Black Rock, 22nd March

Black Rock is cool. It just is. Which is not surprising given its big sister is the Worship Street Whistling Shop around the corner.

While the Whistling Shop specializes in gin, Black Rock specializes in whiskey. In a big way. If you don’t like whiskey, you really shouldn’t bother coming to this bar – every cocktail has whiskey in it, be it highball or short and strong, and the only other option is four beers. Because that’s not the point.

Running along the middle of this sleek but bijou bar is a table made out of a 166 year old oak tree, in which whiskey sits aging. There are two kinds – Table and Cherry and a dram of either will cost you £6. Then there are six cabinets stuffed with whiskeys from all over and separated according to flavour profile – sweet, fragranced, spiced etc. We only had two drinks and stuck to the cocktails so I didn’t get a chance to dip into these cabinets of wonder. Next time.

The cocktails were pretty perfect – my preference were for the first two we had as I’m just not a Highball kinda gal – too much liquid, not enough boozy flavour, but we tried them anyway for variety. I had the 40 Shades (no idea why it had that naughty reference) with apple and fennel pollen. It was slightly carbonated and I have to say the apple was very light and not too fruit-juicy. The fennel got a bit intense towards the end but was otherwise a refreshing drink.

The Campfire was a take on an old-fashioned but with extra oomf from the two whiskies and a deeply satisfying sweetness from the marshmallow gomme. The White Dog Martinez was a much lighter drink paring whiskey with cocchi instead of another whiskey but still pokey enough and with vanilla rounding off the flavour this time. Quaffable.

Service was excellent – everything was well explained to us and water kept topped up without being intrusive. A lovely joint.

Earl's cheesesteaks, 26th February

As has been noted before, I am willing to travel for food that has potential. So when I saw Earl’s cheesesteaks had a regular base at Liverpool Street I knew I’d have to give up a lunch hour to get over there and try them out.

When I arrived they offered me a loyalty card and seemed a little taken aback when I said I would probably not be returning too often because I work in St Paul’s and had only come down to try them!

Unlike Liberty Cheesesteaks they make no claim to authenticity, they’re just doing a cheesesteak the way they see fit. And let’s face it, you can’t go too far wrong with meat and cheese. Earl’s use bavette steak and provolone (a classic melty cheese) and give it a twist with pickled chillies and their own sauce. At first bite I was worried it would be a little dry but I soon got a mouthful of sauce which did its job. Towards the end I had a bit of meat that was a little gristly but mostly it was nice and tender. So it was a decent sandwich but I don’t know that I would use my precious 60 minutes in order to have it again. 

However. 

While I was there I perused the rest of the menu and my God, When Mac Pulled Pork looks like something special. It’s pulled pork with a deep friend mac and cheese patty and scotch bonnet sauce. I have to have it. So, Earl’s, I will be back! 

Discount Suit Co and Peg + Patriot, 7th August

The Discount Suit Company

This place is another basement bar serving cocktails speakeasy-stylee. Nothing groundbreaking there. Nothing groundbreaking in general really but that didn’t stop me from really liking the place. It takes its name from the shop that used to be here, and the original signage and façade are retained, giving pretty much no indication that there’s a bar below the dark hole that constitutes a doorway. It’s an odd location – near Brick Lane and near Liverpool Street but among the odds and sods of the environs of Petticoat Lane. Inside, the feeling is cosy and comfortable, with love seats in one corner to mooch into. The lighting is low (annoyingly so if you’re trying to take photos) and the music is excellent. We had some country, some soul and some disco in our short visit as well as My Sharona and that song Jessica Rabbit sings – Why Don’t you Do Right?.

The rest of the décor borrows heavily from the theme of a clothes shop with the bar made of drawers that you can imagine once held material to be tailored. In fact, the whole place reminded me a bit of a shoe shop. So far so good in terms of atmosphere.

And they kept it up in terms of drinks and service. As we weren’t sitting at the bar we had to rely on one of the staff regularly checking on us to be sure our drinks were replenished and our guy was pretty good at keeping on top of that. We stayed for two, not wanting to turn up at The Culpeper where I wanted to eat too late in case we couldn’t get in. I really enjoyed both my drinks, and even though the Peg + Patriot where we later went was good too, Discount Suit Co was the victor on this occasion.

