L'entrepot and Chicken Shop/Dirty Burger, 8th June

Sunday was a rather indulgent day, mostly because we used London Wine Week as an excuse to get out early and make the most of our wristbands. First, we had brunch at L’Entrepot which were participating in London Wine Week, though we didn’t sample anything there as it was a little too early.

Instead, we had coffee and eggs. I had the gypsy eggs and Alison had avocado, fried egg and tomato bread (you may recall she had something similar at Hackney Bureau). But look at it – who could resist that beautiful guac’?

I don’t know much about gypsies, but they make some damn fine eggs. Eggs are baked in a rich tomato sauce and this is studded with chorizo and new potatoes and topped with a herby crème fraiche. You get a large slice of sourdough to scoop with, and I would highly recommend taking along an avocado-loving friend so that they order the other dish we had, and share their avocado with you.

The eggs were cooked perfectly for me – a little ooze but not too runny and the whole thing was just a perfect combination to set you up for the day.

Alison’s egg on toast was great, if a little basic compared to mine. And the coffees we enjoyed were smooth and rich. Perfect!

We then took in the sun and wandered up Kingsland Road to Rotorino where we eschewed their Riesling blend (way too harsh for our first alcoholic drink) for a Barolo instead. Rotorino is on my List but I won’t say much about them now as I want to come back to try their food. It was much larger than I thought it would be though, and hardly anyone was in there! I didn't expect that for such a trendy place.

Perusing our LWW books we saw Sager and Wilde were taking part and couldn’t resist another visit. They were also offering Riesling as their LWW white but it was far too sweet for us so it was red again. That was perfect – a little lighter than I normally like but great for such a warm, summery day.

Chicken Shop

By this time I had an appetite again so I met Stephen for dinner at Dirty Burger/Chicken Shop. We walked right in, no wait and sat at the bar where we were told we had to be out in an hour (seemed a little harsh given the place wasn’t full although we were in and out in no time anyway). I had the quarter chicken, he had the bacon burger and we ordered fries to share.

And then we ordered the butter lettuce and avocado salad because we saw it being made and it looked amazing. Such vibrant greens were too inviting to resist.

That came first and we tucked in. The avocado was very creamy, the greens fresh and crunchy and it had a mustard seed dressing which was very nice though became a little overpowering towards the end.

Stephen thought his burger was up there with the top dogs and I must admit it looked pretty good when it arrived and even better when he cut into it and revealed the medium rare centre. It disappeared in five minutes flat.

For some reason my camera went into 70s porn filter mode

I never liked crinkle cut fries as a child but I’m prepared to reappraise them based on the Chicken Shop’s version. These were nice and crispy, although a lot of them were also very thin which meant you didn’t get much potato. They came with a garlic mayonnaise that was pretty outstanding.

And so, my chicken. It was very good, nice flavouring on the outside, tasty chicken within, cooked really well. They were a little heavy handed with the salt for my personal tastes but that’s my only minor complaint. Otherwise I thought it was a great, fast, cheap dinner. A good informal alternative to Le Coq, although I do think I slightly preferred Le Coq's chicken. If I hadn’t eaten out once already that day I might have stayed for dessert or tried a few other sides but I can only be so gluttonous in one day, so off home we went. 

Anatolia, 7th June

Yep, we’ve been to yet another Turkish ocakbasi, this time one of the ones on Mare Street. We just cannot get enough of our grilled meats! I hadn’t eaten much all day and was very ready for the veritable feast laid before us in the form of the mixed grill for two. We had quail, beyti kebab, cis kebab, lamb ribs, chicken wings and chicken kebab all laid over buttery rice which had pieces of chicken and lamb doner mixed in it! We also had a couple of bits of offal which weren’t advertised but I managed to avoid them.

This huge platter came with a basket of warm, soft and chewy bread, and a plate of salad with onions, tomatoes and cucumber next to red cabbage and grated carrot. I would like to say there was far too much to eat, but we made a pretty good stab at getting through it all.

As always, I compare any new Turkish place to my favourite – Cirrik. And it compared favourably. I have to say, nowhere has managed to rival the wonderful (and free!) oniony salads that Cirrik offer you, doused in pomegranate sauce. And I also thought the bread at Cirrik was better – the stuff at Anatolia went hard as it cooled, and they didn’t have a piece underneath the meat to soak up all the juices.

But when it came to the actual meat on offer, and the price for that meat, Anatolia was a mighty contender. All of the meat was liberally seasoned and absolutely delicious. I couldn’t fault it. I would say that maybe, the flecks of extra meat in the rice were rather unnecessary, but as Stephen put it, nice to have all the same.

