivery which I'm sure will be appreciated, but with no compromise on quality.

Shochu Kanteen is sure to be a popular lunch destination for workers in a hurry in the area with its great service, relaxed atmosphere and tempting dishes.  Prices are a little high for lunchtime - perhaps a lunch deal will be brought in for those wishing to have more than just one item off the menu.

One less ramen to go.

View the menu here.

Tuesday 9th September - From lunch to aperitivo hour, Gordon Ramsay's Union Street Bar has joined Jamie's Italian in offering early evening cured meats, olives etc with drinks in a relaxed atmosphere.  We dropped in briefly for a few Peronis (in new pocket-sized Piccolo bottles) and a meeting with The Don (Peroni, tequila, lime, basil, rosemary, sugar).

And to eat: Spicy Nocellara olives, Tomino cheese with chilli and honey, Parma Ham and Salatini, Traditional tomato bruschetta, Spicy chicken wings, Union Street Arancini, Balsamic Beef Meatballs, and Friggitelli “green sweet fried peppers”

It's a relaxed space, perfect for casual after-work drinks, and there's always the restaurant upstairs if you don't want to move too far for dinner.  

Aperitivo Hour at Union Street Bar

Felix and I fancied another drink or two afterwards and marched off to the new Breakfast Club in London Bridge, opposite Katzenjammers (an old favourite of mine).  

They have made a name for themselves with hidden bars, one accessed through a fridge (Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town, Liverpool Street) and another via a laundrette (King of Ladies Man, Battersea). Now they can add a kitchen to that list.  

After whispering the "secret" password at the door, we were led downstairs, past the chefs, in to Call Me Mr Lucky, a tequila soaked dive bar

The first thing you will notice is the deadly Wheel of Fortune which can supposedly only be spun once on the hour.  I took the 8pm spin and soon found myself "singing" the tune from Fresh Prince of Bel Air behind the bar.  Felix stepped up for the 9pm spin, ending up with a shot that involved jalapeno pickle and habanero. Yum.  At least we didn't land on "go home".

Next you will notice that they have raided Woolworths and Athena to decorate the place.  And that it looks great.  The shape of the bar lends itself to a sociable evening with staff and fellow punters.  If you want privacy, there are two banging booths (not like that) round the back, but they aren't currently reservable.

And the booze? £8 cocktails & £4 London beers are alright for me.  Lucky Rostini (Herradura anejo tequila, plum liqueur, Campari, black walnut bitters) was a very drinkable Negroni twist, and Pea Diddy (El Dorado 3yr rum, fresh pea & horseradish, lime and pineapple) was not nearly as odd as it sounds.

Quince Dreams (G’Vine Nouaison gin, homemade quince syrup infused with pink peppercorn, cardamom & coriander seeds, lime, bitter lemon) beckoned, but we veered off menu with a tequila, mezcal and beetroot invention that might just make it on to a menu one day.

Food is available too - we know where the kitchen is, after all.  Just check Mr.Lucky's blackboard to see what's cooking.

Call Me Mr Lucky is a no-frills party bar that doesn't take itself too seriously.  For me, it's the best of the three Breakfast Club bars (at time of writing) for exactly that reason, and one of the rare "speakeasies" in London that's willing to have a bit of fun after you've made it through the "hidden" door.

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Wednesday 10th September - Completing a busy start to the week was a press launch at The Alchemist next to The Gherkin.  It's the first London site for a primarily Manchester based bar group, famed for their molecular mischief.

After a slow start in an All Bar One atmosphere with bottles of Sol and houmous on some doritos, the cocktails started to make their mark.  The poor bartenders have over 58 bonkers concoctions to memorise from a an overlong menu - they were all over it.

You might think the "molecular madness" section would be their five wackiest creations, but over 21 of their drinks fall into this category.  There's beer foam, smoke, dry ice, colour changing drinks, flames, a transparent cuba libre, strawberry caviar, raspberry dust and much more to keep an eye out for.

The Smoked Manhattan and Hot & Cold Espresso Tini (cold chantilly cream layer and a boiling espresso martini) were causing a stir on the bar.  Impressively, most of these eye catching drinks are around the £7.50 mark, a Manchester hangover that surely won't last long in the shadows of The Gherkin.

Hot & Cold Espresso Tini

Smoked Old Fashioned

Elsewhere on the menu, there are barrel aged cocktails (the Negroni was a success), hipflask cocktails (which can be kept for an extra £4), sharing kettles and soda syphons, classics (which could be omitted), and even some mocktails (which are for once appropriately priced at £3.50/£4).  

