The House of Peroni Press Launch

Oct3

Beer giant Peroni relaunches it’s massively popular pop-up – House of Peroni – in London, a ‘celebration of Italian culture’.

A multi-storey affair, it presents Italian art installations reflecting Rome, with food provided by Bottega Wapping (Yum), and cocktails innovated with Peroni beer.

Now I ain’t no art critic, so let’s go over the drinks as we wander through the various installations munching on canapes.

“The Secret Garden” art installation

Unfortunately, the launch only served 3 of the 6 cocktails proposed – which to be honest, was a massive disappointment. If this was a matter of using certain ingredients sparingly, a token-for-cocktail affair could have been organised. A real shame since couple of the drinks not being served at the launch seemed to be far more promising that what was served in the end.

Let’s begin with the best of the lot:

The Nerone, inspired by the myth of Nero standing by as Rome burned, evoked the fire and smoke of a city-wide conflagration. Peroni Nastro Azzurro shaken with chilli, passionfruit and smokey Lapsang souchong tea. The smokey tea really mellows the normally overpowering passionfruit, simmering with spiciness. Unfortunately, the flavours separate if the drinker takes time, leaving the last half of the drink to taste almost entirely of Peroni instead of a steady mix, or slight layering of the drink. Nonetheless, a successful cocktail.

The following two were a bit less enticing.

Fellini’s La Dolce Vita inspired the La Dolce Vista (geddit.) – meant to be sipped slowly, a twist on the Aperol Spritz. Peroni NA, orange, grapefruit and Prosecco; demands a VERY long sipping time. And though mediocre, would be probably more enjoyable as a shorter drink. In any case, mixed well, and something to relax in the outdoor area with.

Finally, the Honey Peroni brings together Peroni NA, vanilla infused rum and honey for a drink described as well-balanced – but is anything but. Painfully sweet on vanilla and honey, and left unfinished.

The “Roma Phantasma” art installation

Unfortunately, I cannot comment on the last three drinks that were not served on the night, so cannot review them. Which should have been considered since a press launch would demand, well, people giving a fair review of what a venue has to offer. Similar with the sparse canapes. In any case, service was excellent, employees were absolutely wonderful.

In any case, the House of Peroni provides an interesting, if not university-house-party-esque atmosphere for a night out, even if the coffee leaves a lot to be desired. For an evening of socialising, worth one drink.

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

The House of Peroni

64 Lincoln’s Inn Fields,
London, WC2A 3JX.

http://thehouseofperoni.com/

Cocktails in the City 2014, London

Sep21

Cocktails in the City came in for 2 days and swept the Hoodooist’s life into a tizzy. Working in conjunction with the upcoming London Cocktail Week and the Boutique Bar Show the day before, CitC brought several bars representing several spirit brands (present at the Boutique Bar Show) together under one roof of the St. Pancras Grand Hall.

Bars and a representing brand set up stalls where bartenders presented the brand in a cocktail of their devising to the public for judging, decided by a single yellow token handed by the drinker to their favourite bar – being there for both days, the Hoodooist had the opportunity of handing a token to two separate bars, and this review will build from the least successful of 14 bars (rated: *), up to the two winning bars (rated: *****) of his opinion. You could scroll right down to the winners, or bask the in schadenfreude of the lowest rated bars.

Bars are judged on the choice and quality of their cocktail, presentation of both the drink and the décor of their stall, and any additional factors working in their favour.

So on with the disasters, rated: *.

The Breakfast Club bar, Call Me Mr. Lucky came in with a concoction called The Rocket Man, Casa Centinela Blanco Tequila, and get this, a different recipe at the stall than what’s on the handbook. This came with, from memory, lemon juice, lemon bitters, rocket, mint leaves and the most bizarre addition of crème de cacao. Which is probably what ruined the drink, a watered down tequila is all that came through, and ended up being the only drink of the festival that was not finished and just set aside.

The Rivington Grill’s Allez Islay is far less Islay than you think. The Botanist Gin, sugar, Port Charlotte, celery bitters with a *spray* of Bruichladdich (5 times fast!) ended up with something that really could have just been made easier with a glass of gin and a stick of celery. Bitter, straining, trying too hard, a mess of a drink that should not exist for its own sake.

Call Me Mr. Lucky’s “Rocket Man”

Rated **, make way for mediocrity.

