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Propstore at The National Theatre

7 May

Last Thursday I visited the Southbank, one of my favourite areas of London, to experience the launch of The National Theatre’s pop-up riverfront cafe-bar, Propstore.

Now in its second year, Propstore features a collection of props and scenery from recent National Theatre productions.

We REALLY enjoyed the range of street food on offer, including pulled pork buns, sweet potato and chickpea falafel and literally the best fish finger sandwich I have ever had the pleasure of tasting.

We sipped on Sipsmith Summer Cup cocktails, sat on House of Commons benches from This House, followed Luke Treadaway’s original train sets from The Captain of Kopenick around the track and recognised Cillian Murphy’s tape deck from the Misterman production that we saw last year, all whilst watching the world go by on the Southbank and the rippling waves on the Thames.

Whether you’re passing by and fancy a quick drink, need a delicious bite to eat or fancy listening to a live band or DJ (Friday and Saturday until 2am), Propstore is a must visit destination this summer.

Propstore, in partnership with American Express, is open until 28th September.

Watch the video of Lauren Laverne’s visit and chat with the curators here.

Opening hours
Monday – Thursday 12 noon – 11pm
Friday, Saturday 12 noon – 2am
Sunday 12 noon – 6pm

Friday and Saturday nights will see Propstore transformed with DJ’s and live music until 2am.

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BRGR.CO, Soho

15 Mar

Last night I visited BRGR.CO in Soho. I knew the name rang a bell but I couldn’t think why but it all became apparent as it came into view as I walked up Wardour Street. BRGR.CO used to be a Jerk Chicken restaurant, famous for being one of Amy Winehouse’s favourite Jamaican restaurants in London. I even visited last year, although I wasn’t overly impressed and there were hardly any other diners joining us, despite it being a Friday evening.

This time I visited on a Thursday and BRGR.CO was packed to the rafters. I was with two others and we snagged a table in the back room. I don’t usually read other people’s reviews before I go and try out a restaurant but on this particular occasion I couldn’t resist. I read a review by a well known London food blogger and as a result didn’t have high hopes – this blogger hadn’t exactly been complimentary about the restaurant and compared it to a plethora of burger joints that have opened in the capital over the last few years, which I don’t think you can do.

The waiter came over to explain the concept and already I was surprised, in a good way, to hear that this experience might just be a little bit different to other burger restaurants that I have enjoyed recently. He explained that the chefs only use the finest cuts of 28-day aged beef from the Duke of Buccleuch Estate in South West Scotland and they come in three sizes – 4oz, 6oz and 8oz. I am on a wheat free streak at the moment so opted for the bun free 8oz ‘Steak BRGR’ (£13.95), which is a cut ground steak patty with crunchy fries and the savvy wedge salad. Jack and our friend opted for an 8oz ‘Masterpiece’ (£8.95) each with extra toppings.

Mine arrived on a boring white plate and presentation was so poor in comparison to the other two burgers that arrived on trays lined with stripey paper. But I could see past the bad presentation when I placed the first mouthful of burger in my mouth. The medium rare meat flaked away from the patty and I was in heaven. Soft, melt in mouth beef took over my palate and I kept going pretty quickly until it was all gone.

The boys did exactly the same and soon we were almost licking the last morsels off the plates. The only criticisms from the boys were that the bottom of the burger bun was too soggy and the paper underneath the chips split and made it slightly difficult to eat the chips without also consuming the paper.

It wouldn’t be right for me to write this post without mentioning the music. Last night a DJ saved my life was humming away in the background when I arrived but gradually the music drifted towards acid house and 90s house music with Voo Doo Ray and LFO blaring out of the speakers.

BRGR.CO has followed the current industrial trend with the design, which is not a bad thing by any means. The lighting creates a great atmosphere and the white tiles complimented the dark oak furniture. I loved it.

The boys enjoyed a milkshake after the burger and regretted it soon afterwards. Not because it wasn’t delicious (because I’m assured it was), but because they were almost too full to walk out of the restaurant. After eating an 8oz burger and chips, a milkshake to share would definitely have sufficed!