Bubblebath and Smokey Paloma impressed on taste and aesthetics, faring better than White Chocolate Raspberry Martini and a Lavender Daiquiri.  Going off menu (not long enough...) also paid dividends with a delightful stirred Mezcal & Chocolate Bitters combo.

Bubblebath

But the silliest drink of all, by some way, is the Mad Hatter's Tea Party (£20 between two).  A mix of Green Mark Russian vodka, Briottet elderflower liqueur, Cointreau, citron gomme and water is boiled up at the table, and infused with fresh fruit and herbs.  It is then served warm, with smoke billowing all over the table - it's quite a sight.  I was never expecting to be wowed by the flavours, and the temperature was on the tepid side which didn't quite work, but it is a lot of fun.

Ella from The Little Brown Book

I can't comment on the food (The Alchemist won't want me to judge them on their canapés) but I can guarentee there's a drink for everyone!  The prices are extremely low for the City (long may that continue) and there are some winning drinks, but I do prefer my bars to be smaller & cosier with more of a laidback soundtrack.  Expect it to be very busy after work, and take your camera.

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MATT THE COMPETITION - This week I'm running a competition with Zomato to win two £22 vouchers for cocktails at Looking Glass Cocktail Club on Hackney Road.  Head to my twitter page for a chance to win and you might find yourself with Tweedledee & Tweedledum behind the mirror.

COMPETITION! Follow @matthew1hickman & @Zomato and RT for a chance to win TWO £22 vouchers for cocktails at @LookingGlassE2 - ends Sat eve!
— Matt The List (@matthew1hickman) September 17, 2014

Looking Glass Cocktail Club

Mission - Craft Cocktail Company

Thursday 4th September - Ah, Bethnal Green.  Why aren't you slightly closer to SW11?

Regular readers might have spotted my fondness for this rapidly improving area for food & drink after numerous posts featuring the likes of Redchurch Brewery, Peg + Patriot, Satan's Whiskers, Mother Kelly's, Dead Doll's Club and more.

All the way back in April, Mother Kelly's opened up on a quiet Paradise Row in one of a number of archways that Network Rail decided to capitalise on.  Japanese Kitchen followed soon after, then Craft Cocktail Company, and now Sager & Wilde's Mission has arrived, but more on that in a bit.

No trip to E2 is complete without a couple of beers at MK's, and that's where our evening began. Rather conveniently, they were hosting the UK launch of Left Hand Brewing (from Colorado).  They are known for their Milk Stout which was available on nitro (smoother pour akin to Guinness) as well as regular taps. Stranger Pale Ale and 400 Pound Monkey IPA went down rather nicely too.

Outdoor seating on Paradise Row

Left Hand Brewing UK launch at Mother Kelly's

It was a flying visit though, as dinner beckoned next door at Mission, the new "Californian wine bar and kitchen" from the popular duo of Michael & Charlotte Sager-Wilde.  The name refers to the Mission grape variety, the first to ever be planted in California.  Their small but perfectly formed wine bar (Sager + Wilde) on Hackney Road has been a huge success, and this time they are back with more than just grilled cheese sandwiches.  James de Jong (previously at The Drapers Arms) is their secret weapon, bringing "Californian-style cooking with Italian influences" to Bethnal Green.

All the arches on Paradise Row are more or less the same plot, so it's interesting to see how differently they all approach the design.  At Mission, you arrive right in the heart of the dining area, with the wine bar behind separated by some exotic plant life.  Looking down on it all is a mezzanine reserved for private functions. Some of the best bottles are stashed up here too.  Lighting is just on the right side of the romantic / too dark to see your food line, even as early as 7pm.

Let's chat about the drinks first.  There's the wine of course.  Of all the booze groups, wine is the one I know least about, but Charlotte, Michael and the rest of the staff were on hand to fill in any gaps.  At any rate, it's an excellent list.  Then there's a small but interesting selection of bottled beers including contributions from North Coast & Pine Street, two Californian breweries.  

But what's this? £4.50 cocktails? Grab a "three sip" Sazerac / Manhattan / Rum Old Fashioned / Martini - a great idea which I'm surprised I haven't seen elsewhere.  I always find a full-sized cocktail looks a little out of place on the dinner table, and tends to hang around too long.  I guess I could drink them faster of course...

Anyway, on to the food.  We started with 'Nduja Arancini (£6.50) - difficult to divide between three, but worth the effort.  This was joined by Duck Pappardelle (£8.50)- simple but effective.  I would happily eat a boat load of this.  Our third small plate was Octopus, Farro, Tomato & Aioli (£8.50) - a generous portion of garlicky goodness and a contender for best plate of the evening, though not advisable for first dates!