Shaker & Company (Click HERE for their bar review!), working with D.O.M. Benedictine, presented a different drink from the handbook, a ‘misprint’. Which was a shame, since the handbook’s Orchard Fall, with cognac and apple juice would have probably worked better than the herbal Aperol/Benedictine drink presented.

The Alchemist was an odd one, good service, but ended up being more image than substance. The Loire Lady heats Chambord, Finlandia Grapefruit vodka, sweet+dry vermouth, citric acid dilution, Angostura bitters and gomme, then poured over dry ice in a conical glass, served on the rocks – was more of a spectacle than the purely raspberry drink that resulted. For a sweet tooth, this might work, but it felt imbalanced in flavour and could do without the gomme and perhaps the sweet vermouth. The ‘Mad Hatter Tea Party’ table addition seemed a bit too demanding when working with the alchemical presentation of the drink, it came off a bit desperate.

And here is one I still feel conflicted about: The Lucky Pig surprised with 3 G&T’s by Bombay Sapphire. Their Almond and Coriander G&T was an underdog drink with decent flavour, but no character. And after questionable service and the fact that was, well, a G&T, it fails to impress – an event like this should present the extent and push the reasonable limits of your bartenders’ imagination. And the presentation was depressing.

The Alchemist’s “Loire Lady”

Rated ***, the recommendations:

See the PortSide Parlour’s Daiquiri Belotta with El Dorada 5yr Rum, on their bar’s review HERE.

See the Powder Keg Diplomacy’s Henry Martini Rifle with Whitley Neill Gin, on their bar’s review HERE.

The Edition Hotel’s Punch Room presented us with their Teddy Hook Punch using Martini Gran Lusso – which was odd since perhaps they should have represented the less commonly known Ice Most Grappa, which has been developed to be smoother, and therefore more versatile for cocktails. In this case, the Gran Lusso and Grappa met Hibiscus tea, Basil water, lemon juice and sugar syrup to make a delightfully smooth, light punch, with a silky sweetness that did not tip into sickly like the Loire Lady, thanks to the subtlety of the Hibiscus’ sweetness.

The Hawksmoor Spitalfields Bar presented two drinks using Appleton Estate V/X rum. The first being the Afterlight, Appleton V/X + Appleton 12yr, Poire liqueur, cinnamon syrup and lime for a sweeter, light long drink. Not my style, but certainly successful in balance. Their second drink could deal with being shorter than it was, but was certainly prepared better on the first night than the second: the Butter Infused Rum Old Fashioned is exactly that, and on the first night was far less cloying with butter than the second, so loses points on the second night – but displayed excellence on the first.

Trailer Happiness’ “Prime Minister”

The following 5 bars are the ones I had to choose 2 winners from, they all succeeded in presented fantastic drinks worthy of winning, but the 2 winners had to excel on all fronts – and a little bit extra.

Rated at ****, runners up were:

Trailer Happiness, who doesn’t love a bit of them? Lamb’s Navy Rum, house tiki vermouth, Bergamot syrup and tea tincture made the Prime Minister, a take on the classic El Presidente. The distinct caramel of the rum needs it to be stirred throughout the drink to prevent it from settling to a cloying finish, but the Bergamot and tea acidity come through beautifully to a sophisticated cover of the classic.

The Rivoli Bar came in with their own little section boarded away from the public, presenting their Beluga vodka Caviar Martini every 15 minutes to 4 drinkers each session. A splash of house vermouth, homemade caviar tincture and celery salt certainly presented a smooth Martini with the distinct flavour of caviar and an accompaniment of caviar/thyme foam on a seaweed cracker. The drink and the bartenders reflected the quiet confidence of the Rivoli, and they excelled in their drink and technique – but the addition of the ‘sessions’, with the bouncer and assistant taking ‘reservations’ for 4 people at a time tipped their quiet confidence into arrogance; this was not a venue for this take on presentation or style of hospitality. Predictably, people were late to ‘reservations’, messing up the timing, and the session itself was just the bartenders explaining the ingredients of the drink (as at every other stall). Fantastic drink, bizarre and unsuitable presentation.

The Megaro Bar (Click HERE for the bar’s review!) presented us with a drink to make their menu from November 1^st 2014, the Evans Angels, Evan Williams Extra Aged, Sauternes, D.O.M. Benedictine, Angostura bitters and green tea tincture. I adored the richness of their drink, which maintained a slight dryness which would have been emphasised with a bit more of the green tea tincture, which I would’ve appreciated. This came with apricot compote and foie gras canapé, and the Megaro’s signature cinema seating, simple and quintessentially Megaro (down the road!).

