Matt The Jaunts : Duck & Waffle to Dandelyan

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Route 2 : Duck & Waffle to Dandelyan

Monday 24th August - A slightly mad team of 12 committed to a 6am breakfast in the sky at Duck & Waffle on a Monday morning with visiting Americans. It transpired that it was also Ella's birthday, and that most people had taken the day off.  That's how to start the week. The only hitch - Duck & Waffle's booking skills. My word, what a shambles. Don't fall into their group booking traps. Use the Regina Phalange approach if you have to.

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5.30am - After a team sleepover with copious amounts of pasta, thimbles, cat videos, and a hard to come by bottle of Surly Brewing Pentagram from Minneapolis (thanks to Shannon and Amr!), we bundle into a couple of Ubers and mumble something about ducks and 5 stars.

6am - That lift. What a view. Well done London. We spend the next half hour gawping out of the window (or at Dan Doherty - focus ladies) as the sky turns all sorts of funky colours. And no, it's not Independence Day, those are window reflections. We will go quietly into the night.

6.30am - The Bloody Marys and coffees start coming. This doesn't stop for approx. 2.5 hours. The staff soon spot patterns and just bring them out every few minutes. Food wise, most can't resist the signature Duck & Waffle, but some of us go off piste with Colombian Eggs, Bananas Brulée and "The Full Elvis".

After a steep learning curve in America, Sarah finally nails the perfect poached egg breach for camera

Sarah's eggporn masterpiece

Bananas Brulée

9.15am - It's probably time to leave Duck & Waffle. Some people have to go to work (hah!). We throw £400 or so at them, and make for the door. Head Bartender Rich Woods has arrived - is it too early for a Nutella Negroni? Stop it, focus, get back in the lift. Weeeeeeee.

In need of late night / early morning food nearby without the price-tag and vertigo? Polo Bar and the iconic Beigel Bake are both open 24/7 round  the corner. 

Other breakfast options around Shoreditch and Liverpool St.? Try Cream, Jago, Patty & Bun (Thu-Fri only), Friends of Ours, Dishoom, Bad Egg, The Modern Pantry or The Ace Hotel.

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9.30am - A quick jog through the rain brings us to Association Coffee - it's a bit of a looker. Eight of us make the funky long table our own, and settle in for more caffeine. I'm on the verge of saying something charming to the girl behind the counter, when Katie beats me to it - pesky friendly Americans. Instead I panic order some tea. It comes with a timer though which keeps me entertained.

10.30am - We say goodbye to some jetlagged Americans and a confused school teacher who doesn't seem to know that it's still the summer holidays. Time to move on. Draft House Seething Lane sadly isn't open yet.  Grand plans to play Time Run or Hint Hunt have fallen through. More coffee it is I guess.

N.B. Association Coffee, like many other places around here, is only open Mon-Fri. Curator's Coffee is another local gem with similar opening times.

Association Coffee - photos from website

Association Coffee - photos from website

Association Coffee - photos from website

Association Coffee - photos from website

10.45am - Five of us remain. It's still drizzling so we hop on a bus towards St.Paul's to reach The Wren, an independent coffee shop inside St.Nicholas Cole Abbey which still holds services. The church was rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren after being destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Pretty cool location for a cuppa joe I'm sure you'll agree. Though if this was Belgium there would be beer. 

It's almost 4 hours since breakfast so I claim the last bacon sandwich whilst the others enjoy Workshop Coffee over a game of cards. N.B. The Wren is only open Mon-Fri!

The Wren - coffee in church

Coffee at The Wren - photo from website

Sandwiches at The Wren - photo from website

12pm - Right, that's enough coffee I think. Next stop - The Pelt Trader for all the craft beers and pizza. It's a personal favourite of mine having used it for a couple of private parties, plus there's nowhere else nearby to rival their beer range. And Mark the manager is a true gent. Guess what though? It's only open Mon-Fri. Spotting a pattern?

The birthday girl rejoins us and we start strong with Lagunitas Fusion XXXI Mozango - a 9% Mosaic & Mango Double IPA. Oof. Tim orders one of Ray's 18" pizzas to offset the beers.

Did you know that The Pelt Trader is related to Euston Tap and Holborn Whippet? Two more fantastic London beer outposts. And they just announced that they will soon be opening Waterloo Tap and The Resting Hare. 

The Pelt Trader

Anything else nearby? Not really, except for the wonderful Merchant House - an underground temple to rum and gin with great bartenders and a ridiculous back bar. Their ground floor booze shop - "The Pantry" - has just opened. 

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2pm - Time for a bit of culture I reckon. I fancy a trip to the Barbican's hidden tropical Conservatory that I've still never made it to, but it's only open a few Sundays a year. Instead, we head across Millennium Bridge towards Tate Modern. Ella and I go into a Rothko trance, whilst the others veer off to soak up The Bard in pint form at the Swan at Shakespeare's Globe. Anspach & Hobday Cream Ale on tap - sorted.