'Nduja Arancini

Duck Pappardelle

Octopus, Farro, Tomato, Aioli

Then came the Salt Ox Cheek with Lentils & Salsa Verde (£15).  Three hefty pieces of wonderful meat arrived in the most glorious sauce.  Great value, high quality sharing food.  I hope it's still on the menu when I return.  We followed this with Rabbit Leg, Pancetta, Polenta & Girolles (£17) - very popular on the other side of the table, but not in the same league as the Ox Cheek for me.  More-ish Garlic & Rosemary Potatoes (£3.50) kept everything company.

A pair of guys near us went straight for the Lamb Scottadito (£37) that we had been eyeing up - supposedly for two or three, it could easily have fed a small town.  Food jealousy ensued.

Salt  Ox Cheek, Lentils, Salsa Verde

Not for long though, as my Dulce de Leche Cheesecake with Honeycomb arrived.  I'm sure the Lemon Sorbet with Prosecco on the other side of the table was nice enough, but there was only ever going to be one winner in  that fight.  It was one of the fluffiest examples of the genre I have ever had the pleasure of demolishing, with a subtle vanilla flavour backed up by the supporting cast on the plate.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake with Honeycomb

Considering this was Mission's first evening of service (soft opening and all that), everything ran extremely smoothly, staff were calm and friendly (one smashed item was cleared up before I even managed to turn my head), and the food was confidently dispatched.    It opens fully on Monday September 15th, and will no doubt be busy from day one, so get booking!

N.B. They are also opening up for brunch at the weekends, see you there.

We picked up a few more people at Mother Kelly's en route to our final stop, Craft Cocktail Co.. This doodle demonstrates just how far we had to travel all evening.  Archways 252 & 254 are currently empty, but a little birdie told me Pitt Cue Co might be the next arrival - very good news indeed.  

CCC's neon sign drew us in to their attractive bar which was sadly rather empty compared to the buzzing Mother Kelly's & Mission a few arches down.  The upside though was full attention from the friendly staff, starting with a quick tour of the site.

I should explain - Craft Cocktail Co is no ordinary cocktail bar.  Hidden round the back is their own little factory for creating large batches of cocktails.  These are either bottled (to be sent away to festivals, sold for takeaway on site, or opened and served up for punters), or put through draft lines to be served in pint glasses on tap.

And so we went round to look at the process with words like vats and pasteurisation being thrown around - not necessarily what you want to hear when talking about making cocktails but there you go.  Then we moved back to the bar, and were kindly offered samples of all of the pre-made cocktails - much like getting tasters in a pub which I approve, especially if you are going to buy a pint of the stuff.

Here's what we tried:

Sparkling Bottled Cocktails:

The Southern Fairy - Petit Pois infused Gin, Lincolnshire Elderflower, Hand-Pressed Lemon Juice and Russet Apple Juice

Sunset Boulevard - Craft In-House Gin, Aperol Aperitif Liqueur, Blood Orange Juice, Hand-Pressed Lemon Juice and Acacia Honey

Lavender Paloma - 100% Agave Tequila, Hand-Pressed Pink Grapefruit Juice, English Lavender, With a subtle touch of Juniper and Fennel

Geisha - Craft In-House Gin, Rose Water, Hand-Pressed Lemon Juice, Lychee and a hint of Raspberry

Cult Classic - Craft In-House Amaretto Liqueur, Black Cherry and Hand-Pressed Lemon Juice

Draft:

Alcoholic Ginger Beer - Hand-pressed ginger, Raw unrefined cane sugar and a touch of citrus to balance

Hard Iced Tea - Lots of cardamom... can't quite remember the rest!

Hot Blooded Mary - Craft in-house vodka infused with Kashmiri chilli peppers, tomato passata, Henderson Yorkshire Relish and smoked Tabasco

Summer Fruit Cup - In-house Craft Gin, Antica Formula Vermouth, Merlot Triple Sec, Angostura Bitter, Raspberry , Blackberry, Hand-pressed lemon juice and hand pressed ginger

Sampling a Hot Blooded Mary

Pints of Alcoholic Ginger Beer

For me, they are were all lacking one thing.  Alcohol.  Or rather, the taste of it.  They were all perfectly drinkable, but not very adventurous, with rather uninspiring base spirits.  The slightly more exciting drinks with the likes of Petits Pois infused gin, Lavender and Rose Water failed to sparkle.  I hope that they will continue to tweak the recipes and create a few more challenging concoctions, as they've got such a great setup. 18 year old me would probably absolutely love it, £6 for an easy-drinking pint of Alcoholic Ginger Beer (effectively a giant Moscow Mule) or Summer Fruit Cup (Pimm's alternative), but now I'm in my early-mid-late twenties, I go for quality not quantity.