Rivoli Bar’s “Caviar Martini”

Now, the winners on each night! Both bars presented not only drinks that excelled with their cocktails, but also in their presentation of the drink and stall, their service, and their additional something-something.

Rated *****, we have:

The Gilbert Scott (from across the street!) made an appearance with an odd little number called The Illusion. I shrugged off the silly Matrix pill reference to find an excellently concocted drink of spectacular originality and personality. Presentation of the stall was impeccable in the Gilbert Scott’s typical finery, with the strange ‘choice’ posed to customers (which the Hoodooist obviously sorted by having both, what I liked about this is that they were not two separate drinks, but the same drink that emphasised different flavour notes of the ingredients). The unique silky softness of the Martin Miller’s gin meets West Country ingredients like intense samphire, cinnamon, and cassia bark; lemon, sugar and then charged with CO2. The ‘Red’ variety of the cocktail focuses more on sweeter cinnamon, which pales in comparison to the ‘Blue’ variety, a clear winner with its focus on minerality and herbal flavour.

And our second winner, and probably the one I favour a bit more, is the Reverend JW Simpson with their Larder Batch: Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon, Pinot Noir and pink peppercorn reduction, cardamom bitters and angostura bitters; with a steak accompaniment. In terms of presentation, it stuck with the theme of the bar and the Four Roses bourbon, without turning into some kind of mish-mash like The Alchemist’s table. And the service was conversational, fun, and effervescent like the event itself, unlike the surgical coldness of the Rivoli stall. The accompaniment suited both the intense aspects of the drink, the bourbon, and Pinot Noir/pink peppercorn reduction – here the Reverend presents us with a steak dinner in a cocktail format and a nibble; the natural spiciness of the Four Roses Small Batch, and that of the peppercorn and cardamom suits the steak perfectly. The Reverend excelled on all fronts and more.

Reverend JW Simpson’s “Larder Batch”

And that’s a wrap! Cocktails in the City was an excellent amuse bouche to the carnivale of London Cocktail Week October 2014, and here we are, already salivating. God knows I can’t wait till CitC again next year.
http://www.cocktailsinthecity.co.uk

Yelp’s Elite Endless Summer Garden Party

Sep18

Quite a mouthful, no?
Yelp has an edge over competitors with it giving back to users in the form of its occasional parties, open to press and the most proficient Yelp users, called the Elite, for loyal participation. This year’s Endless Summer Garden Party was hosted at the recently opened Isis Education Centre at the Hyde Park LookOut, a former police observation point which is now an education centre where children learn about nature and wildlife.

Kooky Bakes!

Tuxes donned, the crowd traverses up to the LookOut where Yelp hosts stalls of the likes of the popular MeatLust brand serving up spicy beef sliders to Louisiana lamb chops, sharing the spot light with the travelling London market stall: Colonel Tom’s Gumbo.

Highlight in the gastronomy department was still Kooky Bake’s (popularly present at KERB events, click HERE for review of the KERB Ice Cream Adventure!) S’mores, going down fantastically with Biju Bubble Tea’s boba cha!

Biju Bubble Tea, now on Old Compton St!

But when not stuffing your face, you could instead grab drinks prepared by Chambord raspberry liqueur’s sponsor, while playing croquet and overlooking the Serpentine, or giant Jenga – if not shopping for Mexican snacks and wares at La Tiendita (Who deliver!), or Ay Que Chula. That is, when not wandering round the myriad of ponds and look outs meandering through the thickets of trees decorated with shimmering mirrors. But the twilight beauty of the venue reminds us of the purpose of the Isis Education Centre as well, to provide students in a city, though one of the greenest cities in Europe, one so separated for nature, a place to develop their understanding of it, and further the preservation of the Royal Parks.

For information on becoming a Yelp Elite, see http://www.yelp.co.uk/elite

The Royal Parks Foundation accept donations, for further information, see http://www.supporttheroyalparks.org

KERB Food: An Ice Cream Adventure, King’s Cross St. Pancras

Aug17

The street food market KERB KX is back with a twist: An Ice Cream Adventure!