3.30pm - The group remains split by outrageous weather, so four of us duck into The Thirsty Bear. Here you can pour your own pints at the table (be careful not to spill - every drop counts) and order food and booze through iPads. Sounds fun (ish), but the drinks selection isn't on point and the atmosphere is pretty flat. Shame. Not much else around here either, apart from the Mondrian hotel. There's a thought.

iPads & taps at your table - Photo provided by The Thirsty Bear

4.30pm - Carsten Höller at Southbank is rained off and Bompass & Parr's Alcoholic Architecture is booked up for the day, so there's only one thing for it - afternoon cocktails at Dandelyan, Ryan Cheti's stunning bar in the Mondrian that has been winning awards left, right and centre since it opened in October 2014. And rightly so - Tom Dixon's interior design never fails to impress, and Ryan's cocktails are next-level.  Just make sure you've got some money in your account - you're gonna need it.

Ella and I ignore the Night cap / Post Dinner labels and order a Heartwood Old-Fashioned and a Crimson Waxwork. We have been up for almost 12 hours after all. The former is a combination of Johnnie Walker Black Label, oak lactone syrup and Dandelyan resin bitters, whilst Crimson Waxwork involves Beeswax Cognac, bee pollen, Cocchi Americano and oak bitters - a Cognac-based Manhattan of sorts. We make them last an hour (£13.50 a pop...) and watch umbrellas with legs go by on the Southbank.

What else is in the Mondrian? You'll spot Seamus Mullen's Sea Containers and The Den on your way through to Dandelyan, but you'll need to seek out the lift to find the Rumpus Room, a stylish rooftop bar and lounge with more outstanding drinks.

Crimson Waxwork - Beeswax Cognac, Bee Pollen, Cocchi Americano, Oak Bitters

Crimson Waxwork and Heartwood Old Fashioned

Heartwood Old Fashioned - Johnnie Walker Black Label, Oak Lactone Syrup, Dandelyan Resin Bitters

From Dandelyan on, it became Ella's birthday evening - out of my hands. It involved chops. Lots of chops. Had we continued along the Southbank path, we would have come across the likes of Bleecker Burger and Beany Green. Read more about beer on the Southbank here.

Got some suggestions for additions to this route? Want to send us out around another part of London? Leave comments below and I'll get back to you as soon as possible! In the meantime, why not plan your own trips using Map The List : London?

More Matt The Jaunts - Route 1: London Fields to Hackney Wick

Coming up : King's Cross to Camden // Balham to Brixton 

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

London's Bottle Shop Bars

Another collaborative post with Jezza from www.beerguideldn.com (@BeerGuideLondon). He is one of a select group of London heroes that keep me in the know in their respective fields, and his guide to pubs and breweries in London is second-to-none. Most of the words are from Jezza and most of the photos are from me.

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Visiting New York a few years ago I - and other beer tourists - noticed a sudden proliferation of a new type of beer place. These are essentially beer shops which allow customers to choose any bottle from the shelves and drink it on site. Later versions often included a bespoke bar offering draft beers, which doubled up as a growler filling station for off sales. In short, they were a perfect illustration of what I will call - for the purposes of this article - 'bottle shop bars': a combination of a bottle shop and a bar.

Like most good American ideas it didn't take long for this concept to reach the UK, and in London we now have a number of rather excellent establishments offering variations on this basic concept. The most fully developed example is probably Mother Kelly's in Bethnal Green, but this is definitely more of a fully fledged bar with a bottle shop rather than bottle shop with a bar. Visit and you'll see what I mean.

At the other end of the scale - bottle shops with on site drinking possibilities - here are some of London's best:

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We Brought Beer - 28 Hildreth St, SW12 9RQ / 78 St John's Hill, SW11 1SF

Opened in Balham earlier in 2015, this smart and deceptively simple place has been such a stunning success that their second branch opened this week (Weds 28 October) offering around 450 beers in Clapham Junction (78 St John's Hill, SW11 1SF). The new site is bigger than the original, with a heated garden out back and a useful tasting room upstairs for 'meet the brewer' events and brewing workshops. Both outposts have 4 draft lines for growler fills and that all important on site drinking.

In Balham, on hip Hildreth Street, there's an immaculate range of 350 top quality bottles from around the world. Grab a beer and a stool, sit down and enjoy whilst perusing the fine range on the shelves. Rarities from Port Brewing, AleSmith and Hopping Frog are typical of the US selection, complemented by a great choice from the UK in the overall range.