We took a vote as we left and asked ourselves if we would go back again. The answer was a resounding yes and we even sent our friends there this evening. I’m slightly jealous.

BRGR.CO
187 Wardour St
London
W1F 8ZD
020 7920 6480

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Afternoon Tea at Blakes

11 Jan

I wish I had known Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, for she is (was) a lady after my own heart. If she hadn’t ordered tea, bread, butter and cake to her room in the late afternoon all those years ago in the 19th Century, we may not have the glorious delights of what has become Afternoon Tea today. As the story goes, Anna used to get so hungry during the afternoon hours and simply couldn’t wait until 9pm for dinner so ordered the sustinance to cure her hunger pangs.

Fast forward 173 years and Afternoon Tea is a huge trade for the hotel and restaurant industry. All of the top hotels in London serve their own twist on the quintessentially British tradition. I have tried a fair few teas over the years, some good, other’s somewhat ‘interesting’, but I haven’t even made a dent on the number that I still have to experience.

My mum was visiting for a couple of days before Christmas and she shares my love for cakes, dainty sandwiches and tea so we headed to Blakes to test out their Afternoon Tea. Blakes is located in the leafy Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and is famous for its stunning design, elegance and dedicated service.

Afternoon tea at Blakes is served in the subterranean and sensuous spendour of the stunning Chinese Room in the basement of the hotel. We opted for the Champagne Afternoon Tea and we were served with a glass of Champagne on arrival, followed closely by our choice of Jing tea and finger sandwiches.

We received our own plate of sandwiches and our own silver pot of tea. The bread on a couple of my sandwiches was ever so slightly hard, which could be a result of it sitting out in the open air for too long but the fillings were fresh and despite ranging from original cucumber to chicken and ginger, complimented each other perfectly.

Our empty plates were taken away from us and replaced with a plate of four freshy baked, warm scones fresh from the oven, a pot of cream, little pots of jam and fresh strawberries. The waiter then returned with another plate full of Blakes Afternoon Tea speciality cakes.

We tucked into the scones first to ensure that we devoured them whilst warm. We smothered jam first and the smeared a thick layer of cream on top (the Cornish way – read all about the furious debate between Cornwall and Devon in 2010 here) and ate. Wow. Delicious. We were slightly disappointed that the cream wasn’t clotted but nevertheless it was deliciously sweet and filled with little specks of fresh vanilla.

The four speciality cakes clearly had oriental influences to match the surroundings but not all of them lived up to the standard set by the scones. We also couldn’t possibly eat everything – four cakes, four scones and a rage of sandwiches for two people is some going.

One more glass of champagne later and we were stuffed to the gills. During our visit we were the only diners in the restaurant but perhaps it was a combination of the fact that Afternoon Tea isn’t overly popular in the winter and it was two days before Christmas. We weren’t totally alone though – a few hotel guests were loitering in the bar area drinking espresso martinis to help combat jet lag and striking up conversations with one another.

My mum was overjoyed with the experience and we both secretly wished that we could retreat to one of the luxurious rooms for a quick nap before heading back home for Christmas. I’ll be back to Blakes in the summer to try the tea in the calmming Japanese Garden.

Champagne Afternoon Tea at Blakes costs £26.

Blakes Hotel London
33 Roland Gardens
London
SW7 3PF

Food for Think was a guest at Blakes

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Ben Spalding roast at John Salt

30 Dec

Oh. Just as I thought I had found the best location for a Sunday Roast in London, all goes to pot. News broke a few days ago that Ben Spalding, Head Chef at John Salt, had departed from the restaurant. I visited a few weeks ago with friends and we all declared it the best roast we had ever had. I am sad as I was planning on going back in a few weeks but having read the reports, I can understand why Spalding departed. The group that runs John Salt wanted to take the menu in a direction that Spalding simply didn’t, prompting his departure. But it’s not all bad news as he is currently looking at other sites in London to open his first restaurant that will be owned and run by himself.

I think it might be a little late to tell you about the roast that we ate that day. But you never know, he may well do something similar at his own restaurant when it opens so I’ll tell you anyway.

