Margarita

I know plenty of people who hate (and I mean hate, not dislike, not are less impartial to, I mean hate like the fiery pits of hell type hate) tequila.  GrubsterGirl loves tequila.  Honestly, she actually loves it.  For example, when a Bloody Mary is on the cards, she'll always go for a Bloody Maria (done rather well at The Gilbert Scott).  So we tend to have quite a lot of it in the house most times.

 

The only discernible use that I can find for the stuff is cocktail making.  Sure, the barrel aged stuff has more than a hint of scotch about it and shouldn’t be mixed with anything.  But the hard stuff?  Mix it up.

 

The king of tequila cocktails is quite simple, and it goes like this:

 

Ingredients (per head):

 

Juice of half a lime (about 12.5ml, but some limes are juicier than others)
50ml Golden Tequila (Jose Cuervo will do just fine)
25ml Cointreau
10-25ml Agave Syrup (to taste)

 

Combine all the ingredients in a mixer, add copious amounts of ice, and shake like crazy.  Use the old lime peel to moisten the rim of the glass, and then salt.  We use smoked Maldon sea salt because we're pretentious like that (and because I accidentally bought it when shopping and have been trying to figure out what to do with it since then…).  Add new ice cubes to the glass and strain the contents of the mixer into it.  Serve (with or without pretentious lime wheel decorations).

Beware, this will make a big, strong cocktail.  Which is ideal after a long day of the office but absolutely lethal if you have a second.

 - GrubsterBoy -

Kurz & Lang

Contrary to popular perception, there's a lot to be jealous of when it comes to the Germans.  Their strong economy, their car manufacturing industry and wickedly fast racing drivers, their infamous efficiency and punctuality, the list goes on... 

But most of all, it's the food.  And what better a place to revel in the awesomeness of German cuisine than the recently opened Kurz & Lang. 

Operating from a tiny little store front at the end of St John Street – already a haven of good grub – and directly opposite Smithfield Market, this place is (I believe) about as German as German food in Britain can get.  It's run by Germans, it stocks German beers and it sells German sausage – or wurst if we're going to be pedantic (and accurate) about it – by the absolute truckload.  Billing themselves as "The Bratwurst Company", we felt an absolute obligation to give it a whirl.

And I'll tell you what: they've earned every bit of that billing.  First, choose your wurst – form a fantastic array of different types and styles.  Then decide – plate or bun?! Try a plate and accompany your sausage with fries, chopped potato cubes or potato salad (there's a heavy emphasis on potato accoutrements, you'll notice). 

Or why not go for a bun, proper Berlin bratwurst style?  Smothered in mustard, ketchup and loaded to the gunnels with sauerkraut. 

One way or another, wash it all down with one (or more) of a blinding array of German beers – from Paulaner's weissbeir (a personal favourite) to the Rothaus Radler. 

And then, if you're not already a little barrel, finish it all off with a donut – a sticky Berliner or a little quark cheese and cinnamon Quarkini. 

All in all, a fantastic bit to eat.

A meal here is probably best had immediately following a bit of a pub session (five pints at the Fox & Anchor, oops) – they're open late, perfect for a bit of post-closing time munch.  Yet another reason to be jealous of the Germans: they get bratwurst, we get doner kebab.  Mind you, we've got that to blame them for as well...

 - GrubsterBoy -

Food Porn #3: Tankard

Beer, the way it's meant to be served.  Nice little drop called 'Hank' from Newport's Tiny Rebel Brewing Co. - Lots of floral scents and hoppy flavours, very craft beer-esque.  Served up at the Fox & Anchor which is a nice enough pub in itself (with pretty good food) but whose fantastic selling point is pewter tankards for the punters.  And, you know what?  It does taste better out of pewter.

Also, right round the corner from Kurtz & Lang, so if you fancy yourself a post-pint munchfest, happy days...

 - GrubsterBoy -

Ceena

Sad news is that a couple of friends of mine who I trained with are leaving work for a bit.  Good news is, they'll both be back next year.

 

So, in order that they remember us and want to come back, we all went for a good old farewell meal at Ceena, just off Ludgate Circus. 

 

Ceena is a Korean restaurant offering a fantastic variety of Korean dishes wither to take away or to be enjoyed from the comfort of a small row of sit-up chairs at the bar.  They also have a tiny private dining room downstairs (which I imagine could just about squeeze nine in at a very uncomfortable pinch). 

 

What they're best known for – and what I understand Korean food is best known for (although I confess to knowing precious little about it) is sizzling bibimbap.  It's a Korean word that means, literally, mixed rice – and that's pretty much what it is.