Order beers online at Hubbub and enter WBB20 to get £20 off  your first order

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Hop Burns and Black - 38 East Dulwich Road, SE22 9AX - Closed Mondays

This smart but cosy and welcoming shop between East Dulwich and Peckham Rye opened at the tail end of 2014 but already feels like a well established part of the London beer scene. New Zealanders Jen and Glenn are incredibly friendly hosts, organising regular special events to go alongside their excellent range of high quality beers from around the world, hot sauces and vinyl (these three elements giving the shop its quirky but accurate name).

New outside seating - with heaters for the winter - provide additional space in which to enjoy a beer. And just check out that amazing flagon filling station - a state of the art beauty offering an eclectic and top quality range of fine draft beers to take away and enjoy at home.

Order beers online at Hubbub and enter HBURNS20 to get £20 off  your first order

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The Bottle Shop - 128 Druid Street, SE1 2HH - Saturdays only

Druid Street is perhaps the epicentre of the famous Bermondsey Beer Mile, being home to two breweries and the excellent Bottle Shop. This is a great example of a bottle shop bar. You can choose from any of the 200+ bottles and drink them here - or choose one of the ever changing drafts. Enjoy your beer in the seating area high up on the mezzanine level. With regular tap takeovers and 'meet the brewer' events with some of the country's best breweries, and an outstanding selection of bottles, you are sure to find something of interest here. Note the restricted opening hours, which are listed in our Guide entry here (currently open Saturday only).

Order beers online at www.bottle-shop.co.uk and get 15% off with a BottShop15 code

Photo taken by The Bottle Shop

Photo taken by The Bottle Shop

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The Hop Locker - Southbank Centre Market, Belvedere Rd, SE1 8XX - Friday-Sunday 

Being a market stall in the bustling Southbank Centre market, just behind the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank, The Hop Locker is a variation on the theme. However, as it offers drafts and bottles to drink at the market it still fits the bill of being a 'bottle shop bar' selling the best of UK beer to take away or drink on site. The range is expanding all the time and knowledgeable owner Joel now offers around 50 bottles and 8 constantly changing draft lines. While The Hop Locker only serves beer, there are plenty of food options from the other market stalls - many of them excellent. Wrap up warm over the next few months, however, as the drinking here is necessarily all outdoors. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday only at the time of writing.

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The Wanstead Tap - 352 Winchelsea Road, E7 0AQ - Closed Mondays

Another variation on the theme, The Wanstead Tap is many things under one roof: bottle shop; bar; 

coffee shop; events space; cinema and general community space. While it may sound like it's trying to be all things to all people, they appear to do all these things well: the beer range is over 100 and very high quality, at excellent prices. So it's well worth the 10 minute walk from Forest Gate or Wanstead Park stations, but check the opening times carefully before you set off.

Photo provided by @BonsVoeux1

Photo provided by The Wanstead Tap

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The Beer Boutique - 134 Upper Richmond Rd, SW15 2SP

Belgian Marc opened The Beer Boutique in 2010 in between East Putney and Putney stations. It got off to a slow start, fighting over licence issues, but has grown into a fantastic bottle shop with 400+ beers and two (very affordable) draft lines. There's a reasonable 25p corkage charge to drink in, which won't bother you greatly if you are tucking in to sharing bottles from the likes of The Bruery and Rodenbach.

Much like Hop, Burns & Black, they have a fondness for vinyl, though it's not on sale here. It's one of the more homely bottle shops on the list - a place you'll want to spend all day in. Keep your eyes peeled for events and tastings on their website.

Opening times: Sun-Wed 12-8, Thu 12-9, Fri 12-9.30, Sat 11-9.30

Order beers online at www.thebeerboutique.co.uk

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Drink of Fulham - 349 Fulham Palace Rd, SW6 6TB - Closed Mondays

Technically called Dr.Ink of Fulham, this friendly bottle shop was ahead of its time when it opened in 2010, allowing customers to open bottles on-site to drink in the heated front garden, at no extra cost. On top of that, owner Shrila sells her own freshly made Gujurati curry pastes on a daily basis, and wonderful snacks on Saturdays (70p samosas!). To drink, you'll find world beers from the likes of Mikkeller, De Molen and Ballast Point alongside a wide range of British ales and craft beers. It's not the easiest place to get to, but it's worth the 10-15 minute walk from Putney Bridge and Parsons Green tube stations. The 220, 430 and 74 buses go very close too.

Opening times - Tue-Fri 2-8, Sat 11.30-8, Sun 12-4

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Thanks to Jezza for writing the majority of this post. His guide to pubs and breweries in London can be found online at: www.beerguideldn.com

The site contains full details of Mother Kelly's, We Brought Beer, Hop Burns and Black, The Hop Locker, The Bottle Shop and The Wanstead Tap – including opening times, which you should check carefully while planning any visits. You can also follow Jezza on Twitter @beerguidelondon or @bonsvoeux1 for frequent updates.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read our recent post on Beer on the Southbank, and Jezza's up-to-date guide to the Bermondsey Beer Mile.