Aside from the food offering, John Salt lends itself perfectly to a calming and lazy Sunday roast. Reclaimed furniture and bright and airy interiors provide a good setting for a relaxing afternoon with friends. The menu gave you the choice of one roast and one English pudding (£14.95 for a roast and £19.95 for a roast with an English pudding to finish.) The day that we visited, the roast came with beef and a load of special trimmings – bbq’d parsnips with herbs, roasted yukon golds in chicken fat, crushed peas with orange & cream cheese, maple glazed carrots, buttered curly kale and ciabatta bread sauce. Not to mention the lashings of gravy and extra jug that arrived at the table with the food.

Now this wasn’t your average Sunday roast with roasties, Yorkshire pudding, a slab of meat and some soggy veggies, this was serious. For starters, the thick slices of beef had a beautiful deep pink colour, which when you placed in your mouth almost melted on the tongue. The vegetables weren’t your run of the mill – yes we had maple glazed carrots but we also enjoyed tender and rich yukon golds and peas with orange & cream cheese. On paper the peas don’t sound very nice, to me anyway. But on fork and in my mouth it was a different story.

One of the best things about that meal was the fact that the waitress provided us with a big jug of extra gravy for the table, as if preempting the question that would no doubt be asked half way through our meal if she didn’t. A week after we had eaten at John Salt, we had another roast at The White Bear in Hampstead and we were appalled when we were charged £1.50 for the equivalent of 3 tablespoons of extra gravy. We declined to pay when the bill came out of principal. If you are not provided with enough gravy from the outset, you shouldn’t have to pay for more. At John Salt we were given enough for our roast to have a bath and Jack loved it so much that he poured small amounts into his glass as he finished his dinner and drank it!

Our Sunday roast that day will live in our memories for a while. And while we’re sad that we may never get to try the chicken on a brick, we’ll await the opening of Ben’s first solo venture with baited breath.

John Salt
131 Upper Street
Islington
London N1 1QP

John Salt on Urbanspoon

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Inn the Park

18 Dec

The joys of living in London. There is literally always somewhere new to visit. Despite living only a twenty minute walk from St James’s Park in my first year of university I never visited. And despite having worked no more than a ten minute walk from the park for over a year, I still never visited. Until last weekend.

I have heard may good things about Inn the Park, which is a cafe / restaurant from Oliver Peyton of Peyton and Byrne fame. You might also know him off the tele – his face has graced our screens on Great British Menu for a while now.

We visited last Saturday at 2.45pm, which was the last lunch sitting of the day. It was a beautiful crisp (very cold!) day in London and the warmth that greeted us as we walked through the door was very welcome indeed.

We were seated and provided with the lunch menu. Almost immediately I knew what I wanted to order. Jack and I pretty much always share so that we can taste more of the menu and we decided on the wild mushroom soup with girolles and rosemary oil and a beetroot salad with whipped goats curd and a salted walnut praline to start, followed by grilled crown Prince squash with baked barley and chestnuts and grilled herb chicken with bubble and squeak and chestnuts for main. We shared a dessert but I’ll go into that later.

The mushroom soup was not quite what I expected. The soup itself was a little too thick, lacked seasoning and the girolles that sat on top were a little bland. There was not enough of the rosemary oil and the flavour didn’t really shine through. The beetroot salad however was a different story. Not only did the plate look extremely pretty, the range of flavours on the plate complimented each other very well. The salted walnut praline was dotted about and hidden in the pillowy goats curd so that each mouthful was a joyous mix of creamy goats curd, sweet beetroot and sweet and crunchy walnut praline.

Our mains were just as impressive. Both were presented well with balanced flavours. The chicken was delightfully tender, the bubble and squeak seasoned perfectly. The chestnuts gave the dish a new texture dimension and finished it off well. Both of us adore squash and had always thought Polpo serves the best dish – pumpkin with speck, cheese and pumpkin seeds. Inn the Park has a dish to rival this with the Prince squash. Again, chestnuts featured on the plate but this was no bad thing.

