Review of The Bear Freehouse, Camberwell - Apr 2010

Where: The Bear Freehouse, Camberwell
With whom: Dr Science, the Vole and J School
How much?: roasts between £11 and £14, my mussels and accompanying chips were around £9. Beer is fairly steep though, £3.30 for a pint of bitter... maybe I'm just getting more Northern in my old age

It used to be a bit of a dive, back in the day. The old geezers who propped the bar up and whiled the day away reading the Racing Post and grinding their coffin nails out on the floor might feel the pub's grimy decor had little but a clean up, but they certainly wouldn't recognise the current clientele. Close your eyes and ignore the traffic racing along Camberwell New Road and you could be in a little corner of Balham or Clapham.


It's an unpromising site but the pub has successfully reinvented in the last couple of years, winning several awards, hosting regular quiz nights and putting on what has become quickly realised locally as a bloody good Sunday spread. We got there early and grabbed a seat in the wood panelled main room. If I didn't remember how 'weathered' a pub it used to be, I'd be fairly sure that someone had spent a lot of money buying up the rickety furniture and quirky decor.


They have a range of roasted meats available; pork, lamb and chicken on the menu today, and a vegetarian haggis. The starters hit all of the gastropub standards with a hearty pork terrine, smoked eel and a nice looking bowl of mussels.


They rather inconsistently come with different amounts of veg, so it's best to ask when ordering what you'll need. Dr Science went for the chicken which came with an assortment of well roasted carrots, the obligatory goose fat / semolina roast potatoes and some buttered greens. J School's similarly priced lamb came with a measly amount of leek and carrot and was crying out for a side order of greens. Vegetable malfunctions aside, both pronounced their meat to be excellent.


I was still feeling a little delicate even after a pint of excellent Bear Island, from the tiny Newby Wyke brewery in Grantham, my home town. It's a new and tiny operation brewing 30 barrels a week and on this tasting, let's hope they can keep up the good work!


Not feeling like a roast dinner, I plumped for a starter sized portion of those mussels with a side order of crisp chips. The plump mussels were good quality and cooked well, but the white wine sauce was a bit too creamy for my liking.


By the time we'd had another couple of drinks, the crowds were taking their toddlers and dogs and starting to flow away. I don't mourn for the loss of a good local pub taken away from the people in the neighbourhood as in this instance the gentrification has been handled well and the new clientele are still enjoying the new look Bear over a year after the refurbishment. It'll be interesting seeing whether the same crowd migrate over to The Tiger on the Green, but it certainly bodes well for the area.

Review of Dim T, Fitzrovia - Apr 2010

Where: Dim T, Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia
With whom: the Poker Shark
How much?: steamed dim sum £3.25 for a set of three, noodles and assorted specials for £7-£10... we spent £30 (with a couple of drinks) and had a perfectly acceptable amount.

So Charlotte Street on a (probably the first) warm sunny Friday of the year. So many places we could have ended  up but the Poker Shark was really feeling like dim sum so we ended up in Dim T.


It's a small group with 8 locations, 6 of them in London, and it does have that chain feel to it. The staff are friendly, but not particularly  knowledgeable and while I'd prefer to eat in a hygienic establishment, I'd rather not see bottles of cleaning product on the serving counter.


Similar in style, there are certainly no surprises if you've eaten in the now near ubiquitous Ping Pong. We settled in next to a party of local office workers and ordered a few mixed dishes from the smiling Scandinavian host.


Starting off with a plate of Crispy Duck to share, I wasn't overly impressed with a flabby, overly fatty portion of meat and a sub MacDonald's size portion of overly sweet hoisin. 


The steamed dumplings were better thankfully. We went for the Prawn and Chive and the Mushroom steamed dim sum and a couple of portions of the Char Sui pork buns. The flavours all came through well (with the possible exception of the mushroom, slightly too Cream of Campbell Soup to be honest) but I've definitely had worse. The Char Sui buns were hot, fresh and a definite improvement on Ping Pong - though overall, the whole experience only served to make me crave a proper dim sum blow out... Give me a call if you fancy joining! 

Review of The Lansdowne Pub - Apr 2010

Where: The Lansdowne Pub, Primrose Hill
With whom: The Ginger Prince
How much?: starters around £7 or £8, mains £12 to £16 and an excellent looking pizza menu at £10 a pop


I turned up to find the The Ginger Prince sat in this 'reclaimed' backstreet boozer in one of London's smuggest of boroughs, peering over his NHS chic specs at a set of website visuals, firing orders at a junior creative down the phone. To be honest, I almost didn't find him, he fitted in that well. The marketing and media set seamlessly combine with off duty investment bankers and an [insert collective noun] of NY-LON mums, their offspring and small dogs. If there is a derivative formula for a gastropub it's this. 


