Restaurant Story

Guest Post from Jane - Friday 17th January

This week I cashed in one of my most long-awaited Christmas presents - a ten course dinner at Tom Sellers' Restaurant Story which opened in April 2013. It received good reviews en masse during last year and featured on many of the 'best new restaurants of 2013' lists released over the new year period. Restaurant Story recently gained its first Michelin star.

Tom Sellers - Photo Credit : Ed Tyler

The restaurant has a clean, natural feel; lots of wood and stoneware. As many have said before, there are clear Scandinavian influences (Sellers used to work at Noma). There is also a literary theme - our menu arrived in the leaves of a grand old copy of Dickens' 'Our Mutual Friend' and Sellers seems to have replaced décor and ornaments for books even down to the toilets; I was unenthused by the large tome of tax codes in my cubicle.

Almost immediately upon sitting down we were bombarded with an assault of 'snacks' (or amuses-bouches). Plate after plate of small tasty bites were placed in front of us, I got so carried away with the array of flavours in front of us I began to wonder whether I'd be able to remember all we ate. Thanks to Food Over London for jogging the memory and providing the photos below.  The most interesting of the lot included a 'storeo' - an oreo like biscuit filled with a cream of smoked eel and vinegar powder, as well as a delicious slice of 'rabbit sandwich' with tarragon and carrot.

Amuses-bouches - photos from Food Over London

Following the initial 'snacks' the menu kicked off with the renowned bread and candle dripping with a chicken consommé, veal tongue and celery relish. The dripping was fun and captured the setting but actually didn't make much of an impression on the tastebuds. However, I did particularly enjoy the relish.

Bread & Dripping - photo from Food Over London

Dish number two of the ten was apparently inspired by fairgrounds and hotdogs, I was asked to think of those late nights on the way home from Brick Lane when you get drawn to the hot-dog sellers on street corners. I've always sought out the bagels in that area but went with the line anyway. The onions were sweet and caramelised and I was glad to hear that the gin and beer featured in the dish were local ingredients favoured by The List - Jensen's and Kernel.

Onion, apple & old tom - photo from Food Over London

Highlights from the remaining courses for me were the heritage potato, turnip and coal, one of the more boring sounding dishes from the menu turned out to be incredible as hoped. Seemingly taking hints from 69 Colebrooke Row's terroir cocktail, this dish was smooth, creamy and had the best tasting potato (with hints of coal) flavour I've experienced yet. The beef with grains, watercress and sloes stood out although the cherry in this dish was a little too sour (really, really sour) for my liking. For desserts, what I assume served as a palate cleanser, the almond and dill was both unusual and delightful. Strong creamed dill snow was incredibly refreshing and not as overpowering as expected. It also took me back to a sunny Bulgarian holiday when I couldn't get away from the stuff.

In all I spent nearly four hours savouring the multitude of dishes that Sellers lovingly presented and served. Sellers himself waited on us throughout the night, explaining the 'story' behind each dish, which was an appreciated and personal touch. Considering the cost (£80 for ten courses), I've had better tasting meals elsewhere in London, but for the experience and the fun I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to splurge.

Read more Guest Posts from @JaneSlocombe :

Bermondsey Street
Blackfoot - House of Ho - Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels

Holborn Dining Room - Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London - 58 Gin at CoLD Bar

Tuesday 18th February - A year on from starting The List, London shows no signs of slowing down. What started with trips to Meat Liquor for Dead Hippie burgers & Underdog for subterranean beer cocktails has led to soft openings at swanky hotel restaurants and wine tasting at Mayfair bars.

Last night saw me and the team heading to the Rosewood London for the first evening of Holborn Dining Room, a new all day restaurant & deli attached to the Rosewood hotel.  Don't be drawn to the flames at the end of the attractive driveway, you want the giant revolving door (always a  bonus) on the left.  The right hand door leads to the wonderful Scarfes Bar, you might want to "accidentally" stumble in here before (and afterwards).

As you will see from the following photos, Holborn Dining Room is one good looking place.  The array of beautiful lighting is a feast for the eyes, and there is lovely detail on the tables.  Resist popping those salt & pepper mills into your bag!

We took our time choosing from a range of classic mains (lamb chops, beef hash, roast chicken etc) & crustacea (I've been waiting to type that) before starting with the Ancient loaf with Abernethy hand made butter.

