Bears Bites

Sometimes I miss the country and feel like I want to escape the hustle and bustle of London life. I have a secret hide-away where I go when I want to get this peaceful country feeling without actually leaving London. Last week I discovered the Abbeville Pub which also has a great country feel and therefore has been added to this little list of mine. The Abbeville is a short 5 minute walk away from Clapham Common, situated on the quiet Abbeville Road which seems like a small village high street with various coffee shops and restaurants.

My friend and I rocked up on a Thursday night and were greeted with wood lit fires and a buzzy atmosphere. You enter through the bar which is pretty small and was full of people. The bar staff were really friendly and I quickly went to through to the restaurant to see whether we might be able to grab a table. The restaurant is divided into three parts which gives it a really cosy feel. There are open fires, old artwork and wooden furniture giving it that traditional country feel. Luckily we managed to get the only free table in the restaurant so we quickly sat down to see what was on offer.

The menu was typically English and was accompanied by a handwritten ‘specials’ blackboard. We decided to skip on starters but tried their homemade focaccia and olives instead. The focaccia was lovely and fresh with a nice selection of small olives to pick over.

I chose the roasted cod fillet, garden peas, chorizo, wilted baby gem & orange beurre blanc for £13.50. My friend went for the slow roast lamb saddle, barley risotto, Jerusalem artichoke puree, butternut squash and madeira sauce for £14.50. We didn’t have to wait long for the food and both came nicely presented.

My friends lamb was lovely and pink and he was really complimentary of it. My cod was nicely cooked and wasn’t too rubbery, the chorizo was a nice accompaniment but I felt that the wilted baby gem were slightly too bitter and didn’t work well with the other flavours on the plate.

We both had a little room for dessert and they had both of my favourites on the menu, sticky toffee pudding and banoffee pie….I really need to start branching out! We ordered both so that we could share, yes I may have had to do a bit of arm twisting to get both but I don’t think there were any regrets on either of our parts. The banoffee pie had a good biscuit base that hadn’t gone soggy and had a great crunch, there was just the right of caramel so it wasn’t too sickly sweet, though it could have been a little better set. Good chunks of banana and amazingly thick cream on top with a nice dusting of cocoa to bring all the flavours together.

The sticky toffee I asked for it to come with extra sauce so they sent it floating! I wasn’t complaining. We asked for pistachio icecream instead of vanilla however we both felt this was a little disappointing in texture and flavour, it was not one of the best we’ve ever had. The sponge was lovely though as was the sauce if maybe a touch too sweet. My other guilty pleasure is dessert wine which they offered for £8 with a dessert. Obviously I wasn’t going to say no. Pure indulgence. It was deliciously sweet as promised.

Overall, we both had a great evening with attentive happy staff and the ‘resident’ dog…one of their regulars we were told. The bill came to approximately £90. They hadn’t put the dessert deal on the bill but charged us separately. I kept quiet on this occasion as we had had such an enjoyable evening.

We then headed to Be At One which is a cocktail bar by Clapham Common and had 241 cocktails….hmmmm, everything got a little hazy after that!

Haché is what you might now consider a small chain, with their most recent restaurant opening up in Clapham and another in Camden and Shoreditch. Suzie and Berry Casey opened their first restuarant in 2004 and since then it has gone from strength to strength.

We decided to head to Haché after having had a couple of drinks at the Anglesea Arms which has a great outside area if it’s sunny. On this occasion it decided to start raining when we were half way through our first drink so we swiftly finished up and headed in the direction of warmth and shelter.

Modern surroundings and friendly young staff. Haché is a laid back, easy going place, the type of place that you might go to catch up with a good friend in a slightly more formal setting than a pub or if there is a big group of you then it can be really good fun.

Haché specialises in burgers but don’t just expect beef burgers as they do everything from thai fish burgers to lamb burgers to falafel, so that there is something for everyone.

We started with some nachos and chicken wings. The nachos were very good and the chicken wings I would put on a par with Meat Liquor or MEATmission in terms of how they were seasoned, spicy with a nice twang.

For main we all went for something different, I decided to try the chef’s special pulled pork burger served with coleslaw and a side of sweet potato fries to share.

My friends went for the ‘Chicken Spanish’ topped with roasted red pepper and goats cheese, ‘Steak Catalan’ grilled chorizo sausage, fresh chilli and tomato jam and ‘Steak Mexican’ cajun spices, salsa, guacamole, jalapeno peppers and sour cream but without the bun which Haché substitute for a salad which is great if you are gluten intolerant as one of my friends is. They made sure to ask how the beef should be cooked for the burgers rather than just serving as a standard which is good as everyone has a preference, right?

