It's my birthday today (hooray!), so I think I can get away with a writing-light, photo-heavy post, don't you? I had two stonking meals in London last week that will still be in my mind in a year's time.
I'll start with Soho's buzziest new joint, but you can skip ahead for some farm-to-table dining at The Shed by clicking here.
And if you are just here to read about an upcoming popup involving TINY PIGS then click here.
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Wednesday 4th March - First up though is Blacklock on Great Windmill Street, your one-stop shop for chops, cheesecake and cocktails on Great Windmill Street. Despite only opening a couple of weeks ago, the queues are already forming up the stairs and down the street for this buzzy basement brothel hangout from Hawksmoor alumni.
They aren't taking reservations at the moment, but this should be changing fairly soon. The wait in the bar flies by when there is wine on tap and £5 cocktails, including a cracking Aperol Negroni and "Grandma's Spiked Lemonade". You can even get yourself a £45 bottled cocktail for the table if you know you are in for the long haul. A short but interesting beer list struggles to compete on prices.
You can order bits and bobs from the concise menu, but there's only really one option. ALL IN.
Pre-chop bites followed by Beef, Pork & Lamb chops piled on charcoal-grilled flat bread to share with a choice of side for £20 per person. No brainer.
When a large group goes for this, the chop pile is truly a sight to behold. The only slight issue is that you will find it difficult to choose one from a mouth-watering selection of sides:
- 10 hour ash roasted sweet potato
- Barbequed baby gems
- Charred courgettes, chicory and stilton
- Heritage carrots and meat radish
- Kale and parmesan
Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. We started with the Cheese & Pickle and Filthy Ham pre-chop bites which shouldn't be overlooked. These seemingly measly starters are in fact little mouthfuls of joy, packed with flavour.
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| Filthy Ham |
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| Cheese & Pickle |
They are soon a distant memory when the plate of chops piled on top of deliciously soggy flatbread arrives, surrounded by sides. We opt in the end for the charred courgettes, chicory and stilton and 10 hour ash roasted sweet potato - both outrageoulsy good. The glorious chops, cooked over charcoal, do not disappoint. My partner in crime for the evening is usually defeated by her over-ordering and leaves the rest to me, but this was sadly not the case at Blacklock as she happily hoovered up her half of the table, save for a sliver of bread which I gratefully demolished.
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| All The Chops. |
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| All The Chops. |
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| Charred Courgettes, Chicory & Stilton |
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| 10 Hour Ash Roasted Sweet Potato |
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| All In. |
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| No more chops |
And to finish, if you have any space, the witty staff bring round a tub of their baked New York cheesecake with a hint of white chocolate, with a "say when" approach to portion sizes. A teacup of rhubarb coulis is thrown in for good measure. At £4 for a monstrous portion, you won't leave feeling short changed.
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| How much do you want? |
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| White Chocolate & Vanilla Baked Cheesecake with Rhubarb Coulis |
As long as you know what you are in for, Blacklock is an absolute triumph. It could easily be a stressful experience, but the staff handle everything in style and keep everyone happy with a good dose of humour. Go hungry and thirsty with a group of friends, and don't be in a rush.
If you like the like the look of Blacklock, you might also enjoy Soho's Smoking Goat
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Saturday 7th March - I wrote about The Shed a loooooong time ago, but I thought I'd just post a few photos from a wonderful lunch there last week. Any thoughts that The Shed might suffer as a result of opening their second restaurant Rabbit (also wonderful) were quickly dispelled as the outstanding small plates started to build up.
As you may know, both restaurants are run by two Gladwin brothers, one of whom was in the kitchen on our visit. The majority of the food and wine is sourced from their Nutbourne farm (where a third brother earns a living), and the drinks menu shows off the best of British with the likes of Chase, Sipsmith, Sacred and Compass Box heavily featured. The bar is worth visiting just for the booze.
It's an eye-catching little space, full of rustic charm, with mirrors at either end that cleverly extend the room. They still insist on a variety of uncomfortable chairs which could do with a rethink, but the food provides ample distraction, as does the occasional live music. The staff do a very fine job, displaying solid knowledge of the menu, and being generally cheerful throughout a busy lunch period in a confined space.
We happily ate all of this:
- the shed malt star sourdough bread 2.0
- white bean hummus, cinnamon dukkah, heritage carrots 7.5
- stout smoked mackerel, pumpkin, kale, cranberry, linseeds 7.5
- rainbow beetroot salad, nutbourne feta, sunflower seeds, star anise 8.0
- salsify, pear, walnut, endive, chanterelles 8.0
- carrot, potato noodles, sesame seeds, coriander 7.5
- venison cigars, shed mustard, tarragon 8.0
- spiced salt beef, barley, preserved lemon, shallot, lovage 9.50
- pan fried goat’s cheese, hazelnut, honey, thyme 6.5
- spring greens, field mushrooms, shallots, linseeds, sherry 7.0
- nutbourne venison, smoked potato, artichoke, three cornered garlic 11.0
- cheese plate - tornegus, montgomery, mayfield swiss, finn 4.50
- the shed magnum vienetta parfait 6.0
- honeycomb crunchy, chocolate, mascarpone, tarragon sugar 6.0
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| The Shed Malt Star Sourdough Bread |
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| White Bean Hummus, Cinnamon Dukkah, Heritage Carrots |
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| Rainbow Beetroot Salad, Nutbourne Feta, Sunflower Seeds, Star Anise |
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| Pan Fried Goat's Cheese, Hazelnut, Honey, Thyme |
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| Carrot, Potato Noodles, Sesame Seeds, Coriander |
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| Spring Greens, Field Mushrooms, Shallots, Linseeds, Sherry |
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| Spiced Salt Beef, Barley, Preserved Lemon, Shallots, Lovage |
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| Venison Cigars, Shed Mustard, Tarragon |
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| Nutbourne Venison, Smoked Potato, Artichoke, Three Cornered Garlic |
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| Honeycomb Crunchy, Chocolate, Mascarpone, Tarragon Sugar |
Oustanding from start to finish - The Shed is another one to go for in a group to make the most of sharing a variety of small plates.
If you like the look of The Shed, you might also enjoy reading about Rabbit, their new restaurant.
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I don't often do previews, but when TINY PIGS are involved, one must make an exception:
Yelp, Petpiggies and The Proud Archivist presents The London Pop-Up Pignic!
When: May 21 - 22, Thursday and Friday, 6 to 10pm
May 23 - 25, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, 2 to 6pm
Where: The Proud Archivist, 2-10 Hertford Road, London N1 5SH.
What: This will not just be a sit-down experience but a multi-room, piggy educational evening. Yelp will be working with both animal charities and animal welfare groups to educate about Micro Pigs and Micro Pig Ownership. They want to make it clear that a potential journey towards pet pig ownership must start with realistic size expectations. This is where Yelp, Petpiggies and The Proud Archivist will work to educate the public with The Pignic in the hope that fewer pigs will end up being abandoned.
Price: £30 per ticket, which will include the full evening, including food, a piggy themed cocktail, pig themed education and activities, and, above all, time with the most adorable litter of pigs you've ever seen. Money from every ticket will also go to their charity partner, Farms not Factories.
Learn more about the #LondonPignic here.
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| Just a tiny pig. |