Every Saturday till 20^th September is going to bring 12 ice cream and lolly phenomenons to Granary Square, along with a handful of food and dessert stalls of the likes of Bill & Beak, Kimchinary, Grilling Greek, & Bleecker St. Burger – a pretty bloody decent bunch, if you ask me.

Today’s review will limit itself to must-try ice cream stalls, because there’s only so much double creamy goodness you can consume in one day (BUT, there are vegan options at the venue!).

Although the Hoodooist wished he could, couldn’t manage to eat a proper lunch, because the ice creams and cocktails were more than enough to satiate him at this point. Starting with The Manhattan Project’s Asian Bloody Mary – Stoli, Tomato, Wasabi, Calamansi, Soy, Sriracha, Fermented Chilli – a spectacular combo since Bloody Marys have not usually been the Hoodooist’s first choice. We made our way to the excellent Ruby Violet, whose horseradish ice cream we then added to the Bloody Mary for a wonderful extra kick. At first I certainly wasn’t sure, but was happily surprised at how well it worked! The horseradish ice cream isn’t the sweetest, so doesn’t throw off the flavour of the Bloody Mary, worth a shot if you’re feeling adventurous. On that note, props to Ruby Violet for the adventurousness of a horseradish ice cream!

Sorbitium Ices (from the previous Street Feast reviews – Click for Hackney, Dalston Yard & Lewisham, you know they’re an old favourite), knocked it out of the park with their Olive Oil, Pine Nut & Candied Orange ice cream. I preferred it at the Hackney Street Feast without the candied orange, but it didn’t hurt! Other great combos like the Dark Chocolate & Whisky (bit intense on the whisky), and Strawberry Balsamic ruled the menu, whereas the Melon, Cucumber, Buttermilk & Chilli was a nice tangy choice.

I walked up to Drunken Dairy a bit wary, but was pleasantly surprised but the lovely Dark Destroyer: Dark Chocolate & Grand Marnier, definitely stood out in the massive barrage of orange flavours all the stalls put forward. Similarly surprised was I by Jolly Nice’s savoury Plum & Star Anise – couldn’t have too much of it, but was a spectacular production! The depth provided by the anise was incredible – absolutely necessary to try.

Finally, one that definitely stood out, and though I am choosing no winners today, but a painfully high ranker: La Gelatiera’s Porcini Mushroom & Chocolate Cream.

Don’t ask me by what sorcery or defiance in the laws of physics that this works: but it does. And it does so with confidence and humble panache. The earthy porcini complements the chocolate, and does so with strong flavour, but without overpowering it, blowing La Gelatiera’s other ambitious flavours like Basil & Chilli out of the water.

All the choice at the KERB Ice Cream Adventure can be a bit overwhelming, but don’t fret too much – follow our little guide for suggestions toward the most adventurous and exciting of the ice creamiers – and throw that weighing scale out the window 😉

KERB’s Ice Cream Adventure
Every Saturday till 20^th Sept ‘14,

Granary Square,
King’s Cross

http://www.kerbfood.com/kerb-saturdays/

Street Feast’s #ModelMarket, Lewisham

Jun23

So, Street Feast has extended its roots into the South East! The immense success, as reviewed, of the Winter 2013-4 Hackney Feast; and the currently running Dalston Yard Feast meant that it was only a matter of time before another one cropped up.

This smaller market houses more of London’s incredible street food talent, but has certain drawbacks as a venue.

Onto the food!

Killer Tomato’s Esquites: charred corn, chipotle mayo, feta, chilli flakes and lime, were a great snack to have when waiting in line – Killer Tomato is probably the only exclusively-veg place in the venue so far, which is also a relief – generally the market is not veg-an/etarian friendly. The Esquites are also pre-prepared, so are absolute recommendations to snatch a couple up when running to the next stall where you will inevitable wait.

Sambal Shiok is still one of my favourite stalls, kicking it with their usual chicken satay and beef rendang hits (previous review of the beef rending from the Greenwich Food Festival: Sambal Shiok’s spectacular Beef Rendang : 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.)

Their Taster Plate is now a mix of the beef, chicken and a lentil option they have introduced – the chicken and beef still beat the lentil, which came off slightly dry – but forgivable considering how crowded they were! Comes with kerabu pickled cucumber, red onion and that wonderful sambal chilli sauce. Get in early for these guys, they sell out!