We were full but felt that we just had to try a dessert. We opted for the treacle tart with clotted cream and it arrived very quickly. It was a mini tart for one with a perfectly formed scoop of cream on top. At first I was disappointed that the tart wasn’t warm but then I realised that a treacle tart is hardly ever warm and by the second mouthful I was in heaven. The cream was thick, dense and utterly moreish. The tart filling was sweet, the pastry crumbly.

It wasn’t just the food that I enjoyed at Inn the Park. I loved the decor – Mid Century Modern, all encased in a wooden shell. The view wasn’t half bad either from where I was sitting. We left Inn the Park and had a quick stroll around the park before darkness got the better of the day. I am looking forward to heading back to Inn the Park in the warmer months so that I can enjoy the beautiful surroundings al fresco. Roll on summer.

For further information, please visit the Inn the Park website.

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The Waldorf Project: Chapter One / Muskmelon

11 Oct

In a nutshell

The Waldorf Project is an art performance by artist Sean Rogg that creates an immersive dining experience on a grand stage intended to connect the senses through food, drink, dance, sound, and environment.

It is a journey from the best that nature can create, to the higher state of perfection when combined with the artistic mind of man.

Guests will experience a new concept of dining synchronized with precious wines presented in a magical and unique way.

The idea is to connect everything with the concept. It will flow through all aspects of the performance, from sound to environment.

Set1

Theme

Each of the collaborators has been chosen by Sean Rogg specifically for their imaginative approach to the theme – the rare Japanese muskmelon – as well as their readiness to break boundaries through the most fundamental fusion of their diverse disciplines. From gastro-scientists and food designers to choreographers and sound artists, The Waldorf Project unifies distinct arts to create a unique and fully immersive experience for their guests.

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What we thought

We attended the preview evening last night and were welcomed by a friendly chap who asked us to pick an object off the table in front of us. Items included a 5kg weight, a set of keys, a tube of fish food and a few coins. Shortly after, we were asked to enter the dining room and make our way to the main column, which was dressed with numerous test tubes and science lab paraphernalia filled with herbs and foreign fruits. It is here that we were presented with our seasonal aperitif with tea before being tasked with finding the table corresponding to our object. We had picked a petri dish filled with coal and after a couple of rounds around the tables, we settled on the one that had a diamond on it. We’re still not sure whether this was the right decision but no one else kicked us off the table so it must have been.

The surroundings

We entered a large room with black curtains covering the four walls. The tables were lined up in two long rows on each side of the room with a range of weird and wonderful props surrounding the tables. Two plinths with giant ice cubes stood in the middle of the room, each dripping away into a beaker. Surround speakers played music to match the Muskmelon theme. We were impressed with our surroundings but found it increasingly difficult to concentrate with the loud and obscure music.

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Food and drink

After guests are seated the service gets underway. Men dressed in black walking in synchronised lines across the room from one side to the other brought us glasses in wheelie trolleys while five women dressed in matching grey dresses and black pumps sashayed across the floor making bird gestures.

There are seven courses in total, each adhering to the theme and each arriving with a matching wine. Favourites were the first and second courses – wild mushrooms with sea weed, which was paired with 1999 Talinda Oaks Chardonnay (Au Bon Climat Special Project) and a beautiful dish of tender scallops, which was paired with 1994 Sanford Chardonnay (Special Project). We didn’t really understand the fourth dish and still can’t decipher what was on the plate. Well, I say plate but I mean large framed white tile. We were given a different utensil to eat with during each course, our favourite being the large set of sharp tweezers. The menu was fun, exciting and intriguing.

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Conclusion

Performance art has never really captured my imagination. Seeing women caress the props around the room sort of made me uncomfortable. But I wasn’t really there for the performance art; I was there for the food, which was certainly impressive. Each dish was stunning and individual in its own right. The music was too weird and loud for our liking. We weren’t sure whether to laugh or cry when we heard snorting pig noises when we were eating our pork course. The screeches and bleeps I’m sure had a meaning but they prevented me from being able to think about it. The décor of the room is impressive – be prepared to see herbs, spices, fruits and props that you may never had seen before.

We’re intrigued to see what The Waldorf Project has in store for Chapter Two.

