PortSide Parlour, Shoreditch Press Launch

Type of Bar: Bar/Restaurant
Damage: ££
Ideal for: Date, Small Groups, Rum, Food

See our previous review of PortSide Parlour at Broadway Market for more info on drinks! Though we will cover some new ones here.

PortSide Parlour has finally dropped anchor in Shoreditch! And with a vengeance – a style redo and jazzed up cocktail list has completed the Holy Rivington Trinity of PP, NOLA and Callooh Callay.

When I say style redo, we’re looking at a snazzy hardwood and copper bar, extensive display of rums, industrial lighting over green booths and further tables in the back. Rather cosy in comparison, reservations are *highly* recommended.

I believe we also have some newcomers on the menu!

The Lost in the Woods is a spectacular opener of an Old Fashioned with maple syrup, Cedarwood bitters, and Applewood smoke. How wonderful is this drink? The first glass I got skimped on the smoke a bit, but the second was an incredible display of the smoke’s woody aroma with the sweetness of the maple toned down by the whisky, ending on the cedarwood right at the end. Seductive, spectacular.

Now, the Daiquiri Belotta is something of a marvel. Incredibly simple, and knows what it’s doing – Plantation 3 star white rum (Jamaican, Bajan and Trinidadian blend), Amontillado sherry, and Belotta liqueur. It’s far livelier than first expected, lightly citrus on the nose, yet still incredibly sweet – Belotta’s chestnut (almost chocolate) flavour goes well with the Amontillado’s nuttiness for wonderfully light sweet drink that doesn’t skimp on the liquor.

There was some sampling of the food that PP wants to make essential to the new PP experience, such as the light chicken liver parfait, as a taster to the tapas menu they will be offering.

Daiquiri Belotta (L); and Lawnmower Sling (R)

The event itself was a major success, and bit of an industry celebrity collective – props to Charlie and team for keeping the Parlour afloat in its busiest hours in the cosiness of the venue; Shaun, our wonderful bartender; Connor, for the attentive service; and Cutlass Comms for having us! I see my nights at on Rivington Street getting a little bit more dizzy and confused attempting to Hailo.

Drinks: ****
Atmosphere: ****
Service: ***

PortSide Parlour

14 Rivington Street,
Shoreditch
London EC2A 3DU

http://portsideparlour.co.uk/

Street Feast, Dalston Yard

May25

Okay, quick article about the next Street Feast at Dalston Yard – a weekend night market that’s free entry 5-7PM (3 pounds after), that offers the best of London’s street food, pop ups, vans and trucks. Each weekend provides different traders with a few permanent bar joints.
Unlike the Winter 2013-14 Street Feast Hawker House, this venue is outdoors and rarely covered up, so bring your jumper and brolly! Huddle around the fire if it gets chilly, or make most of the sun. Although it makes more a less claustrophobic and more sociable atmosphere.

Here’s a quick run-down of some of the traders we sampled:

Bleecker St. Burger has been around the street circuit for a while now – with good reason. Going off menu for Angry Mixed Fries was a good idea, potato and sweet potato fries with hot and blue cheese sauce was excellent – I barely noticed when I had finished my box, ended up stealing my friend’s to take home later.

Le Bun broke in with the spectacular Le Bourguignon Bun: Bourguignon glazed slow roast beef short rib, bacon salt, truffle mayo, house slaw in toasted brioche bun. To die for – but, bit too salty, so keep water on hand. On that note, do not spend 2 pounds on water at the Rotary Bar (besides that tasteless Old Fashioned from last time), instead, head to the Gin Store for tap water and a gin cocktail. With an excellent number of gins to choose from, and wonderful gin flights, the Gin Store also serves up a a mean Floradora

(gin, lime juice, shaken raspberries, ginger and fizzy water) for 8 quid.

Finally, ending at Sorbitium Ices as expected! Sour Cherry and Almond ice cream being wonderfully subtle with the occasional burst of tartness, followed by the the sweet and malty dryness of Malt and Chocolate. Was less of a fan of the Spiced Rose and Mastic for being a bit more fragrant than it should have been, but if Rose and Prosecco sorbet is available, go for it! Some old school reliables like Sea Salt Caramel also available, with sauces like bourbon butterscotch (YES).