We followed this with Tiger Prawns (6 for £24), Cider & onion soup (served with a cute cheese scone) & Fried Squid with gentleman's relish mayonnaise.  The tiger prawns (replacing absent langoustines on the menu) were the standout dish, but surely a little overpriced?

For mains, we went for some British classics - Fish & Chips, Steak, Hock & Coq pudding, Goat's Cheese & Onion Tart & the HDR Beef Burger.  The Fish & Chips needs to do more than just be enormous to justify the £17 price tag, but other mains represented better value.  Hock & Coq pudding with Parsley Liquor may not have been the most attractive dish but it impressed with its flavours, as did the Roast Rib-Eye "Club Cut" with pepper sauce.  The moreish chips were unanimously popular.

We were absolutely stuffed by generous portions and sadly decided to skip dessert.  Not a decision to be taken lightly when you have the likes of Steamed Treacle & Whisky Pudding, Boozy Sherry Trifle and Valrona chocolate pot with sweet cream.  It gives me a good excuse to pop back in again soon.

All in all it was a lovely dinner and I'm sure HDR will do very well. Staff were friendly and attentive, the atmosphere was buzzing, and the setting is superb.  A couple of plates should possibly be priced a little lower and vegetarian options are slightly lacking (what would Rage Against the Mushroom think?), but there are plenty of tempting, affordable dishes on the menu, plus a great range of wine, cocktails, and beers (Camden on draft and interesting bottles).

Some daytime images from HDR press release:

Unusually for my group of friends, everyone decided to have an early night after dinner.  After pouring through the excuses, I decided that Mary's plan to go home to watch pre-recorded curling that she already knew the result of could be put on hold.  David Murdoch et al. could wait.

Sorry David

Straight from one revolving door to another, we hopped across the driveway to Scarfes Bar which opened to rave reviews towards the end of 2013.  One step inside and we could see why.  It is one of the most beautiful bars in London, and probably the world.  There are imposing chandeliers, a Mad Men-worthy fireplace and library, a lavish back bar, cosy nooks and crannies, and most importantly, space!

Scarfes Bar is named after renowned British artist and caricaturist, Gerald Scarfe (best known for Pink Floyd's The Wall), who is creating bespoke murals for his namesake bar.  

“I am, of course, tremendously flattered and I reason that, if the Prince of Wales can have a pub named after him, why shouldn’t I have a bar?” says Gerald. “In the past, the work of caricaturists such as Hogarth and Spy has hung on bar walls and, as the atmosphere of this bar is very British, I am keeping up the tradition and caricaturing some of Britain’s famous citizens, fictional and otherwise, past and present, from Winston Churchill to the Rolling Stones and James Bond. I will look upon Scarfes Bar as a private art gallery where people will be able to have a drink and relax while they observe my paintings in true comfort.”

We found a pair of incredibly comfortable armchairs & a chess table tucked away, metres from any other tables, and settled in.  To seal the deal, a live jazz band started playing as we were working our way through the menu.  Forget cocktails, I just want to spend the whole night here with a bottle of whiskey.

We eventually decided to order a cocktail, and we couldn't resist picking from their Grey Goose BAFTA specials menu.  Our first waitress was totally clueless and only seemed to know the words Grey Goose, but luckily waitress No.2 was right at the other end of the scale.  After a quick look at us, she recommended the exact two cocktails that we had been eyeing up. 

I went for the Gravity inspired Cosmonaut - Grey Goose, La Poire, Ginger Liqueur, Lime and Cardamom, finished with a Space Candy Dusted Grape.  The flavours were initially a bit too funky but really started to blend well as the drink went on.  By the end I was hooked, the opposite of my experience watching Gravity - sorry, Sandra.  

Mary was delighted with her L'Amour Moderne, inspired by Her (that one with Joaquin Phoenix looking sad and Scarlet Johansson as a sexy computer).  If they were going for a bitter sweet reference, they nailed it with Grey Goose, Citron, Vodka, Pomegranate, Passion Fruit, Grapefruit & Campari Bitters.

Grey Goose BAFTA cocktails at Scarfes Bar

Cosmonaut with Space Candy Dusted Grapes, inspired by Gravity

Cocktails are pricey, ranging from £12.50-£14.50 which will lead to comparisons with Artesian (recently voted No.1 Bar in the World) but I am happy to pay the mark-up when the atmosphere is incredible (and there are free nuts, of course).  I wouldn't be surprised to see Scarfes Bar sneaking into the World's 50 Best Bars list this year.