Netil House, 1 Westgate Street, London. E8 3RP
10 – 14 October 2012, 7pm
Tickets £210
http://www.waldorfproject.com

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Extra Special cooking at Leiths

1 Apr

If you were to ask me what I would like to achieve in life, one of my answers would most probably be completing a diploma at Leiths. Ever since acquiring the Baking Bible a few years ago, I have been obsessed with the idea of training at the famous cookery school.

I’m sorry to disappoint you but I’m not going to tell you that I have enrolled but a couple of weeks ago I was invited to try out the next best thing.

For those of you that don’t know, Asda has teamed up with Leiths on the Extra Special range and I was there with a handful of fellow bloggers to cook an Easter inspired dinner with the ingredients.

We split into teams with each person responsible for a different dish.

On the menu:

Asparagus, fresh parmesan, samphire and soft boiled egg salad

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Soda bread

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Mustard herb crusted rack of lamb with seasonal vegetables

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Strawberry tartlets

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Chocolate truffle cupcakes

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I wouldn’t call what we did cooking as such, all ingredients were ready measured out and prepared for us to save time. All we had to do was assemble and the dishes, which were whisked away from us to be cooked / baked. I had a great team and we were known as the slow team because none of us could stop talking to each other. What? We were having fun!

When we had finished, we all moved through to the next room and sat around a huge table to enjoy our three courses. I couldn’t fault anything – the lamb was tender and fragrant and even the strawberry filled tartlet cases were utterly morish. One of the highlights for me though was the soda bread. I’m a fan of making this unbelievably quick bake at home – simply bung everything in a bowl, mix and bake. No time is needed to rest or let it rise as there is no yeast in the mixture.

I walked away at the end of the evening with a goody bag filled to the brim with the new Extra Speical range. I’m particularly looking forward to trying the balsamic vinegar and garlic dipping oil!

Food For Think was a guest of Asda at Leiths

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Lazy Loaf at Bread Street Kitchen

15 Mar

Last weekend was our first taster of the (hopefully) bright and warm summer months to come. We spent the morning perusing the David Shrigley and Jeremy Deller exhibitions at the Hayward Gallery before strolling along the Southbank and across the Millennium Bridge to Bread Street Kitchen where we were booked in to sample the Lazy Loaf menu at 1pm.

Despite the tempting brunch options such as ricotta hotcakes, banana and honeycomb butter shining out at us from the top of the menu, we opted for dishes from the lunch menu – it was 1pm after all. We settled into our seats by the window and were surprised to hear live music being played through the speakers. I popped my head up and saw a small band situated in the far right hand corner of the restaurant, playing a wide range of soul classics.

The whole menu was appealing so took us a while to decide but in the end we settled on the warm beetroot tart with toasted pine nut and fresh goat’s curd (£8.50) to share for starter, followed by the BSK short rib burger with Monterey Jack and tomato ketchup (£12) and the roasted rib of beef with Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes, carrots, bone marrow and onion gravy (£18) for main, followed by the treacle tart with Jersey clotted cream (£7) to share for dessert. But first we indulged in freshly baked warm bread batons, which we spread with mounds of unsalted butter.

The beetroot tart arrived and I noticed that it was similar to the tomato tart I had enjoyed a few months before at the bloggers dinner that I attended. Thin slices of sweet beetroot sat on top of a layer of flakey pastry, which was engulfed by a generous layer of goat’s curd. The dish didn’t last two minutes and shortly after we had started, we were scraping at the remnants with our knives and forks.

Anticipation for the mains was high. The roast was placed down in front of me and a smile emerged over my face when I clocked the pillowy Yorkshire puddings, tender beef and lashings of gravy. The vegetables and potatoes were served in a separate side bowl, I guessed to keep them from going soggy. Nice touch. The carrots and parsnips retained a slight crisp and the roast potatoes were fluffy on the inside, yet crunchy on the exterior. The only criticism was that the beef was more well done than medium-rare but it was still tender enough not to matter too much.