Major Shout outs to the Kamm and Sons’ KammShed for ginseng cocktails with a Brit-theme, Engine Hot Dogs and the ever-loved Kimchinary for teaching a friend that Korean and Burritos can work!

If anything, my one issue was failing to find coffee anywhere (Where are you, Kalopsia?!) – but luckily, next door you can find peace from the crowd at the Dalston Curve Garden Cafe with a large cafetiere for 4 quid – ending our day wonderfully.

Street Feast will show up to Lewisham for 15 weeks on 20th June.

Street Feast,
http://www.streetfeastlondon.com/
Twitter: @StreetFeastLDN

The Greenwich Food Festival

Feb17

Greenwich doesn’t get enough attention. Well, for the right reasons at least. The whole ‘Nelson-Queen’sHouse-Observatory-CentreoftheWorld’ thing can get a bit tired for a Greenwich resident like the Hoodooist.

The GFF (not to be confused with Greenwich Market, though they share the same venue) was set up to raise money for the Greenwich Foodbank is exactly what we needed to get Greenwich to recognize it is more than cosy village and tourist trap. The Festival was spearheaded by students of the University of Greenwich and contacted food vans and stalls across London to sign up for the event.

Considering we’re looking at roughly 40 stalls, the Hoodooist will narrow it down to what he thought could rank as the top 5 in separate categories:

For lunch spots, I was a bit disappointed at how many wanted to put food in a toasted brioche bun. The burger fad is losing momentum, but it didn’t take away from the fantastic work of Sambal Shiok’s spectacular Beef Rendang (NOT A BURGER). Marinated in 10 spices and dripping with further chilli sauce, the melt-in-your-mouth meat was coupled spectacularly with the cool Kerabu pickled cucumber and red onions. And though I complained that brioche buns are overdone these days, it was nice to not have a burger for once. Sambal Shiok’s (NOT A BURGER) rendang was easily the best food stall of the day, although did run out really early around 2PM, three hours into the event. Mandy Yin who runs the stall is an absolute diamond as well – hunt Sambal Shiok down if you haven’t been yet.

Sambal Shiok

We had some of the usual suspects like HornOKPlease (who I still find odd considering its mixture of food from various parts of India served up in one box) and Burgatory, who I finally tried for the first time. I wasn’t as impressed as people make it out to be. Not saying it’s a bad stall, but I’m not going to go charging to find it, is all.

For desserts, the festival was absolutely *laden* with sweet stalls. And we get two winners to tie. First, usual suspect Bad Brownie for their incredible creations. The Bacon and Maple brownie did not really do it for me, regardless of its uniqueness, but at their flagship-pop-up on 19 Greek Street, I will always hold their Chai Tea Brownie as the best brownie I have ever had that wasn’t slightly illegal.

Bad Brownie’s assortments, including their award-winning Salted Caramel Brownie

The Comptoir Gourmand gets a necessary shout out because I’d like to distinguish brownies from patisserie. The Pistachio Financier was to die for; not to mention bread and butter pudding that an Englishman would never be able to whip up.

Comptoir Gourmand’s delights

Drinks stalls had everything from wine to smoothies, but the Kalopsia Coffee wins by a landslide. Decent coffee vans are few and far between, and the smoothness of their Allpress Beans coupled with the incredible service made them natural winners. The van can be hired for various events and I am definitely keeping an eye on these guys.

A truck full of dreams

For stores to buy ingredients from, Bee Mercy takes it without a doubt. Smooth talking Stefan is more than happy to walk you through tasting and benefits of each of the raw, unpasteurized honeys on sale – and remind you of all the ways they can be used mentioned on their website from treating hypertension to facemasks. You can also eat them (in case you missed that). Each honey comes from hives that feed either on separate flowers (for example, hives that live around primarily oak trees, or lavender fields); or in specific environments (1,700 meters above sea level in their ‘Mountain Honey’ or in deep forests with ‘Forest Honey’).

Bee Mercy’s to die for raw honeys

Will throw in a mention of That Cheese Stall with their wonderful wild garlic yarg (pair this with Bon Bon Café’s preserves and jams); and CoCo Gourmand for their coconut brittles and tablets.