And this was all only £25! With three drinks our bill only came to £35! A bargain, and tasty. Being marginally closer than Cirrik and not much in it in terms of food, it could earn itself our repeat custom.

After this we had a few pints in the Cock Tavern, which I liked even more the second time, as I hadn't noticed the vast array of ciders it has! We cosied up in a corner and drank until closing time. 

Tanqueray Tones at The Lucky Pig, 5th June

Last week I had the pleasure of attending Tanqueray Tones, a night of gin, glamour and jazz at the Lucky Pig in Fitzrovia. As we entered this little, shabby-chic drinking den, we were warmly welcomed by ‘Earnest Anyway’ a dapper and excitable young gent from Victorian times who was soon joined by his lady friend Goldie, or Lulu depending on her mood, who was draped in 20s fashions and could be seen dancing the Charleston periodically through the night as she mingled with her guests.

On the right a temporary hair salon, barbers and shoe shine were set up to make sure all the guests looked as spiffing as possible, and on the left the band were ensconced, doing a couple of sets of ragtime and real 20s music, not modern stuff reinvented. And, for some unexplained reason, there was also a judge running around telling everyone what they were doing was illegal (gin was banned and that was never, actually, overturned) and photobombing people’s pictures.

Ah yes, the gin – for that is what we were there for. World Gin Day is the 14^th and this was a bit of a precursor to the event, and something to get us all to turn to Tanqueray for when the real celebrations start. We had four cocktails to choose from, plus a gin and tonic (served in the most amazingly huge glasses), each created by a top bartender. The only one I didn’t try was the Ishikari Fizz because it had jasmine tea in it and I don’t like tea, which is a shame because I do like the Worship Street Whistling Shop and that was their creation.

Humongous gin and tonics

So yes, we tried all of the cocktails at least (see below for details) once but kept coming back to the Bee’s Knees which was aptly named because it was far and away our favourite. The gin flavor was to the fore, but had just the right hint of sweetness and lavender that wasn’t overpowering.

The Bees' Knees

Bloomsbury Bronx and Flash of lightning

Canapes were handed out throughout the event, making sure we didn’t become too sizzled. My favourite was a breaded ham topped with mustard, although the whipped goats’ cheese tart was also very good. They all were, in fact and I appreciated that some thought had obviously been put into creating something a little more interesting than your usual finger food. Duck pate was topped with rhubarb and we had spoons of a gin-infused jelly topped with ham. And they did not skimp on the gin at all. Wow.

A light and creamy mini cheesecake and/or chocolate truffle lollipop served as dessert.

And then, later in the evening a cocktail of gin, martini and something else I’ve forgotten was passed around so that we could toast our hosts for the evening while the gentleman below gave thanks on our behalf to Tanqueray and reminded us of some of the reasons we were there.

It seemed to me everyone was having a whale of a time, myself included. One of the most enjoyable events I've been to. The characters were great, the cocktails and canapes were delicious, the setting was perfect and the vibes were fantastic. Thanks Tanqueray!

The cocktails

Ishikari Fizz – A Modern Molecular Mix

The Japanese river Ishikari's name means 'to go around itself' and has inspired the emulsification of this drink, which uses egg to hold all the components together. Formulated by award-winning mixologist Tristan Stephenson who is leading the drinks scene with his unique lab-based creations, this cocktail represents a modern cocktail concoction and features oriental ingredients such as yuzu juice and hints of jasmine. 

For this truly complex and intricate cocktail serve visit The Worship Street Whistling Shop.

Bloomsbury Bronx – Reminiscent of Lavish 1930s Cocktail Parties

Devised by Tanqueray GB Ambassador Tim Homewood this cocktail signifies the new era of citrus-based cocktails that rapidly took over the drinks scene in the 1930s. The poignant flavours of the Bloomsbury Bronx match the spirit of the post-prohibition years and the ever-growing passion for gin. 

Lavish cocktail parties were all the rage at the time so why not enjoy this cocktail in the comfort of your own home by following this simple recipe, below.

50ml Tanqueray London Dry Gin

10ml Maraschino

15ml Antica Formula

25ml Orange Juice

2 dash Peychaud’s Bitters

Method:

Add all ingredients to a shaker with cubed ice, shake and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry on a cocktail stick.

Units: 2.2

Bee’s Knees – Inspired by the Roaring 1920s

Created by Head Bartender at The Lucky Pig, Dren Lala, the Bee’s Knees matches the flavours enjoyed in the speakeasies of the time. Make your taste buds tingle with an infusion of Tanqueray London Dry Gin accompanied by lemon, honey and a lavender at decadent drinking den, The Lucky Pig.