The short rib burger was tall, neat and beautiful, everything I love in a burger. The meat was medium-rare and utterly tender with just the right amount of Monterey Jack cheese, pickles and a good spread of ketchup. Along with the burger, we also ordered a side of thick hand cut chips, which looked and tasted as though they had been triple cooked. Absolutely divine.

There was a lot of food on the table but we managed it. Almost. The only food that was sent back to the kitchen was a tiny bit of beef and a few chips. We were full but couldn’t say no to a glimpse of the dessert menu. And it didn’t take long to decide what to share.

The treacle tart arrived and I couldn’t hide my disappointment that it was cold. Never have I been served a cold slice of treacle tart before. In my eyes it should be warm and preferably fresh out of the oven. I’m not saying that this tart wasn’t fresh, because it was. I’m also not saying that it wasn’t delicious, because it was. But it would have been a whole lot better if it was warm.

We were tempted by the Lazy Loaf cocktail menu with a choice of four bloody Mary cocktails and others such as the marmalade fizz (Bombay Sapphire Gin, marmalade,Demerara syrup, cream, egg white- £8.50) and Corpse River #2 (Bombay Sapphire Gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc, Pernod, Absinthe – £8.50) but it was Sunday and we weren’t about to face a tipsy walk back to meet our friends on the Southbank.

Instead, we walked out of the restaurant, tummies full, past the band in the corner who flashed us a quick smile to show us on our way.

Bread Street Kitchen
10 Bread Street
London
EC4M 9AJ
0203 030 4050

Bread Street Kitchen on Urbanspoon

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Want good fish and chips in London? Golden Union is your place

6 Feb

When I was younger, Friday evenings were reserved for two very exciting food events in the Kemp household. Friday night was both ‘sweetie night’ and ‘chip night’. On arrival home after a hard day at the office, my dad shook his jacket pocket. My brother and I would hear a crumple and chase him around the house until we finally caught up with him, raided his pockets and gorged on sweets. All of us would then bundle into the car to the local chippy where we’d order whatever we wanted from the menu to take home and eat at the table. Back then I obviously didn’t care about eating sweets before dinner.

I can’t comprehend having a Friday night chip night now, partly because there are no worthy fish and chip shops even remotely near me, or many in London for that fact. But also because there are so many good value restaurants in London, I’m kind of spoilt for choice. Did you notice I didn’t say I can’t comprehend a Friday night sweetie night…?

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Last week I was invited to try Golden Union, a family run chip shop on Poland Street in Soho so I wandered down from my office at lunch time and enjoyed a simple battered haddock, chips and mushy peas. The waitress asked if I wanted small or large. The fish is sold by weight so a small is 6-8oz and the large 8-11oz. I ordered a large before changing my mind to small (£9.50) as I was going out for dinner that evening. The plate arrived and I was surprised by how much was on the plate – a large beer battered haddock was surrounded by a mound of chips, the mushy peas (£1.75) arrived in a separate dish on the side. The batter was lovely and light and the chips crispy and fluffy. The mushy peas were slightly disappointing though as they were quite pale and a bit watery.

The restaurant itself was packed full with local workers enjoying their hearty lunch. I’m told you have to book to avoid disappointment. As I was eating, I spotted a few pies on plates. They looked incredible, rustic and home made – because that’s exactly what they are. Everything is freshly made on the premises and the staff arrive ridiculously early each morning for preparation. But it pays off. Every plate that I saw was almost polished and customers had beaming smiles on their faces.

But it’s not all about the food, Golden Union has teamed up with Centrepoint, the leading charity for the homeless, for the annual EATT event on 8th February 2012. EATT (Eat At The Table) gives homeless young people the opportunity to tuck into delicious homemade fish and chips on the evening, which will be served by celebrities! Lucky them.