Mismatched furniture, taken from old churches - check. 
Check shirted barstaff more used to talking a wine list than pouring a pint - check.
Menu, groaning with terroir, scrawled up on a chalkboard - check.
Offal - check 

So far, so meah.. but The Ginger Prince is a man of taste and refinement who craves authenticity, and he wouldn't drag me here without a bloody good reason (other than his g.f. working round the corner). It wasn't for the beers sadly... a handful of handpumps, Becks Vier and the over-common and over-chemical Staropramen greeted me - handy, as the slightly too cool for school barman failed to do so. Still, the pint was cold, and wet, and after a fraught day, much needed.


I manhandled him away from his screen and focussed attention on the menu. Sure it was gastro 101 but it looked good, with some hale and hearty choices. Big stews, roasted fish and a massive pork chop all featured. I started to channel Greg Wallace as I read through the menu. 

My dining companion went with the rib eye, fresh horseradish and obligatory goose fat thick chips. It wasn't as pink as ordered, but The Ginger Prince pronounced it succulent, satisfactory and well flavoured. 


I only had eyes for the pork belly... I'd been tempted by a pizza on arrival, but have been to the too excellent Firezza recently. Other than the pizza, it was a fairly simple choice. 

The hog arrived, served on a bed of frisee, roasted new potatoes, garlic and prunes. 


A portion to overface a weedy media exec, this was business pig. Solid layers of tasty meat sat staunchly under a crisp crackling, the fat mostly melted in. The frisee, heavily coated with a gutsy mustard dressing, was swiftly scarfed down with the crisp new potatoes, roasted in olive oil, soaking up the remainder of the dressing. Little from the prunes or the garlic - small, sad casualties of the dressing, they weren't needed. 


It was a rib sticking early evening treat. The right amount of busy (Tuesday night). 
It would be a great place to sit back with a paper and a pint of bitter after another trip through that menu on a quiet Sunday afternoon. But I reckon that you'll have to fight your way past Hugo, Sophie, Jemima and Tristan to get to the bar first... 

    

Sa Sa Sushi review - Apr 2010

Where: Sa Sa Sushi, Angel
With whom: The Vole and I - in full pre-opera mode...
How much?: £20 a head including a couple of beers

Since I started this blog, the Vole has got used to my incessant demands to obsessively plan our social life around food, go to new restaurants constantly, bitch about them and photograph everything I (and she) eats (actually, it's only the last one that's changed...)


In a poor attempt at a compromise, I try and bow to her preferences whenever possible (ie if there isn't somewhere I desperately want to go).


So prior to a trip to the new Rufus Wainwright ballet at Sadler's Wells - well performed but cliched and with some real issues - Vole really wanted sushi. I tried to talk her into Mexican (Chilango to be precise), Moro or steak, but sushi it was.


Didn't have the best of vibes as we walked in. The long, light wood panelled room was harmless enough, and the sushi counter to the right gave the hope of fresh preparation, but it was empty bar the chef, a brace of middle aged couples and the waiter I'd seen outside having a fag a minute previously. Still, it was only 6.30pm so not entirely surprised. People need to work harder if we're going to spend our way out of this recession...

We started with a fried combo, after all, raw fish and rice is healthy, so I needed a little fried to start with. The Harumaki, hot, greaseless and crispy rolls with a minced chicken filling worked well with a good, homemade dipping sauce and the veggie tempura tasted much better than they photographed. 


A nice mix of veg too, firm but well cooked sweet potato, carrot and sweet shallot along with a particularly tasty aubergine that the pair of us fought over. Fresh and clean tasting batter and a good quantity, it made a sizeable dent in both of our appetites.

We shared the Sa Sa Deluxe Sushi set, and it arrived as soon as our starter cleared (though without fresh plates slightly annoyingly). We started well, with a perfectly prepared soft shell crab roll, so freshly cooked that the shards of crunchy crab gave a slight heat to the surrounding rice, balancing with a tiny, sharp roe.


After that, the nigiri was a bit of a let down for me, the rice came apart too easily and the sea bream was undistinguished and a little chewy. It didn't sit well next to several strips of bright coloured sashimi. I'd normally baulk at the idea of over coloured fish, but both the salmon and the tuna were meltingly correct, lovely fresh lozenges of sweet raw fish. 


When food is this simple, it's easy to get it wrong by not focussing on the basics and I got the feeling from the dining room (and a few other reviews) that this wasn't the most consistent of joints. That being said, it served its purpose and we walked out satisfied. I'll be back, but next time we're in the neighbourhood and it's my choice, we're going to Chilangos...

Goodmans Burger review - Apr 2010

Where: Goodmans, Mayfair
With whom: The Trustafarian
How much?: £22 for a burger and a couple of beers

A couple of postwork beers turned into talk of food, and the joys of an office in Soho is that there are plenty of choices close at hand. 