Smokestak has been on my list for a while now – run out of brisket, sadly – I settled for the pulled pork, honey mustard BBQ, green chilli slaw in brioche – absolutely worth the money. These guys know what they’re doing, and knocked it out of the park. Also one of the more popular in the market, Smokestak has the tenderest of meat, though the chilli slaw ain’t as chilli as you’d think (cue Sambal Shiok on how spicy spicy should be).

Deciding it was time for a drink, the Rum Shack offers a great selection of classics with a mean Anejo Highball – aged rum, orange curacao, ginger beer, lime juice and bitters – which goes better as a mid-meal drink than an ultra-dry El Presidente #2.

Finally, the local dessert stall, the SE Brownie Bar is an extension of the SE Cakery at Elephant and Castle’s Boxpark. Hallelujah, Model Market learnt its lesson and added a place that served tea and coffee! These brownies are also fantastic – 5 pounds for six: Salted Caramel, Oreo, Mojito, Peanut, Honeycomb, and Banoffee crumble. Ask to design your own batch if needed and they’ll be happy to! These brownies are fantastic, SE Brownies gives Bad Brownie a run for their money!

Whereas the Dalston Yard Street Feast is absolutely massive, this one keeps a large queue where guards with clickers decide what size groups go in at a time – obviously this is necessary to not overwhelm the venue, but the place is far too tiny for such a successful market that would be bound to be crowded.

In other words, after standing in line for 15 minutes for places that would inevitably be open in other places in London rest of the week – the loudest voice in my head was “I can’t believe I’m waiting in line to enter a market.”

It is good to see this unused space being put to use, but the initial queuing just to enter the market reminds you of the reasons you don’t go clubbing. It definitely puts a dampener on the evening. I was excited that it’s only a short bus ride from my place, but I feel like I’d rather be travelling up to Dalston Yard instead.

Is Street Feast over? Doubt it; it is still a great venture with excellent food, just a terrible venue. The gentrification of Lewisham is kind of sad to watch. But with food this good, you kinda go with it.

Like the other Street Feast venues, the list of stalls change now and again, so make sure to check the website every week!

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

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/

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

Alexander and James, ‘Mixologist at Home’

Dec6

When Shreena Soomarah of ‘Anastrophe and Cheese’ invited me to a cocktail evening hosted by Alexander & James Spirits introducing their ‘Mixologist at Home’ bartending service, needless to say, my ears perked. I’ve turned to A&J before for procuring last minute gifts and they’ve certainly always satisfied – and who was I to turn down drinks on a Monday night?

Events so had it that I found myself knocking at the door of a private home in the back-streets behind City Road. Being the early bird that I am, I spent initial time I had before mingling with the other guests to observe the impeccably crafted minimalist loft and sneak in a conversation with the man behind the bar. Now, I did feel a bit guilty for a moment as James Fowler (owner of The Library Bar and The Larder House of Bournemouth, and finalist of the World Class UK Bartender of the Year 2013) glanced up attempting conversation while frenetically setting up the beginnings to his first cocktail – but still managed to hold his cool while guests got up close snapping pictures of the make-shift bar because there is no such thing as too-early-a-tweet. My excuse was having a good look at the spirits. Fantastic quality all-around, Tanqueray No.10, Zacapa 23, Ketel One – I was pleased. And not a Passoa or Grenadine bottle in sight, thank the stars.

I was cautious mingling at first (most of the guests seemed so as well), but the hosts of the event were wonderfully courteous in helping the crowd interact. Initially I was met with the same questions: “Are you a blogger?”
To which I could only reply, awkwardly, “A PhD researcher. But if it’s any consolation, I can sniff out all the bars in a 3 mile radius.”

Down the hatch

Now, I had a quick look at the list of six cocktails (classics, can’t go wrong with them) that will were to be swilled that evening, but the contents of said list hadn’t quite sunk in until the first drink was being passed around to the guests.
A Vesper Martini.

Eyes widened around the room as it seems it wasn’t just myself who realised the strength of the six on the menu until just now – considering we had under two hours for the event. Or as the suavely sartorial gentleman beside me muttered, “This will not end well.”

Now, I do love my gin Martinis – preferably with Sacred or No.3 – but a Vesper holds a special place in my heart as the first of the Martini family I drank as a teenager, and a drink that ignited my passion for cocktails. Cheeky, starting off with a Vesper, but smooth – almost too smooth. I queried James about it and he admitted that he had altered the concoction to make it easier to down, considering the rest of the menu. I am not entirely sure how I feel about that decision. Brilliant and thoughtful, certainly – but simultaneously not staying true to the drink. I also noticed that menu booklet stated making the drink with Kina Lillet. Which would make sense if it was 1985 – but Kina has since been reformulated and rebranded as the much loved Lillet Blanc for a ‘modern taste’. Now unless A&J went in doctoring their Lillet Blanc with quinine, it’s probably best to stick with the brand’s current name.

