City of London Distillery Bar, Blackfriars: 20/20

Location: 22 - 24 Bride's Lane, London, EC4Y 8DT

Website: www.cityoflondondistillery.com 

Visit: Any evening of the working week

To Note: Definitely a week night place so impress your work mates 

Scores
Ambiance 5/5
Design 5/5
Drinks 5/5
Staff 5/5 

Part of me feels guilty that I have not reviewed COLD (City of London Distillery) before, but the other part is glad I waited to see how it has evolved ; and that is from a large space filled with ex-pub furniture to a home from home.

There is a lot of PR out there about how COLD developed so I will keep it short but Jamie Baxter – previously of Chase Distillery – set up small vodka and gin still in this basement bar with owner Jonathon just a couple of hundred yards from Blackfriars Bridge down a small side street and both distils and offers tours here. And from that has developed COLD bar, taken over by the inimitable London Bar Consultants and sporting 130 gins with various tonics, garnishes and classic cocktails.

But you want to know what you get here. Well dark green walls lend a warm feeling to this bar and although it is a very large space, there are intimate cubbies with couches at the back, large tables suited to groups that the City will inevitably attract and best of all, plenty of seats at the bar. On top of that every time I have walked through the door it has felt like a bar-hug. (Yes, it is becoming difficult to visit without bumping into someone I know!)

The drinks are presented in this lovely menu (see pic!) and break the gins into regional, style but frankly the staff are SO well trained here just ask them, they all have knowledge and different preferences or go for a flight. The cocktails are beautiful and The Ford is still my favourite adapted from the late 1800’s and showing the cocktail pedigree of the team behind the menu – Lewis and Nate.

But if it wasn’t for the fact that COLD bar hugs you, if it wasn’t for the brilliant drinks (and very generous platters of food) I would still come here for the service. The team has been together from the start and it shows. There is great banter, camaraderie and all underlined with total friendliness to customers. Nate often runs classes there and will show various gins against their own gin, Alfie wears a permanent smile and is a sponge for gin knowledge and Leon – just down from Manchester – is another welcome addition to a strong team with several cocktail competition wins already under his belt.

So all that is left to say is, what are you waiting for?! And for once this space is large enough that you do not need to worry about telling your friends, a nice benefit amongst London’s ever increasing tiny basement joints. Oh and if you are looking for a private party venue…look no further. Superb. 

No 3 Gin : The Making Of (For Gin Geeks!)

So these are the botanicals for No 3 Gin; the 3 fruits are juniper (ok, its a cone!) grapefruit peel and orange peel then the 3 spices are cardamom, coriander seed and angelica root

They go into the still, like this

The copper helmet gets bolted on

Fred, a one man show, hand crafts the gin, attaching the swans neck here

The condenser 

And all for this...No 3 Gin. The final word in a dry martini.

London Cocktail Week meets Chocolate Week

Chocolate Tales from Dean Street

It was in the steadily increasing rain that a small queue of chocolate and cocktail lovers were standing outside 68 Dean Street. This was a timely collaboration as these two important weeks met and what an event it was. I will mainly do this by pictures, because when it comes to chocolate and cocktails what more do you want?

On the ground floor we had Damian Allsop and Martin Millers Gin, with a two tunnel truffle with one blackcurrant meringue and one green tea covered in ganache to go with the deconstructed Bramble with a ganache and macha powder rim! 

Next floor up was the delectable Santa Teresa Rum (I discovered it last year) forming a Hot Buttered Rum which was divine and paired to another favourite - Rococo Chocolates - and their  salted rum truffle. 

They also had an orange and coffee based liqueur that have been added to their range to try. This is definitely a rum worth looking up. Next door Johnnie Walker Blue were doing their thing with William Curley, a much awarded chocolatier. Johnnie Walker was neat in this case, to work with the complexity of the dessert which was a creme brulee centered chocolate mousse on a whisky soaked raisin sponge base and apricot sauce. William was on hand and very helpful with all my little questions. 

Onwards and upwards to the top floor and the first room was an aperol spritz cocktail with a salted caramel disc from Artisan du Chocolat. The cocktail was served with a cocoa pulp sorbet that did not work well, and this was the room where I saw more leftovers than anywhere else where it was empty glasses ahoy! 

So then onto the final room and one of my favourite chocolatiers - Paul A Young, a name that all Londoners should be familiar with. He was working with AquaRiva tequila - very drinkable - and started us off with a Parmesan chocolate to balance and work with the salt, and then another, I forget which, but god it was tasty! 