 

 

Basically, you order up your dish, choosing from an assortment of cooked meats – I went for the barbecue beef, which turned out to be a popular and good choice.  Your meal then comes to you in a gigantic stone pot that has clearly been in the oven for a few hours as it sits there sizzling away throughout your meal, keeping the food hot and effectively cooking the raw egg that comes with it. 

 

The dish itself is a mound of rice, topped with meat, egg, and sauted vegetables.  When it arrives you douse it with gochujang, a kind of red chili paste, and mix it all up like crazy.  The wolf the thing down.

 

 

It was spectacular, no kidding.

 

Also, because it was a special meal, I got to have pudding.  A rare enough treat.

 

What followed was the head chef's recommendation, a dish of hotteok, a small, Korean pancake filled with a brown sugar filling.  The bossman described it as his childhood treat and his absolute favourite thing to have, and I can honestly see why.  What's more, it was beautifully accompanied with green tea and sesame ice creams – both aesthetically stunning and whose savoury flavours were the perfect foil to the sweet pancake.  Washed down with barley tea – a wonderful palate cleanser – this was the perfect end to a meal.

 

 

I am very much hoping, therefore, that when Holly and Claire return next year, we will welcome them back with a return visit…

 

 - GrubsterBoy -

Beer & Food Matching at Honky Tonk

A few weeks ago an email popped up in my inbox suggesting I attend a beer and food matching / tasting event in my hood, Clapham.  It wasn’t a hard decision to make.

 

Honky Tonk (our hosts for the evening) has been in Clapham a wee while now, but I’m pretty sure until this event I hadn’t been in – ashamed as I am to admit that.  As far as I can recall, it started life as People’s Republic, and offshoot from the guys that once upon a time brought us Iniquity and Establishment down on Northcote Road – both now, sadly, departed.  Incidentally, they’re also the brains behind the awesome Venn Street Records and Northcote Records.  So the pedigree’s pretty good; even if Honky Tonk is utterly divorced from its predecessor, there’s plenty of reflected glory to bathe in.

The theme of the evening was USA – American craft beer served up with a five course American tasting menu.  As I’ve written elsewhere, American beer is not what it used to be.  Thanks to president Carter’s relaxation of homebrewing regulation in 1978, following the extreme exclusion of prohibition, craft beers have been popping up across the Land of the Free.  That they’re only just catching up now to European standards I think is testament to how damaging prohibition was to that industry.  But catching up they are: the popularity of brews like Sierra Nevada, Blue Moon and Brooklyn bear witness to that.

All of our beers heralded from the same brewery: Fordhams, of Delaware.  If I was going to have a criticism of the evening, it might be this.  Nice as it was to sample the complete range of one brewery, it might have been nicer still to try beers from across different outlets and states, to compare and contrast.

Kicking off proceedings was the Wisteria Wheat.  I love a wheat beer, actually.  I recognize it’s an acquired taste, sure, but I love it.  This example was no let down.  It comes in at 4% it won’t knock you down (not always a negative, to my mind), with a sweet banana and soft fruit nose.  Bloody lovely.

Matching it were crab cakes.  The idea behind the match was that the sweetness of the crabmeat would be balanced out by the sharpness and fruitiness of the ale.  The result?  Pretty damn good.

Next up was the Copperhead Amber Ale.  A slightly longer barley roast leaves this ale golden with caramelly, burnt sugar overtones.  Again, malted barley and German style.  Served up with a cheeseburger, this was Americana at its most overt – even if this was probably my least favourite brew (which is not to say it was bad one bit).

This was followed by Hop Moutain.  As the name suggests, this was straight in at the deep end of American craft beer – that is to say, out come the hops and all the pungency that goes with it.  This was a very aromatic number, with red fruits and floral, hoppy scents evading everything about it.  I can still taste it writing this.  As with many American craft beers, it wasn’t mucking about at a potent 6.3%.

Its match was hot wings, which were sadly not hot enough, the idea being that the sweet, aromatic nature of the beer would counteract the fire of the spice.  I can see the combo working, but the wings really do have to be hot to hit it off right.

Beer 5 was Ram’s Head, a West Coast IPA.  Now, IPAs back in the day (I learned from our beer sommelier) was originally brewed by the East India Company as a much stronger brew that would last the six month long, pre-Suez Canal, voyage to India from Britain.  Following the introduction of tax per percentage, IPAs were scaled right back to the (comparatively) insipid brews we now drink down the pub.  The Ram’s Head tries to recapture that original strength, something reflected by its 7.5% alcohol volume. 

It was matched up with BBQ ribs, something I have a particular soft spot for in any event, and it was a masterly match.  The beer itself, with a slightly lower roast, is incredibly pungent and hoppy, with all the sharpness that entails.  The upside is that it is the perfect antidote to rich, sticky, sweet, fatty ribs. 