The pulled pork was delicious, slightly sweet and really tender with one piece of really crispy pancetta which had the best crunch. A homemade onion ring which was really good and wasn’t soggy as they can sometimes be. I managed to polish everything off despite this being a very large dish and it still left me wanting more as it was so delicious.

My friend confessed that the chorizo burger is her absolute favourite and she has it every time she goes to Haché. Everyone else really enjoyed their food as well though as was evidenced by four rather empty plates!

We had a lovely relaxing evening and left with very full bellies though not so full that we couldn’t manage a drink at the newly refurbished Goat (previously The Goat in Boots) next door!

I wouldn’t normally review ice cream places but think this one definitely deserves a little mention. My friend and I discovered Scoop in Covent Garden back in 2011 when we first moved to London. We loved the place and the gelato was so bloody good that the memory has stayed in our minds ever since. This was Scoops first shop and they have quite recently opened two more. One in Soho and the other in South Ken which is the one I paid a visit to recently.

Scoop predominantly specialises in gelato however, they also make waffles, crepes and tiramisu is their latest addition which they offer in four different flavours.

Vanilla

Pistachio

Hazelnut (my favourite)

Lemon Sorbet

Their shops are small, clean and modern with their brightly coloured orange branding featured throughout.

They take the time and effort to display information stating where they source each of their individual ingredients from. So if you are the type of person that likes to know that your pistachios are ‘superior’ and come from Bronte in Italy or the matcha powder is organic and sourced from Kyoto in Japan then this place is definitely for you!

They serve up Italian illy coffee and other teas so if you fancy a sit-down and a sweet treat then Scoop is perfect.

On this occasion we decided to have one waffle and one crepe both with gelato! Mine was the milk chocolate and hazelnut gelato crepe which was absolutely amazing. The waffle was made to order and was nice and crisp on the outside but not too doughy on the inside.

My sister chose the mango sorbet and dark chocolate. I think my combo worked slightly better but each to their own.

The other amazing thing is that they do tubs to takeaway, so if you are planning a dinner party or want a spare tub in the freezer for a indulgent dessert then this is well worth investing in.

For those of you that work in the City you will most likely have heard about or may now even be a regular visitor to Mother Mash which recently opened up their new shop on Leadenhall Street.

I can only guess that this relatively new opening has happened due to the success of their other restaurant which is just off Carnaby Street in Soho. I found myself their the other night after deciding that I (tummy tina) didn’t have the patience to wait in either the queue for Polpo or the newly opened Flat Iron steak restaurant which was pretty rammed. So Mother Mash it was.

This is a really small restaurant with only about 4/5 booths which seat four persons max, they run along the wall on the right hand side and on the left at the back is a long counter with bar stools so that you can dine for one if you fancy. It’s typical diner style. Cleanliness nor prettiness is not what this place is about. There is a large counter area on the left hand side when you walk in, I didn’t see this being used apart from the waitresses to discreetly hide their dinner and take the occasional nibble! There is an area to sit and wait as well so I imagine that this is used in the day for people to order and wait to take-away.

As you might guess from the name Mother Mash they serve up sausages, pie and…mash.

There are three steps to the menu.

1. Choose your mash – classic, cheesy, horseradish etc. They only use Maris Piper tatties which, as we all know are great for mashing as they are nice and fluffy!
2. Sausage/Pie – choose your flavour sausage or pie filling. The sausages are all organic and the menu says that the pies are local. Local? In Soho? Not really sure how local this can mean?
3. Choose your gravy – traditional, onion, veggie etc

The concept is simple and good. There should be more of them…The Big Bang in Oxford used to be like this but has gone a bit more upmarket since its re-opening…they obviously had their reasons.

I went for the classic mash, lamb and mint sausages (you get two), farmer’s gravy and a side of peas. My friends went for the Cumberland sausages, wild boar sausages and the chef’s special pie which was steak and ale.

The lamb and mint sausages were delicious, they were really well seasoned. The mash was really smooth and buttery and the gravy had a nice rich flavour.

We were all pretty hungry so each opted for a dessert as well (it had been a long day okay!) me the sticky toffee pud, choc pud, gingerbread pud and apple pie.

These took ages to come but I would have said they were worth the wait. My sticky toffee pudding had vanilla notes with little bits of chopped up dates which were really and moist, the sponge was light and the sauce was actually sticky, just as it should be.

Everyone else really enjoyed their puddings as well, overall we were pretty happy.

This place is no frills, good food. The type of place that you would go if you want a good cheap eat in the Soho area.