In short, the GFF kicked major gastronomical ass and is highly encouraged to be hosted again – and I’m excited to say that is has been considered. Follow it, folks!

Greenwich Food Festival

Greenwich Market,
London, SE10 9HZ

http://www.greenwichfoodfest.co.uk/

Opium Cocktail and Dim Sum Parlour, Chinatown

Feb10

Type of Bar: Bar/Restaurant, Chinese, Speakeasy, Lounge
Damage: £££
Ideal for: Food, Small Groups

I do like Opium. But you have to be there at exactly the right time.

There are two floors, both are not always open at the same time, but each feels totally different from the other.

In the evenings, the bar can be absolutely empty, and though I do love a good empty bar – Opium’s upper floor is one of those that really needs every seat filled to make it a great experience. Those bizarre 70s grandma’s living room seats need to be hidden from view. Especially when randomly placed beside black leather alcoves. It’s why I prefer to snatch the bar seats, which are in a kitchen setting with wonderfully engaging bartenders.

I think my issue with the chairs is just personal

The upper floor bar is unnaturally dark, making it reminiscent of the Shochu Lounge at Roka. The best way to enjoy it is to get a reservation for a late Saturday evening, crowded and pigeonholed with a few good friends, with each drink accompanied with the bar’s dim sum menu.

The lower floor, though, has an excellent atmosphere, better lighting. But the bartenders are just as engaging and thoughtful. They’re half the experience here.

The beautiful lower floor bar

Said bartenders are excellent for crafting personal cocktails with good reason. The menu comes with a custom cocktail section, where filling out a little questionnaire on your tastes in flavours and drinks will have them craft a little masterpiece for you. The cocktail list in itself is a treasure for making itself accessible to the less libationary-aware. Other than an ingredient description, each drink is given a three word summary. For example, the Long March (Bombay Sapphire gin, Plymouth Sloe, pomegranate juice, cinnamon and sweet red bean puree) is ‘Long – Complex – Fruity’.

On my first visit, I went straight for the Blind Date: Heaven Hill bourbon, Pedro Ximenez sherry, date puree and szechuan pepper. Definitely an after dinner drink (necessary, following my lunch at the Holborn Dining Room), the intense date flavour might have needed more pepper to balance it, but for the sweet tooth, works perfectly. Perhaps too many ingredients in each cocktail, but I’m willing to let it slide, since they end up working. The Feather of the Phoenix is an excellently contradictory cocktail: Olmeca Altos Blanco meets blood orange puree and ginger beer in a long drink, topped off with smoked chilli infusion. I needed a bit more bite in mine so asked for more chilli, which makes the drink what it is. It’s up to you to judge whether or not a good drink hinges on one ingredient, but I certainly won’t turn it down.
Maybe I’d be a bit more forgiving if each drink came at 10 pounds instead of 11.50 to 13. Please do not ignore the tea, a great break from a long night out – and hey, no one said you couldn’t add some G to your Tea. A dim sum box comes at about 6.50 to 8 pounds, or grab a platter at 16.

All in all, besides the peculiar environment, the Opium Cocktail and Dim Sum Parlour does a good job as a hidden away den, and certainly makes a much less pretentious alternative to the Experimental Cocktail Club next door that I abandoned because of terrible service. Opium has gone for the speakeasy-but-not-speakeasy feel by simply avoiding the conspicuous bouncer or massive signs – just come in through the Jade Door.

Also, for those in the know, query about a certain New Orleans tune, or perhaps an old Soho brothel of the same name that dear Nina Simone crooned about. The waiters will first insist they have no idea what you’re talking about. But at your own risk, Nina did tell us that it brought down the reputation of many of the curious over the years.

Drinks: ***
Atmosphere: Upper floor: ***, Lower floor: ****
Service: ****

Opium Cocktail and Dim Sum Parlour
15-16 Gerrard St,
London W1D 6JA

http://www.opiumchinatown.com/

Made in Brasil, Camden Town

Jan23

Type of Bar: Bar/Restaurant, Easy-going, Brazilian
Damage: £
Ideal for: Food, Party, Shamelessly Drunk

Camden’s Inverness Street takes on a great party vibe in the evenings, and Made in Brasil is an indispensible part of it.