The Trustafarian and I had a few things to celebrate though it could have turned nasty when we got into a rather lazy argument on the best burger in the vicinity of the office and my ill-considered companion held up the Gourmet Burger Kitchen as his choice. 


I could have just shaken my head and left, but I can't walk away from a winnable argument, and I had only had a salad for lunch.

Within 5 minutes we were sat at the bar in Goodmans and already I wished I'd had money on this one. The Trustafarian fitted right in among the braying hedge fundies clustering the bar, handy, as even on a Monday night there few spaces elsewhere. 


It has a typically upper class NYC steakhouse vibe - dark panelled woods, blood red leather seating and a personable Irishman behind the bar. We went for a very acceptable IPA from local London brewery Meantime and racked up a pair of burgers, medium rare.


A satisfied smug silence from me as the glazed brioche bun covered patties arrived. The toasted crisp top broke under knife and juices flooded the lower layer. 

Now this is a real American style burger. Dense and sweet pink meat kept its moisture under the crisp charred exterior and a minimum of extraneous greenery. 


The Trustafarian mumbled of his defeat between crammed mouthfuls and I graciously accepted my plaudits. There were a couple of grumbles, the pickles were well warmed within the bun rather than the spears of refreshment I wanted alongside (though to be fair, I could have asked, and received, so my own fault) and I wasn't a fan of the chips. They were dry and crispy, but thick, a little oily, and not unlike eating many roast potatoes. 


With a satisfied belch my converted companion and I stepped out into the night. Game, steak and match.

Review of Terroirs - April 2010

Where: Terroirs, Covent Garden With whom: The Banker and The Maven How much?: the bill was whisked away before I could see it, but I'd estimate £40 a head with wine 


A lunch to talk about the Slow Food movement, where else could it be held? The organisation is fascinating, a rapidly growing federation of groups dedicated to pushing the Slow Food agenda and promoting the enjoyment and protection of locally produced food and styles of cooking. Entering the restaurant, despite the beautiful sunshine outside, I was shown down to the very back room of their basement restaurant. I'm sure it's gorgeous of a winter evening, but really not what you want on a sunny Friday afternoon and so I was very glad when the Maven arrived, took charge and demanded that we move back upstairs.

 

The wine bar menu is short, though not annoyingly so, I'd eat anything on here. There are around 10-12 small plates and then another 4 Plats du Jour. We started with a shared plate of large, gently flavoured, almost sweet Cantabrian anchovies (from the region around Santander). Taken with a thick layer of butter and thinly sliced shallot on brown sourdough toast, they were a very worthy start. 

  

Of note, the Maven went for the whole Dorset crab, which looked to be a beautiful beast, but was served undressed (and this unmentioned in the menu or by the wait staff). It's not the biggest deal, and by the appreciative noises from the other side of the table seemed to be worthwhile, though it's certainly worth knowing before you order.


The pork caillette for my main was a great call. It's a rustic pâté of pork, herbs and spinach wrapped in a thin intestine like a sausage or a squat haggis that comes from the Ardeche region of Southern France. Oven cooked and served with a thick, salty gravy, crushed potatoes and julienned carrots roast in (no doubt a locally sourced) honey it was a satisfyingly solid meal. 

With the talking, and the appropriately summery Corbieres, one star among many on a wine list I'll be back at very soon, we passed on desserts and, eventually, waddled off into the late afternoon sun.

Review of Sunday lunch at the Sun & Doves - Apr 2010

Where: Sun and Doves, Camberwell
With whom: The Vole, Radio Star, Nicco Polo and Con-olog
How much?: £18 a head with a couple of beers (and an Easter egg!)

I've got to preface this with the admission of a slight bias. I bloody love the Sun And Doves. It's everything a local pub ought to be; great staff, involved with the local community, organise regular film nights, quizzes, discos and much more. If you live nearby, go, enjoy and then go again...


Rocking up with a group of six on Bank Holiday Sunday could have gone several ways. Thankfully we'd arrived between busy periods and had space to spread out... Only a roast was going to do for most of the party, though the Linguist went for a very acceptable looking chicken, leek and gammon pie.

Two large slices of pork were flavoursome and succulent, the veggies came family style, with plenty to go round, and the leeks came in a creamy mustard sauce so good that Nicco Polo was spooning the remains out of the bowls at the end. A little let down by the Yorkshires and roast spuds though.. neither was bad, but I've definitely had better... slightly too small and (true or not) appeared to be pre prepped or out of a bag. The rest of it was absolutely and successfully 'how mum would make'.

The service throughout was top notch. Friendly, observant and prompt. It's such a shame that the pub is a tied house, I'd love to kick back here more often with a decent selection of beers. Once they get round this, and I'm sure they will, I'll be there far more than I am now. 