First I had a Zizi Jeanmarie and Stephen had the Skipper. They were similar in taste, both of us having chosen drinks with fortified wine in them (mine sherry, his port) and both having pretty much nothing but alcohol in them. They were good, strong drinks.

We then had a quick second which were equally as tasteful. Stephan followed his Skipper with a Clipper, managing to make even absinthe taste good, and I had a Charlie Chaplin. Gin, more gin and apricot brandy. Delicious! Prices here were pretty good – one side of the menu had cocktails at £8.50, the other a bargain £7.50. They have a new place opening up in Bethnal Green (where else - and who decided this was the next 'in' area?) called the Sun Tavern which I shall be putting on the List.

Find bar information on Zomato

The Peg and Patriot

After our dinner at The Culpeper we made our way home via The Peg and Patriot, recently opened in the Town Hall, another place poshing Bethnal Green up a bit. We took a stool at the bar and took a gander at the amusingly named cocktails. I was drawn towards the odder-sounding concoctions but chickend out and ordered the relatively normal ones instead. They have a penchant for savoury cocktails, or those taking inspiration from a dish – hence the cocktail Pho Money, Pho Problems, designed to taste like pho, and the Rice Rice Baby, which uses rice ice cream liqueur. Needless to say they make all these crazy thigns in-house (where else would they get them from?!). I had the Rice Rice baby as a bit of a dessert to the evening and I really enjoyed the sweetened, bubbly drink. But first I ordered the Riot Cup Number One.

Stephen had the Barley Legal to start which tasted like a grown-up pina colada, and which he wasn’t very taken with and on the basis of this, didn’t want to stay for a second. I must admit, in comparison to the ones at Discount Suit Company, I wasn’t too enamoured either. The drink was eminently quaffable, but also reminded me a little too much of a Pimms. For drinks that sounded so different, they were a bit too familiar. But I persuaded him to take another bite at the cherry and our second drinks were much more to both our liking. His Rye your Eyes Mate came with a cherry dipped in beeswax for either peeling and eating whole, or, as he did, squishing into your drink. I’ve already said my Rice Rice baby was a lovely little number. 

The place was pretty swanky looking though not exactly full of life on a Thursday night. Prices for this kind of establishment were pretty standard – 8 or 9 pounds.

Find the menu & restaurant information on Zomato

Street Kitchen, 7th December

I had an early interview – well early for me – which conveniently finished around lunchtime. Why not go and get some chow from Street Kitchen in Liverpool Street on my way home? Why not indeed.

It was a bitingly cold day, especially as I was in my interview finery ie, a suit jacket as opposed to a warm wintery coat. I followed the circumference around Broadgate Circle and saw the familiar silver van from all those Food Network advert shorts (anyone seen those?). I had told Stephen I was likely to go over there for some scran the day before and he warned me that Jun was unlikely to be there. I said I knew but secretly hoped he might.

And he was! He was there, waiting around for people to come up to the hatch. And he served me! Yay! I love Jun - we've seen him at Taste of Christmas and another foodie event and he always seems so nice. Of course, I didn't chat to him or anything but it was nice that he was there.

They always have a few choices - I was quite tempted by the sticky pork or hot smoked salmon but in the end went for the winter broth with celeriac, cabbage and braised meat (I think it was beef) and a warm brioche roll. Mmmm, it was the perfect choice for a cold winter's day. It was also under a fiver whereas the other options were £7.50. 

See - large chunks of meat

The veggies were just the way I like them - cooked but still with a bit of crunch. And hiding underneath all the vegetation floating on top were some surprisingly large chunks of meat. I took a sip of just the broth at first and was already pleased - it was full of flavour. It reminded me of the chinese vegetable soup I'd had at Yum Bun, mainly in an inverse way (this one had flavour, the other one didn't). As I said, the vegetables were good and the meat was also a little fatty and tender and tasty. As pleasing a winter warmer dish as you could ask for.

Oh - the brioche roll was just meh. And I think the soup was enough really - I didn't even eat the roll at the time but saved it for a snack. As a bread lover, that's saying something.