Left - Bubble & Shrubs - Right - Diplomatic Immunity

Wednesday 12th February - Not too far away in Blackfriars is another contender for the World's 50 Best Bars 2014 list.  I have written about the fantastic City of London Distillery Bar before (now stocking 270+ gins), but I popped in again recently to try their new cocktail menu and also to meet Mark Marmont from 58 Gin.

CoLD Bar's new menu is a celebration of gin, with 13 exciting cocktails around the £9.50 mark and a classy Martini menu on the back with six flavour suggestions - e.g. "No.3 Spice, Fire, Prickle", "No.5 Flowers, Purple, Soft".  We were particularly impressed with the Merchant (Coffee, cardamom, house orgeat), The Distiller (Dry Vermouth, Herbal Liqueur, Grapefruit) and The Original London Negroni (CoLD Dry Gin, Sacred Spiced Vermouth, Kamm & Sons).

Whilst sipping on CoLD Bar's creations, I chatted to Mark about his soon-to-launch 58 Gin.  Originally from Australia, Mark now lives in Angel and is aiming to open a shop slash distillery there to sell gin (and maybe some vodka) as well as everything else that one might desire to make cocktails - vermouths, bitters etc.  58 Gin will obviously be heavily on show, much like City of London Dry Gin at CoLD Bar, but I feel that it is a very strong concept even without a flagship gin, and something that Angel locals will flock to.

58 Gin original design and Original London Negroni at CoLD Bar

The name 58 Gin comes from Mark's address, a stone's through away from 69 Colebrooke Row. Mark has often popped in to get Tony Corigliano's valuable advice and is still tweaking the recipe, but batch 17 that we tried tasted like a finished product to me.  More bergamot & less pepper was the main alteration from batch 16 and it made a big difference.  There are 10 botanicals in total - Juniper, Angelica, Cubeb, Pepper, Coriander seed, Lemon, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Orris and Vanilla.

Mark was trying out some new labels which look fantastic.  We unanimously voted for the shiny blue design as it would stand out the best on a busy back bar.  The wings are of course a reference to Angel.

Pick your favourite label for 58 Gin

Our preferred label for 58 Gin

After a few neat tasters, we decided to try it out in a few cocktails.  It makes a great Tom Collins and an incredible Martini with Noilly Prat, but the simple G&T with Fever Tree tonic was next level stuff.  I've been drinking 58 Gin G&Ts at home almost every day since last week. I get an almost nutty flavour possibly from Orris root coming through that leads me to think that a dash of Frangelico would go very nicely too.  

58 Gin Martini

I finished off with a deliciously smooth 58 Gin Old Fashioned, lovingly stirred by Nate for 10 mins or so with a limited edition Dean Callan extendable bar spoon.  To make the wait easier, it is served with a bottle of Head in a Hat Gin Beer, made with botanicals taken directly from City of London Distillery stills.  It is a subtle and very drinkable beer but could do with a slightly higher ABV. 

Thanks to Mark from 58 Gin, London Bar Consultants at CoLD Bar, Su-Lin, Natalie and Wilkes for wonderful drinks and company.  Special thanks to Wilkes for creating this The List / 58 Gin angel hybrid photo below.  Get over to City of London Distillery Bar as soon as you can, and see if you can get your hands on some 58 Gin too!

Pelt Trader - Hack & Hop - Craft Beer Co - Earl Derby - Rose Public House

Time for a much needed pub round up.  If you don't like beer, I would stop here. Maybe read a nice post on Polpetto or Bermondsey Street instead?

We were spoiled with openings towards the end of 2013 with the likes of Brewdog Shepherd's Bush and King's Arms in Shoreditch laying on more high quality beer for thirsty Londoners.  Here are 5 more (fairly) new boozers:

Tuesday 10th December - Pelt Trader opened up round the corner from Cannon Street Station back in March and sat atop my craft beer bar wishlist for many months before I finally made it in December.  With more than 16 exciting beers on tap at once, discerning City drinkers (they exist) finally have somewhere to go for a good pint.

The range of beer is superb and well priced.  We stuck to halves to get through the likes of Moor Raw, Weird Beard Hive Mind, Lagunitas IPA, Tiny Rebel Zool, and To Øl Frostbite from Denmark.  There's normally a German lager, a cider, a wheat beer and a fruit beer of some kind to keep everyone happy (plus wine, spirits etc for kids).  On the food front, there are Ray's enormous 18" pizzas and £4 Mountain Meat boards.