Rating 4.5/10

Honky Tonk opened up on Hollywood Road in Chelsea last September.  The man behind the place is Mark Cutler, also responsible for bringing the quirky Dutch concept of  ‘dining on a bed’ to Notting Hill back in late 2009. Honky Tonk is a completely different theme again. This time Mark has drawn upon New York as his inspiration for this bar and restaurant.

Honky Tonk is not like any other place in Chelsea, it’s got the type of vibe that you get when you walk into a trendy place in Soho or Shoreditch. Busy, up-beat, loud music, brick walls, low lighting, that type of thing. It’s discreet from the outside with a completely black frontage and only one window so not much natural light is let in.

There is a big long bar to the left as you walk in with space to stand and drink if you aren’t staying for a meal. The restaurant is past this and opens up at the back of the room. It’s relatively small and has about 12-14 tables.

Single light bulbs hang low on extended cables, the tables and chairs are reclaimed and mismatched and old vinyls decorate the walls. This place seems to be one of the Made in Chelsea local hang outs having seen various members on both occasions that I have visited.

The menu is pretty large with seven starters ranging from Potato Skins £5.95 to Smashing Nachos with mince £12.95. Nine mains from the veggie option of Mac n Cheese £9.95 to Rib Eye Steak £21.95. There are various sides and then desserts if you still feel like you can fit any in…on both occasions this has been a negative!

The drinks menu is of a good size with various wines and a cocktail menu which is whisky and gin themed so great news if you are a fan, but not so good if you are not. I had two different cocktails which were beautifully presented but sadly neither quite hit the spot!

Served on vinyls!

We ordered the Smashing Nachos with mince to share as a starter. These were not your typical nachos and you really do have to smash them. They are about the size of a saucer and you get three on the plate with the filling sandwiched in-between. They were really good but I am not sure whether the mince was really necessary. It could have been a bit richer in flavour, it was lacking some saucy goodness.

The last time I came to Honky Tonk I had the beef ribs which I thought were pretty incredible. This time I went for the starter sized rib. One rib on a plate with some coleslaw. The sauce didn’t disappoint, they are pretty smothered and have a lovely smokey bbq flavour. The rib was really good, though, ever so slightly less tender than the time before. More of a pull off the bone than a fall off the bone on this occasion!

The full size rib meal

I tried the chicken wings which were definitely American style as the sauce was pretty sweet. That is about as far as they went though, definitely not as good as the ones at Patty & Bun.

I am told the Honky Tonk burger was very good though unfortunately I didn’t get to grab a sneaky bite.

Bill came to just over £90 with a bottle of wine. Cocktails were paid for separately. Just over £30 each which is a pretty average price for Chelsea. The food was good but you can definitely get better elsewhere.

It’s definitely in a good location being opposite Brinkley’s and the Hollywood Arms which is a great place to go for a drink, as is the Kings Arms, the Goat and the Anglesea Arms which are all within a short walking distance. The ‘secret’ bar Barts is close by if you are looking to go somewhere after your meal for more drinks and music or for an 80′s themed night you have Maggies around the corner on the Fulham Road.

Rating: 5.5/10

MEATmarket is the second venture of Yianni Papoutsis and Scott Collins. They opened MEATmarket pretty soon after all the buzz that was created when Meat Liquor opened in Mayfair in November 2011. My friend and I headed down on Friday night to see whether it is living up to Meat Liquor standards.

MEATmarket is a stones throw away from the lovely Covent Garden. It is based above the Jubilee Market which you can walk through to get to MEATmissions inconspicuous entrance or alternatively through a set of double doors off Tavistock Street.  There is a sign outside displaying the types of food on offer but there is no apparent restaurant because it is based upstairs. I can imagine that they don’t get many tourists walking in off the street. This is the type of place that people go to when they know what they are looking for.

We traipsed up the original building stairs and entered through a door to the right at the top. Both of us were pretty cold and wet so it was a relief to see that they had big red heaters at either end of the seating areas. This is not the type of place that is designed to look ‘pretty’, more get the job done. The kitchen area and till is to the right hand side when you walk in and takes up that side of the restaurant until you get as far as the toilets.

There is a long thin walkway and big wooden tables with bar stalls on the left hand side. You can see out over the Jubilee Market as there is only a waist high wall and the rest is industrial thick see-through plastic that hangs from ceiling to floor. Not as cold as one might think, but still cold enough which meant we didn’t take our coats off for the entire duration!

Neither of us were really in the mood for a burger or a hot dog so we both settled for chicken wings with blue cheese dip and fries. Plain fries for Lucy and I decided to see what the chilli cheese ones were like. We queued for the till, gave our order and names, paid our bill and then found a table. The place wasn’t jam packed, it was about 19:30 so we quickly grabbed stools next to one of the heaters. Good job.