Flash of Lightening – Inspired by the Birth of 1800s Gin Palaces

Tanqueray Global Ambassador Barrie Wilson has devised a bespoke apricot, mint and lemon cocktail for World Gin Day inspired by the emergence of Gin Palaces in the early 1800s. These alluring drinking dens offered ground-breaking serves, such as gin infused with peppermint or sugary cordials.During the reign of Gin Palaces, the slang term ‘lightning’ described a ‘dram’ of gin. 
Try this modern take on a 'flash of lightning' at the Gin Monkey World Gin Day Jazz Party.

The Remedy, 3rd June

Last week was London Wine Week – a wristband for £10 provided the excuse to go to a few places and drink some wines you might not otherwise have tried. I was very pleased to see that The Remedy was one of the bars participating as it had been on my List for some time. It seemed like a good place to kick things off, so after collecting our wristbands from Carnaby Street we took a stroll to Fitzrovia to find it.

It is very unassuming from the outside with a sign that’s barely noticeable. At the same time it sort of looks the part, and therefore stands out from its neighbours.

Inside it is simple and relaxed. A banquette lines one side, or you can choose to sit at the bar, or at a couple of high tables. They have a menu of six or seven meats, the same number of cheeses and just a few other dishes, and before 7pm, little did we know, it’s 50% off food! We decided to get a selection of five charcuterie and five cheeses, which the chef selects for you in order to give you a breadth of tastes, or in the cases of the cheese, a range of strengths.

I know I won’t remember exactly which meats we had but they were all pretty nice, and I was especially taken with the pancetta which had what seemed to be a fennel seed crumb, which really gave it a kick. And to think, I wouldn’t have ordered that one were it up to me.

The cheese selection was superb. They were all cow cheeses apart from one which was ewe’s milk, and most of them were from the same region as they had held a special event with cheeses from that area the week before. The mildest was a creamy but not soft cheese with a layer of ash in the middle, then you progressed through the hard ewe’s milk cheese to a comte, a blue cheese that looked very blue but was pleasingly mellow, up to a cheese so tangy it made my eyes water and my mouth pucker. It was amazing. The bread was served with a very grassy olive oil.

We had five wines to choose from for the London Wine Week £5 deal – a Veneto merlot, a dry Riesling, another red and two rosés. Alison wanted to try the Riesling as she had fond memories of the one time she had a Riesling and liked it. For me, it had to be red wine to go with the cheese. It was quite full-bodied and juicy and soft, and I liked it so much I had another. Alison’s Riesling was as good as she’d hoped, with a sweetness that seemed to come from a fruity background and wasn’t at all cloying like sweeter wines can be. And then she got even more adventurous with a rose before having the merlot I’d had, while it was my turn to have the Riesling.

Our waiter for the evening was perfectly charming, explaining the types of cheese and meats when they arrived, and basically ensuring we felt well looked after. The Remedy doesn’t have quite the same panache as Sager and Wilde but it is a very friendly wine bar, with a neighbourhood feel to it. Something about it, perhaps the light, decor and small veranda almost seemed Mediterranean, making you feel like you’re on holiday when inside. A little gem.

We then stopped into the Newman Street Tavern, a bit of a gastropub in the area for another couple of reds (the £5 whites had sold out) before rounding off the evening with a sherry digestif from the ever lovely Salt Yard. 

Friday I'm in Love, 30th May

Friday I’m in Love is a singalong clubnight. Yes, you heard me. It’s a clubnight that has taken the fact that once everyone gets pissed we all sing along to the songs we know anyway, and turned that into its raison d’etre. They promise indie and pop anthems that you probably know the words to anyway, but in case you don’t they’re either projected somewhere or, in this case, you’re given a songbook as you go in. The music is courtesy of a live band, one or more of which also does a bit of singing so it’s not solely down to the crowd.

Predictably, what with being ‘anthems’ there was more than a little cheesiness to the song selection – more in fact than I appreciated. Stuff like Abba and Queen, and ending with Oasis. But it was as I had expected so I can’t complain too much. The event I attended was a Camden special raising money for Amy Winehouse’s foundation so, again as expected, there was a healthy dose of Winehouse songs throughout the evening (big thumbs up). First, we had a performance by the Drag Queens The Buffalo Girls who started with Valerie, and also did the Sugababes’ Overload. And yes, these were all in the songbook for everyone to sing along to as well.