Food For Think was a guest at Golden Union

Golden Union
38 Poland Street
London
W1F 7LY
020 7434 1933

Golden Union Fish Bar on Urbanspoon

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Union Jacks

9 Jan

Jamie Oliver can do no wrong in my eyes. I admire his tireless campaigning to encourage kids to eat healthily and his recipes never fail me. And I particularly liked my brunch at Fifteen London a couple of years ago, another of his concepts that I love. But despite being a fan of the cheeky chappy that started his cheffing career at River Cafe, I have never dined at one of his Jamie’s Italian restaurants. However, as soon as I heard about Union Jacks, I was there like a flash. And that brings me to a point actually. I can’t remember how I found out about it – but I haven’t read anything about it since. Either they have been keeping the promotion very hush hush or I’m not reading the right publications anymore.

Situated in the newly developed St Giles Piazza, Union Jacks celebrate all things British, although at first glance you wouldn’t think it. The menu specifies ‘Flats’, which basically come in the form of a pizza – with a difference. British ingredients line the base with cheeses such as cheddar and Cropwell Bishop stilton replacing the classic mozzarella and roast shoulder of pork replacing the usual salami or parma ham.

Three of us made the journey to Union Jacks after a quick mulled wine in Covent Garden. Due to the fact that it was the Thursday before Christmas and party / Christmas dinner season was in full swing, we anticipated a queue. But on arrival we were all surprised to see only a small number of tables occupied. Perhaps the location isn’t quite right – being close to but just far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden and Soho. We sat by the large glass fronted window looking out onto High Holborn and were handed menus that were encased in old pub style black folders with gold writing embossed on the front. The style of the menu inside differed somewhat. Type writer font showed a range of starters, those flats that I was on about earlier and a drinks list. I was disappointed with the small selection of cocktails but happy to see that they were moderately priced at £5.50 – £6.50. I ordered a Roobarb & Custard (£5.50), which was a lovely mix of Chase rhubarb liquor, apple and cinnamon. My mum complained that she couldn’t taste the alcohol but that’s the idea isn’t it?!

For starter, we all shared the roasted beets with Westombe curd and smoked seeds (£4) and the prawn and Morecambe bay shrimp cocktail (£6). The former arrived on a small plate with a large amount of creamy goat’s curd, an increasingly popular combination and one that I keep seeing on menus around the capital. The beets were tender and sweet and this dish was an utterly delicious way to start the meal. The prawn cocktail was fancied up by being served at the table in a kilner jar. The waiter closed the lid, shook it about like you would a cocktail, reopened the lid and placed the jar in front of us on the table. I’m not overly sure that the shaking was needed and although it was better than your average pub prawn cocktail dish, it wasn’t a patch on the roasted beets.

Being a huge mozzarella pizza fan, I was sceptial about the flats. I’m not sure what possessed me to order the spiciest pizza on the menu, Chilli Freak (£9), which contains no less than six chilli varieties, but I couldn’t get enough. The pizza was hot but my mouth was kept nice and cool by the little pot of curd that accompanied the pizza. Nice touch. My companions opted for the Old Spot (£12), which consisted of roast shoulder of pig, quince and bramley sauce, Cropwell Bishop Stilton, crackling and watercress and the Woodman (£11), a mix of field and wild mushrooms, Westcome cheddar, pickled red onion, tarragon and chervil.

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I looked to my left and saw a dessert bar with a range of gelato buckets. We were sat around the corner so had a good view but I couldn’t help thinking that this feature needs to be on full show. An old cinema style board showed which desserts and ice creams were on offer. I opted for the Retro Arctic Roll (£4), while my guests went for the Sticky Treacle Tart with Clementine Soured Cream (£4) and a scoop of Earl Gray Tea and Biscuits ice cream, which is a mere £1.50 per scoop. When my Arctic Roll was placed in front of me, I started to wish I had gone for the scoop of ice cream – much better value. I didn’t think much to it; it was small, the sponge dry and generally lacking oomph. The Treacle Tart was also not completely up to scratch and we could detect only a small amount of treacle and clementine flavouring.

Despite the slight disaster on the pudding front, the flats made our visit more than worthwhile. Union Jacks flats have managed to convert even the most hardened pizza purist and I’m looking forward to both going back for a second visit and recreating some of these delights in my boyfriends parents pizza oven this summer.

Union Jacks
4 Central St. Giles Piazza
LONDON
WC2H 8AB
0203 597 7888

Union Jack's on Urbanspoon

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