It was about 5 minutes before our names were called over some very crackly sound system. It sounded like some old school speaker that was once used in supermarkets. The type where the music stops and there is some crackly voice over which you could never make out.

The food came in silver takeaway trays, the ones that you normally get your Chinese or Indian in! These were on a red tray that you then carried back to the table. The portion sizes were out of control. I felt like I was on Man v Food. I momentarily sat there expecting someone to shout at me that I could start my challenge!

I have had the chicken wings with blue cheese dip at Meat Liquor and remember the sauce being so hot that it actually made my eyes sting when they were first placed in front of me. Now, I am not someone who likes really hot food but, despite my eyes watering I actually managed to gobble them all up, they were so bloody good. The chicken wings at MEATmarket were definitely not in the same league. I liked this hotness and it was lacking here. They were still pretty good however, nice and moist I just felt that the flavour could have been a bit more.

The fries were colossal. They were completely and utterly covered with cheese, mince, jalapenos and onion. Some peoples dream but I decided this was a bad choice on my part. I like my fries crisp and fluffy. I should have gone for plain fries as the topping made mine wet and soggy. I swiped a couple of Lucy’s but found that they were pretty plain and not that crispy. Overall a slight disappointment.

As this place is mainly about the hot dogs and burgers it’s a little bit unfair to judge it based on neither of these items. However, there is still something to be said for all the trimmings! MEATmarket have clearly tried to iron out some of the problems that occurred at Meat Liquor, huge queues, long waits, a couple of extra items on the menu, no fuss with waitresses, it’s literally get them in and get them out, so no hanging around people! This is NOT the place to go if you are planning to have a leisurely meal and a few drinks.

Star rating 3/10

There is a certain amount of hype going on at the moment about chicken! …Whether it be steamed, spit roasted or deep fried, it seems that a number of small places are trying out a whole range of different techniques.

Yesterday I decided to make a lunchtime trip to Clockjack Oven on Denman Street in Soho. As you may have guessed Clockjack have gone for a traditional method of cooking chicken on a…clock jack!

Clockjack opened up in December so it’s had a couple of months to find it’s feet and looks like it might have already made a few changes. We arrived at just gone 2pm (late lunch) and the place was relatively quiet, only three other tables were occupied. Relief, as I was starving (as normal!).

The place is simple, clean and neutral. Open brick wall on one side with a long bar area with seating on the other. There are two clock jacks behind the bar so you can see the chickens being cooked on open flame, quite a nice touch. This is definitely not what you might consider most chicken places to be like. I am not sure about you, but if someone was talking to me about roasted/fried chicken I would conjure up a picture of some fast food place such as KFC or some greasy high street food chain. Bright colours, neon lights, grease. Therefore, Clockjack is a refreshing change for my mental health!

The waitress came straight over to us and sat us at a table for two running down one side of the restaurant. Fresh tap water was then brought over to us which was a nice touch as we hadn’t even ordered any. Vegetable fries were put on the table as well. My favourite is the beetroot. In my opinion you should be able to buy packets of just beetroot in the supermarket. These are on the menu at £2.45 but appeared to be complimentary.

Like the interior the menu is simple. The chicken is organic and is from Brittany. I guess there must be some particular reason as to why they choose to source them from here, it does not say why on the menu despite giving a small blurb. Are organic English chickens an inferior bird? They also have fields to roam in, are fed on high quality cereals, are slow growing and can get pretty big, oui?

I went for 3 pieces of chicken whilst my friend went for the ‘Clockjack Torpedo’, crispy chicken bites in a soft buttermilk bun with lettuce, drenched in your choice of sauce. Fries to share. Of course. We didn’t have to wait long for the food. The presentation of the Torpedo was good though the sauce looked pretty artificial in colour. My chicken didn’t look the most appetising, but then I can fully appreciate that trying to arrange 3 pieces of chicken nicely on a plate might be somewhat of a task!

My friend loved his mini chicken bites, it didn’t seem to touch the sides, I managed to swipe one piece before it alldisappeared and thought  that the batter had a pretty good crunch to it and the chicken was still nice and moist inside. My chicken was nice. But nice is the word that I would use. I wasn’t bowled over by it but then again they are not the type of place that are trying to be all singing all dancing. They are keeping things simple and playing it safe. Therefore my simple summary. The skin was crispy but could have been crispier. The chicken was moist but could have been more juicy. The sauces were again nice though the bbq was really runny and didn’t really hold to the chips. The fries were crispy and fluffy on the inside.

Clockjack is all about unfussy dining and it does just that.

Star rating 4/10