David McAlmont was also a special guest singing one of his own songs and then an Amy Winehouse and then he came back to the stage later to guide us all through another one later as well. I absolutely loved his and Bernard Butler’s one hit wonder Yes when I was but a girl so I got a big kick out of seeing him. He is such a dapper gent with a great voice.

Then we all just ploughed our way through the songs for the night, singing as loudly as you dared because that was what everyone else was doing. No need to feel shy. You didn’t have to put your heart and soul into it if you didn’t want. There was more than a few (men, mostly) standing practically motionless, almost as if they were paying no attention to the music, but they were mouthing the words just the same. In fact, this crowd singing, I decided, was a little too anonymous for me. I like the attention you get from karaoke! And, in some ways, the night felt a bit like a vehicle for the band members who were miked up and singing along.

Then, after an encore that wasn’t in the songbook, the singing part of the night came to a close, just about in time for people to get the last tube if they ran. For me, this is when the night really came to the fore as they then just played a bunch of indie and RnB songs for the rest of the evening. What an awesome selection. I would come to this night again simply for the afterparty. We moshed to Nirvana’s Lithium, bopped to The Strokes’s Last Nite, and shook it like it was a polaroid picture to Hey Ya! I really didn’t want a late night as I was travelling the next day and kept thinking of leaving, but we were doing that 'oh, after this one we'll leave' thing for at least four songs before I was finally like, I must go home!

A different take on an indie pop night that works well and clearly has a bit of a following. I'd go again.

Harrild and Sons, 23rd May

Harrild and Sons is the newest bar/pub from the people behind the Well and Bucket in Bethnal Green, and, like the pub in Bethnal Green, downstairs it has one of the 5CC cocktail bars. This is actually where we spent our evening as upstairs was pretty rammed, but no one seemed to have discovered the hidden haven downstairs.

Upstairs bears a strong family resemblance to the Well and Bucket with its slightly macabre, Victorian gothic décor. We grabbed a bottle of wine from the bar before going to 5CC where we would have room to get some food. For no real reason we decided it was a lobster kind of day, so I had the lobster roll and Alison had the surf and turf, after the waitress was very frank and told us the lobster on its own wasn’t that big. Alison opted for chunky chips, I had skinny fries.

The lighting down here is what you might call ‘mood lighting’ if you’re being charitable. If not, you’d just say it is dark. But then, they are going for the whole clandestine feel. It’s just a shame because if you’re eating, you actually quite like to see your food! But, sight aside, what we had was pretty good. It wasn’t the best lobster roll I’ve ever had, and the claw was a tad dry and chalky, but I enjoyed it. I had a morsel of Alison’s steak which had a great charred flavor and was very tender. I didn’t get any of her lobster but she literally licked that sucker clean and the chunks of it I saw looked succulent and glistening so I think it was pretty good! And those chips! The memory of the chunky ones in particular has lingered pleasingly in my mind ever since. They were basically like perfectly cooked roast potatoes, in chip shape. The skinny fries were also very good in their own way.

We had another bottle …. And maybe another cheeky glass for the road.

The girl who was serving us was utterly delightful, making the whole evening rather charming. And it also happens to be my office’s neighbor so I’m sure a return visit for those chips will be on the cards before long.

Gaz's Rockin Blues, 22nd May

Gaz's rockin' Blues has somewhat legendary status, having been going for more than 20 years, most of which has been in the dingy caves of the St Moritz club. DJs and live bands play to a drunken crowd a mix of 50s and 60s rock n roll and ska and reggae.

Unfortunately, when I went, it seemed to be very ska-heavy which is not my favourite genre. And the band... well, let's just say the sound was rather unbalanced, with the backing singer louder than the main while also making it pretty obvious why she was only backing vocals.

There were far fewer people who were obviously into the 'scene' than I thought there would be - most of the crowd just seemed to be local workers who had gotten pissed up at the pub and wanted somewhere to carry on drinking. I'm not sure how much the music was actually relevant to their attendance.

I quite liked the club St Moritz - a little warren of rooms allowing you to sit at whatever distance and volume from the music you wanted. Prices weren't as bad as they could be - a Stella Cidre was £4.90. 

I can't really see myself ending up at Gaz's again. Gone (mostly) are the days where I find myself drunk enough on a school night to want to stay out later than the last tube and judging on my night there, this is the only reason I would return to this particular night. A friend who went another time was very surprised at my verdict as she loved it (though I can’t vouch for how drunk she was when she went). To the venue in particular, I would happily return as I do like an underground, slightly skeevy club. Feels authentic.