Pelt Trader beer wall near Cannon Street

Despite wearing a hoodie whilst surrounded by suits, I felt very at home in Pelt Trader.  It's a cosy little underground beer den - well worth a trip across London for.  Make sure it is open however - Captain Mark currently only opens up Mon-Fri noon-11pm.  If you are desperate for a weekend pint at Pelt Trader then you can hire the whole place out - fire off an email to mark@pelttrader.com

Our second pub stop of the evening was Hack & Hop, just off Fleet Street near the wonderful City of London Distillery Bar.  Hack & Hop is the third pub from Pubs of Distinction, following on from the excellent Old Red Cow near Barbican, and The Dean Swift near Tower Bridge.  They all have great beer and above average pub food (Hot Cheese in a Box for two!), but are slightly lacking in the warm & inviting pub décor department.

No matter, anywhere with a beer board gets extra points from me.  I occasionally get caught out by some outrageous prices (over £6 for a pint of Moor Nor'Hop in The Dean Swift once), but if I had bankers walking in and ordering blindly every day, I'd probably do the same.  

Hack & Hop near Fleet Street

I am pleased to see more sites behaving like pubs rather than beer bars. Both Hack & Hop and The Dean Swift regularly show sport.  The Draft House chain also deserve praise for this, even if it does get a bit hectic in them sometimes.  Football & rugby fans like good beer too, you know.

Monday 16th December - A cancelled game of 5-a-side left me without much to do on a Monday night. Instead of going for a run to make up for the lack of exercise, I decided to go to Craft Beer Co.'s latest pub near Clapham Common for a beer (or two) and a burger.

Unlike Pubs of Distinction / Draft House, every Craft Beer Co. site has a different feel, and the Clapham branch (with its 30+ taps) has a much more traditional pub atmosphere than say their "beer bar" in Brixton. Personally, I love them both!  Locals seem to know how lucky they are as it was incredibly busy for a Monday night.  

With 400+ bottles, and constantly rotating kegs, Craft are basically hosting a never ending beer festival, but they still find time to run tastings, tap takeovers, meet the brewer events and much more.  If you are feeling adventurous, order one of Evil Twin's amusingly named bottles - do you want Even More Jesus, Monk Suffers Serious Sugar Rush on Barbados, or Justin Blåbær?

Craft Beer Co. Clapham

Then there is the added bonus of Forty Burgers with their delicious burgers (try the Elvis - signature patty smothered in smooth peanut butter topped with crispy bacon and fried bananas!) and chips covered in "bacon dust" - bonkers.

Bacon Dust Chips from Forty Burgers at Craft Beer Co. Clapham

With top beer, carefully chosen spirits, tasty food, a beer garden, a great atmosphere and board games (Totopoly is a game about Toto, right?), the Clapham Craft might just be my favourite branch yet.

Tuesday 17th December - The Earl Derby opened on Kilburn High Road before Christmas.  It's ever so slightly out of my way, but the orange line came to the rescue as usual.  It's not trying to compete with the likes of Pelt Trader and Craft, but there were several interesting beers on tap including Innis & Gunn's Toasted Oak IPA and a Charles Wells & Dogfish Head collaboration called DNA.

There are plenty of reasons to pop in with a daily changing food menu, Tuesday music quiz (8pm), Thursday beer & burger night, Sunday records and roasts, and board games & lego ready to go.

The Earl Derby in Kilburn

The food was tempting but we couldn't resist popping round the corner to Spicy Basil, a Kilburn institution. Expect to queue to get in to this cheap and cheerful Thai joint.  It's been decorated with items from poundland, portions are enormous and noone speaks any English - I can't recommend it highly enough. 

Last but not least is The Rose Public House, a hidden gem tucked away between Bermondsey Street and London Bridge, near The Miller.  It used to be an absolute dive, but it has been royally refurbished. Pennies line the floor on the way to the toilets, barrel aged cocktails sit on the back bar, and the food menu prefers to be called a Bill of Fare.  

The Rose Public House in London Bridge

They have occasional guest beers on draught, but the regular Red Squirrel beers are fantastic (go for the Redwood American IPA) as are the OWL beers (Overly Wise Lager - brewed exclusively for The Rose by Red Squirrel).  The bottled beer & cider list is short but sweet with interesting offerings from the likes of Weird Beard and Compass.  The food isn't half bad either.  Hopefully everyone has stopped reading already, and I can keep this pub all to myself!

OWL Beers brewed exclusively for The Rose Public House