By this stage I was feeling pretty full, I won’t lie.  But I wasn’t to be deterred – because the very best had been saved for last.  Dominion is an oak barrelled stout, meaning that it has been aged in oak following the brewing process and picked up a lot of lovely flavours as a result.  It’s also been treated with vanilla seeds, which adds to the sweet, sticky feel of this perfect pudding beer.  Like any great pudding, though, its not all sugar and sweetness, possession in addition a long, bitter-chocolate flavour.  Truly scrummy.

Matching the stout was a divine chocolate brownie and ice cream

The evening was run by Phil Harding of Boutique Beer Brands, and was a lot of fun.  It was the first time it had been run, which showed a little as the timings were out – the food arrived before the beer a couple of times, meaning it wasn’t hot when we got to eat it.  Other than that, no complaints – and, at £25, absolutely fantastic value.

Hoky Tonk are keen to do more of these events.  And they should – as the boss said when I spoke to him afterwards, local bars should be about more than getting hammered on a Saturday night.  Agreed.  Events like this make a place, so I hope to see a lot more in future.

Picture from Honky Tonk's Facebook page

Oh, and the interior décor rocks.

 

 - GrubsterBoy -

Al-Desko Dining: Spianata & Co

Of late, my al-desko dining posts have been a bit anti-sandwich. Now, I have nothing against the humble sandwich – far from it, in fact. And I recognise that my latest suggestions have been unhelpful from the point of view that the basis of this al-desko series is supposed to be lunches you have at your desk – I mean, you ever tried eating a bowl of pasta whilst trying to draft a complex memo at the same time? I have, and it only ends with one thing: Pasta. Sauce. Everywhere.

So today I'm taking you to Spianata & Co.

Spianata bills itself as a Roman sandwich shop. Trust me: you're left under no illusions that this is exactly what it is when you get there. From the Italian staff, Italian foods and general Italian feel – a row of men, in suits, wolfing down focaccia sandwiches and espressos along a bar in the window – this is like a little Napolitano deli in the heart of the City of London.

The sandwiches are excellent, which is probably something to do with the fact that they make all of their bread on site, fresh, every day. That they keep the bread-making production centre in a great big glass room, rather than stowed away out of site, is probably the best sign you're going to get that they take real pride in their baked goods.



The fillings are legion – all of them reeking with a kind of Italian authenticity; you won't find a cheese and pickle bap in here (although you will find cheese and ham, albeit in the more refined form of mozzarella and prosciutto di speck). There's pear, prosciutto cotto & gorgonzola, talegio, parma ham & walnut, coppa, provolone & radicchio, pollo & funghi, bresaola, rucola & parmesan, to name but a few.

But there's a lot more to get besides sandwiches. There's slices of cake and brownie. There are a range of fantastic pizza slices, just in case you needed that extra carb hit. There are all the run of the mill Italian soft drinks from San Pellegrino and the less usual ones, like Cedrata Tassoni and Gazzosa. And there is, of course, mind-blowing espresso.

Sit in, if you can – it's almost half of the experience. But if you can't, here's a lunch to have at your desk whilst you work – one hand with the red pen, another with the focaccia. Just don’t blame me if you can’t focus on the task you get paid for.

 

Forget that panini rubbish that Starbucks flog.  This is the real deal.

 

- GrubsterBoy -

Byron Hamburgers

I'm not coming late to this party, I'm coming several days after the party has finished, the clearing up has been done, the organisers have packed their bags and moved on, and no one can even remember there having been a party in the first place.  I know this.

 

In fact, I'm not really reviewing Byron.  I'm lauding it.

 

Is it the best burger in London? Is it 'eck.  In an era of burger explosions, of tonnes of little burger chains and gourmet burger joints popping up across town, Byron can’t compete.

 

So why do I love it?  Easy: It's easy.

 

That's right: Byron has done for burgers what Pizza Express did for pizza – which is hardly surprising given that both chains are owned by the same group.  What Byron is doing is producing cheap, reliable, tasty burgers in a relaxed setting without the agony of waiting in line for 45 minutes to be fed.  After all, burgers were invented to be fast food - basic and tasty, not haut cuisine.

 

 

 

 

Too often there's a certain snobbery about food – it should only be the finest, only be the greatest, that we shouldn’t talk about our guilty pleasures of cheesy Doritos or soft-serve ice cream.  Rubbish, says this Grubster – they're good because they're good, and you like them for it.  If you restrict yourself only to ever eating the best-of-the-best, then so be it – but bear in mind that before long you'll be (a) broke; and (b) hungry. 

 

Oh, and their beer's pretty damn good to. 

 

 

So, three cheers for Byron.

 

 - GrubsterBoy -