Nonetheless, this ‘novice’ Vesper danced its way too easily to the Gimlet.News spread around the room (not entirely how true this was, but was entirely believable) that the Gimlet recipe was altered as well, to Gin/Lime : 50/50 (instead of the gin being twice the amount of lime juice). Again, probably for the best considering the intensity of the night’s drinks. Smooth, sneaky, seductive – a spectacularly well made Gimlet.

Onto the third drink, the night noticably took a different air – the crowd blended in whirling circles, the talk was louder, the swearing increasingly vulgar – the Margarita certainly came in with a flourish as she should. Simple, and staying true to its roots. Nothing like a drink reclaiming its ground after being bastardised by amateur bartenders through the years.

Things begin to get blurry as an Old Fashioned is thrust into my hand. I hear a glass shatter on the other side of the room. I give the glass a quick look-over – I was waiting for this one. Bulleit Bourbon was the one spirit on today’s menu I hadn’t sampled before and I was excited to get to know it better. My taste for whiskey is young and developing, and this high rye content bourbon was hitting the spot. I was thoroughly impressed by James’ work with this Old Fashioned, but couldn’t envy the amount of work that went into preparing the immense number of them that would have to be made for an entire party in such a short amount of time. Here his skills really made themselves evident as a finalist for the WC-UK Bartender of the Year.

A voice calls out from the crowd announcing that in 15 minutes we will have to make our way. A horrifying realisation that we haven’t sampled the last two drinks leads a charge to the bar – James is running out of tumblers as he makes a makeshift Negroni in a cocktail glass. We grab a shaky hold of the glass as I query about the final drink.
“But I haven’t even opened the rum yet!”
“If I said you were really attractive, would you?”
“…”
“…”
“OKAY BUT THIS WILL BE HURRIED”

And that’s how a group of sartorialists, foodies, cocktail enthusiasts and PR consultants found themselves double-fisting a Negroni and Daiquiri in the space of 10 minutes.

Regardless of the state we were finding ourselves in, two of us did stop to wonder what had happened with the Negroni. No doubt it was still a fine drink, but was a tad too sweet for a Negroni. We hadn’t much time to contemplate the tipple as the Daiquiri took centre stage. There wasn’t time to set up a sugar syrup and rim station, so the Daiquiri had to go without – not that we were complaining. It did its job as a delightfully tart cocktail whose bitters balanced the sweetness of the sugar and Zacapa 23 Rum perfectly – again, James’ ability to work under pressure was commendable and really showcased his skill.

James Fowler working on the Vespers

On being ushered out, we were handed goodie bags containing a wonderfully crafted cocktail glass, twisted mixing spoon, measure and miniature packed in Alexander & James’ signature cases; and the hosts were gracious enough to grant a second case of goods for my friend who could not make the night.

All in all, the night was outstanding, except for a couple of gripes.

For one, I thought it was odd that we’d be given a small batch of canapés that would be eliminated whilst on the first drink – considering that we would meet a barrage of aperitifs after. No doubt, the menu was crafted to display the bartender’s skill in the immortal classics – but the food and cocktail pairing with their timing was not spectacular. This would be less of a problem if there was a dinner after, but City Road doesn’t offer much at that time of night.

The second is less of a complaint, and more of a peeve –the branding “Mixologist at Home”. Mixology is a term that has existed in the world of bartending since the 40s, but has gained immense popularity recently. Except rather than suggesting innovation, is being thrown around left and right and now is slowly being equated with “person who makes Minestrones in a cocktail shaker”. Coupled with the fact that we drank purely classics, the term seemed a bit out of place – but like I said it’s a peeve, and I would not be surprised if you chose to disagree with me.

Stumbling our way to nearest station, one of the guests I got to know moans “I can’t believe I have to be awake at 8AM after this.”
Which is why I decided to cancel everything for tomorrow.
“Why, what did you have to do?”
I’m a PhD researcher. I’d probably have a hangover anyway.

Highball Hoodoo

London, Cocktails, you know the drill

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