In the meantime, you are best off going from the classic cocktails list that includes Negronis, Martinis, Old Fashioneds and Sazeracs.  These are made to order by the barmen, though I believe they intend to bottle these too, which would be more up my street.  There are also top local beers from Redchurch and Hackney Brewery in the fridge.

It's clearly a work in progress, and I would love to see them succeed as they are trying to do something different.  It could be a fantastic place to hangout, especially with the rest of the Paradise Row dream team nearby, but for the moment it is a little disappointing and the house cocktails need a lot of work.  When the competition is Peg + Patriot and Satan's Whiskers, you really have to raise your game.

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New photos up on Matt The Tumblr - The Alchemist // Wapping Market // Corner Room

M1lk - Bobo Social - Society Club

Sunday 31st August - After many a fine brunch in the States this summer, I decided to up my game in London starting with highly-rated M1lk in Balham, located on work-in-progress Hildreth Street.

The "no reservations" queue was in full flow by the time I arrived at 11.20, but their superb Workshop coffee was available and the sun was shining - so far, so Williamsburg.  The atmosphere was buzzing, and with good reason judging by the look of the food being brought out.  Before too long we had a table for five indoors and were eyeing up the menu and the striking décor.

View the menu and follow Matt The List on Zomato

3/4 pint of Lois smoothie & pot of tea

Brunch isn't a meal for messing around sharing everything on the menu.  It's about getting a massive portion of something delicious (potentially with hangover cure benefits if necessary) and keeping it all to yourself. This led to three of us ordering the same wonderfully named Convict muffin (did I mention M1lk is run by Australians?).  It was a criminally good choice - English muffin, drycure bacon, m.moens sausage, burford brown egg, poacher hash, hangover sauce - £7.90. I don't know what hangover sauce is, but I want it every Sunday.

The Convict - English muffin, drycure bacon, m.moens sausage, burford brown egg, poacher hash, hangover sauce

Non-convicts went for Billy The Kid (Red Clover Honeycomb, Goat's Cheese, Sourdough, Flowers - £6.90) and Young Betty (Poached Eggs on Woodfired Sourdough, Drycure Bacon, Burnt Butter Hollandaise, with Young Spinach & Chinese Chive - £7.80 + supplement), both of which looked smashing.  Next time...

Billy The Kid - Red Clover Honeycomb, Goat's Cheese, Sourdough, Flowers

Many treats on display at M1lk

And brunch is as simple as that. No starters. No menu explanations. No small plates. Isn't it great? I should write about it more often, it's a lot less time consuming.  M1lk stands up to the best that New York & co. have to offer, and I expect I will be back again very soon, not least because there is a brand new beer & homebrew store round the corner called We Brought Beer.

One place that might soon compete with M1lk for my affections is Fields Café, their sister joint which is currently taking shape in the building next to the skate park on Clapham Common.  Get a load of these potential dishes:

- Coal-grilled sausage bao, kewpie, pickled shallot & iceberg

- Peat-smoked mutton & beans, garden herb butter & sourdough

- Smashed peas, hay-smoked goat’s curd, garden herbs & sourdough

- Sticky rice pudding, apple, soured cream ice-cream & sake

- Banana bread, Nesquik mascarpone and salted panela

Exciting.  Keep track of their progress on Twitter.

N.B. M1lk is open 8am-5pm Monday – Saturday, and 9am-5pm Sunday - so brunch isn't limited to the weekend! No reservations.

Tuesday 2nd July - Just over the road from upmarket hot dog establishment Bubbledogs, Bobo Social is setting out to do something similar with burgers, envisaging more of a 3 course affair with patties in the middle where they belong.

Ushered downstairs, we settled in with a bottle of Buxton SPA and a Guava & Rosemary Margarita.  The cocktail list didn't excite me hugely, but good on them for keeping prices under £10 in Fitzrovia.  Black Basil Cosmopolitan and Café Old Fashioned would have come next but I moved on to beer for the remainder of the meal.  Décor is nice enough, a bit of a mishmash of hipster lighting (a bit orange for any budding Instagrammers) but a room without natural light is hard to pull off.

Impressionist Bobo Social 

First came a couple of small plates - Salt & Pepper Crispy Squid with Pickled Cucumber, Rocket, Sweet Chilli & Lime Jam (£6.50) and Sea Bass Ceviche with Pomegranate, Rocket, Chilli, Chive & Lemon Dressing (£7.50).  Salt & Pepper Squid never fails to delight, and chilli & lime jam was a clever accompaniment. The greens weren't an afterthought either  The ceviche was less impressive, lacking the acidic kick that we were craving.