New York trip - the planning starts

So we're going to New York for a long weekend... predictably, it's all about the food for me. I've been there a few times before and have had some great experiences; the 3am 'lunch' at the Four Seasons, the late night pool, beer and hot dog sessions at Off The Wagon and Lucys and some great meals at the likes of Le Bernardin, Sardi's and Peter Luger.


The Vole doesn't want to spend all of her time eating but I've squeezed a few planned meals into the itinerary (slightly nerdy, but there are a few things I don't want to miss out on...)

• Cookshop for a late breakfast (from Five Points owner and brunch maestro Marc Meyer)   
• Bahn Mi from Nickys in Brooklyn, need to see how it checks out against Bay Cafe!
• Burger - Shake Shack or Peter Luger depending where we end up
• We've also booked Dirt Candy for the Saturday night, I'm hoping that a shot of (very tasty sounding) veggie goodness will give me necessary credit with The Vole. I'm desperately hoping to get to Colicchio and Sons, the new place from the guy behind Craft, and it may be a solo trip if I'm not careful!

If you've got any other suggestions then I'd love to hear from you... It's been a while since I've been! Drop me a line through Twitter or comment below. Reviews to follow for everywhere we check out. 

Buddha Jazz - Apr 2010

Where: Buddha Jazz, Denmark Hill
With whom: The Vole
How much?: £18 in total on food, easily enough for two


It's not often that I want to like somewhere as much as I want to like Buddha Jazz. It's local to me, they focus on good quality Vietnamese food and they seem to really care about what they're doing. The staff are friendly but not obsequious and around half of the tables in the low lit, 'Viet-vague' themed front room were full of the happy middle class of Camberwell enjoying their early Saturday night.

The menu is Viet, with strong influences, hence some of the items on the Dim Sum menu and a large small plate list. Alongside the standards I spot a pork beancurd skin roll and some interesting kimchee dumplings. I go for an old favourite to start, the salt and chilli squid. It's got the flavour, but boy is it chewy. A little greasy as well, but to be honest, it just felt like it had been sat around for a bit. To go with it, we had some very acceptable steamed BBQ pork buns and a refreshing prawn spring roll, nothing exceptional but both well and seemingly freshly prepared. To be honest, I'd always rather go for starters...

The grilled pork in lemongrass was also slightly disappointing. Well seasoned and cooked, but the dish itself didn't deliver any more. Just the pork on a bed of (sightly too) sticky rice with a spicy chilli vinegar to give some liquid. Fundamentally, it's just not a great combination. Next time I'll be going for one of their excellent Bun Hue style noodles with seafood.

Review of Black & Blue, Borough Market - April 2010

Where: Black and Blue, Borough
With whom: The Vole
How much?: £40 for the Cote de Boeuf to share, a drink and service



We were feeling all cultured (innit) after a beautiful couple of hours spent at Southwark Cathedral's Good Friday concert (a collection of Lenten motets followed by Fauvre's Requiem). I'm not a huge one for choral concerts but Vole wanted to hear the choir do a collection of Thomas Tallis 'hits'. Beautiful, wonderful and absorbing. 


We'd started the evening with a thoroughly nice, but pricey, pair of ales at The Rake in Borough Market, and had been hotly debating (as always) our food plans for the evening. We toyed with the Swan at the Globe, Feng Sushi and Brindisa before settling on Black and Blue. It's not the most obvious of the four, but we were really yearning (well I was..) for a big steak and both tapas and sushi have been consumed recently.


Not having been in before, it's immediately obvious that it is a chain. I've got nothing against Gaucho, Masala Zone or Tas and when on the West Coast would walk a long way for an In 'n' Out burger, but if you are a chain restaurant, you've got to really go some to stick out, particularly if surrounded by a massive food market!

Bare brick walls domed under the railway arches, glass and steel abound. Slimmed down menu focussing on the expected staples. We skipped the starter and headed straight for the Cote De Boeuf. There was much to recommend the meal; the house Shiraz was a perfectly balanced South African with a good spice and berry kick, the (free and unadvertised) house salad was a welcome addition (albeit served with an incongruous grated cheddar) and the service was warm and friendly.


Sadly though, the chips seemed very much pre-prepared and the disc of foie served (for a £3 supplement) alongside came fridge cold. Worse still, the steak was flavourless. Well marbled and well prepared, a good Cote de Boeuf should be really packing, but this one packed up early and didn't give us anything. 

I don't know whether it was a one off, and bearing everything else in mind, I'd give them another go. It was an assured, if pedestrian, performance overall and had the steak been a bit more flavoursome, I'd be giving them a higher score. Of course it's not The Hawksmoor, but it's a good safe option if you're in the area.