It seems to have a party atmosphere almost constantly – which makes it a necessary pitstop when in Camden practically every time. At under 7 pounds, you can’t turn down the incredible assembly line of bartenders preparing Caipirinha after Caipirinha. Or if Cachaca isn’t your thing, the vodka variation, Caipiroska, tends to take a slightly different route in flavours. The caipirinhas tend to focus on one flavor at a time – acai (fabulous), kiwi, chilli; the caipiroskas tend to be more hybridized with strawberry and basil, or mandarin and cashew.

MiB offers other classics and variations of Vodka Martinis, but trust that they know what they specialize in, and do it well.

Once the live band comes in and the night picks up, you want to turn to a shooter that really does you in. When the Gostosa is brought to the table, the actual aged Cachaca looks a lethal acid yellow. But couple that with the slice of strawberry dipped in chilli sugar that chases the shot and the sudden effect on the palette is extraordinary.

Practically any flavour you need

The food menu is traditionally Brazillian, and well-priced, from a la carte to tapas. Expect a lot of cassava and black beans – you could dine in the much calmer basement, or keep the noise up upstairs when you’re stuffing face on the incredible Queijo coalho tostado com vegetais assados, or its meat-eater’s cousin.

In any case, the atmosphere coupled with the quick drink service means that you are always dangerously close to yelling “ANOTHER!” after every shot. Remember that Hailo is your friend.

Made in Brasil might not be a mixology haven, but they rock tradicional and rock it right. You want a live night out and a mother of a hangover; this is the place to end up.

Drinks: ***
Atmosphere: ****
Service: ***

Made in Brazil
12 Inverness St,
London NW1 7HJ

http://www.madeinbrasil.co.uk/‎

Street Feast, Hawker House, Hackney

Jan16

Okay, quick article about winter’s Street Feast at Hawker House – a weekend night market that’s free entry before 7PM (3 pounds after), that offers the best of London’s street food, pop ups, vans and trucks. Each weekend provides different traders with a few permanent bar joints.

A quick run-down of some of the traders we sampled:

Beginning at the Rotary Bar, I was disappointed with a pretty bad excuse for an Old Fashioned, and although their ever-popular Frozen Margarita is all most people were talking about, it wasn’t enough to blow one’s mind. Although, their prices were incredibly reasonable. Go for the Margarita.

Yum Bun, you need Yum Bun in your life. Think of dim sum Char Siu buns except with *actual fillings* instead of being cheated with the barest of filling inside (I’m looking at you, Ping Pong). Coming in a variety of pork, salmon to Cornish Pollack, Yum Bun’s got the best appetisers in the market, rivalling Rica Rica’s Chilean stall.

Grabbing a red at Street Vin, I waited in line for the legendary Kimchinary – which lives up to its reputation. It’s simple, uncomplicated comfort food that opens the way to food Nirvana. No complex analysis here; their Korean Burritos are just to die for. Kimchi, fried rice, bul go gi, cheese, tortilla – absolutely recommended without a shadow of a doubt.

The Whisky Bar’s huge whiskey selection offers a great ‘roulette’ for a spontaneous whisky flight, and we settled for a Rob Roy (Scotch, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters), which was… alright. I can’t really say much about it; it wasn’t the best, but it certainly wasn’t the worst.

We ended at the Sorbitium Ices stall, and boy were we glad for it. Trying almost everything on their menu, and it was impossible to be disappointed by this place! The sea salt caramel icecream is sticking to 2013’s fashionable sea-salt craze, but the sorbets were more adventurous. Rose & prosecco worked well without the rose being that sickly artificial flavour that many rose products tend to have; but the olive oil & pine nut sorbet stole the show as being the most surprisingly pleasant flavour, and definitely worth hunting Sorbitium down for.

Street Feast will be returning to Dalston Yard mid-May for 20 weeks; and to Lewisham for 15 weeks in mid-June.

Street Feast,
http://www.streetfeastlondon.com/
Twitter: @StreetFeastLDN

Highball Hoodoo

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Category Archives: Gastronomy