View the menu and follow Matt The List on Zomato

Salt & Pepper Squid with Sweet Chili & Lime Jam

On to the main event, burgers cooked in their Kopa Charcoal Oven with silver birch (they rotate which wood they use to enhance the flavour).  Felix's Peanut Butter burger (£11) made use of Dexter beef, though this is also changed regularly. 

"No, we didn't kill a cow called Dexter", replied the waiter to Felix's witty enquiry.

Dexter was swiftly devoured and given the thumbs up.  Pink, juicy, and a sensible size given the expectation for ordering more courses.  The B branded buns are a nice touch.

6oz rare-breed beef, peanut butter, Monterey Jack, and maple drizzled cured bacon served in a buttermilk bun with lettuce, tomatoes, charcoal roasted onions and Bobo sauce

I knew what I was ordering before I walked through the door. Debauchery.

£20 worth of Wagyu beef, Ogleshield cheese, confit shitaki mushrooms, bacon mayo, truffle & onion compote, shaved truffles, described by Fay Maschler as "sort of a breakthrough burger".

I enjoyed it thoroughly but most of London's best burgers can be bought for under £10 and this wasn't in a world of its own.  Wagyu beef is a treat worth paying for every now and then though, and who doesn't love bacon mayo? Quiet veggies.

Wagyu beef, Ogleshield cheese, confit shitaki mushrooms, bacon mayo, truffle & onion compote, shaved truffles

Sides of Sweet Potato Chips with Truffle Salt and Apple Slaw with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds hit the spot. Skin-on, Beef Dripping Chips and Deep Fried Pickles with Spicy Buttermilk Dip wait in the wings for next time.

Sweet Potato Chips with Truffle Salt

We finished with two small but rich dessert pots, fresh from the fridge rather than the kitchen.  Dark & Milk Chocolate Mousse with Salted Caramel was the better of the two, though a lot denser than we imagined (I've been waiting to use "over-egged the pudding" but I don't really know what I'm talking about).  White Chocolate Cheesecake with Lemon & Ginger was fine but uninspiring.  A bit more innovation or presentation might be needed for the desserts to leave an impression.

Dark & Milk Chocolate Mousse with Salted Caramel

I do like the sound of their Experimental Burger Society nights, held every Monday.  It's £25 per person to create a brand new burger with the Head Chef, making use of Alligator, Ostrich, Kangaroo and Venison if you so wish.  The best burger goes on the menu for the week.  The price also includes a welcome drink, and you get to eat your creation of course.

Felix and I both agreed, there was plenty of enjoyable food, served with a smile, but the burger section leaves the rest of the menu without a real focus, leaving you with a quite random selection of dishes to choose from.  The prices are reasonable and the Debauchery burger is bound to be talked about, but in my opinion, Bobo Social needs something else to tie it all together, and perhaps a stronger drink offering too.



We left very full and in need of a good walk, marching off in the direction of Soho with no real destination in mind.  We walked past Soho Grind (on my to-do list), but it's currently only open late on Fridays and Saturdays.  Look out for Holborn Grind opening soon too.  Instead we wandered down to the other end of Beak Street to find The Society Club.

The Society Club was recommended to me some time ago by a reliable source as one of Soho's best kept secrets.  It's a tiny independent bookstore, gallery & café by day, and relaxed cocktail bar and Soho refuge by night, with regular book launches, poetry readings (not poker evenings as I first heard), talks and workshops.  By the looks of the piano and guitar (extra points instantly) there is live music occasionally too. It's also very much dog friendly.

However, I should have gone a lot sooner as I fear it is just about to switch to a members only system in the evenings which would be a shame.  Annual membership is £175 (effectively a pledge to buy books) which will grant you access to their Bohemian sitting room bar after 6pm.  

We stuck to two classics, a Negroni and an Old Fashioned, both well executed, and soaked up the atmosphere as regulars wandered in and out, always warmly greeted.  It captures that drinks after a dinner party vibe perfectly, with jazz playing softly in the background and classy characters chatting away in cosy corners.  If  The Nudge / Barchick decided to send out an email alerting everyone to a bookstore / gallery / café / cocktail bar in  the heart of Soho, the place would be awash with hipsters in no time.  Maybe it's for the best that it doesn't remain open to everyone.  Does anybody want to lend me £175?

Negroni & Old Fashioned at Society Club