Overall this was a lovely evening with everyone talking to each other, people by themselves, with friends, in groups and all determined to have a good time. And it was a dinner in itself if not the most healthy one! Bravo @donalde, Kate and the team for such a sterling effort and such a turn out. 

London Cocktail Week : Friday - Beefeater24 Competition

Another day, another cocktail competition.

This time Circus and Beefeater24 were hosting and it was another 1pm to 5.30pm marathon of tea-themed cocktails - The G&Tea Perfect Host competition.

And once again I wasn't able to do the whole session but I caught the last seven and they were very impressive. Not only was a huge selection of teas being used - English breakfast, Japanese, Indonesian... and presentation wise these were definitely the best of the week. 

There were cocktails served Japanese tea ceremony style in ceramic cups with mini scones on the side. There were cocktails in teapots with homemade gingerbread biscuits on the side. There were homemade bitters, and syrups, and the judges tasted all of these. And Beefeater and Circus also provided G&Ts and other cocktails to keep the crowd going. 

Nathan O'Neill from The Merchant Hotel, Belfast, walked off with the title. And with it, a trip to Japan for the global final!

Here is the winning recipe:  Mr Burroughs' Reviver

40ml Beefeater24
10ml Aalborg Taffel Akvavit
15ml Lemon juice
10ml Green Tea syrup
2.5ml almond water
2 dashes of absinthe infused with lapsang souchong tea

Shake and strain into a coupette and garnish with a lemon spiral

London Cocktail Week : Tuesday - Mini Ginstitute

So, first event of London Cocktail Week, and something I was sooooo excited about. It was a mini version of Jake Burger's Ginstitute usually based above the Portobello Star, a fabulous Portobello Road bar. Do not miss their Whisky Mac No 2 if you pass by.

The Ginstitute Batch Still

This had moved from west to east and set up shop in Seven Dials. On arrival we were offered a gin drink straight off with their own - very tasty - gin, Portobello Road. Then we settled in for some gin history from Jake himself. I have worked in the gin industry for almost year and I would say that about 40% of what we were told was new to me so totally interesting, even for the pros.

Then we had a quick break, moved on a Gin Collins, and started tasting. We had about 25 botanicals to work through, both smelling them and tasting them. We started with juniper, obviously, which Jake suggests makes up at least 40% of a gin. (Remember a gin by definition is a juniper forward distilled spirit) Then we worked through the spices from angelica to liquorice to cardamom. Next up was the fruits like lemon, lime, apricot stone and lavender. All the while we were taking notes as the important part was still to come...making our own!

Mixing Up My Gin!

I was up first and spent a few minutes discussing my favourite gins with Jake to decide which direction to take the gin. The conclusion - 'masculine', spicy, with body. Jake's assistants then stepped up and started measuring out my gin in a huge test tube. We then tried it and (very) happy with the results it was bottled, labelled and numbered so that Jake has my recipe when I want to reorder. And I will.

I did ask if anyone has tried their gin and sent it back to try again. Apparently not but that is why Jake is there, to guide you through the process, and advised you choose between 8 and 14 botanicals. I was hoping to be in the lower range but ended up with 11.

Bar Hopper Gin

The surprise of the day was the Yorkshire tea botanical. As a non-tea drinker I thought this would not be my favourite but I added a generous whack into my gin. It was slightly sweet and added nice tannins. This was specially designed between Jake and Yorkshire tea so I am not surprised it tastes so good!

I would thoroughly recommend this experience to everyone. It is not cheap but you do get a complete history of gin, you are surrounded by history and you leave with your own bottle that can be re-ordered for £37/bottle.

Fabulous. 

Presenting… GINSTOCK

8 gins. 8 bars. Offering 8 cocktails. This was Ginstock.

It was a great start as the sun beat down on the Fifteen sponsored British Street Food Award vendors. Shame that they almost to a man ran out of food just a few hours in but we won’t go into that, I’m sure others will…

PKD's Rhubarb

I was there for the gin, and not to forget this was also a competition. Here is how they rated in my humble opinion:

#1= Sipsmith and Zetter Townhouse with The Gimlet

This was utterly beautifully balanced with 2 parts Sipsmith gin to one part homemade orange and cassia cordial and lemon twist. So drinkable and love the tiny martini glasses for such a potent drink. Went back for more.

#1= Martin Millers and Powder Keg Diplomacy with Gin and Rhubarb Tonic

Another really well balanced drink with the sharpness of homemade rhubarb tonic working really well to created such a fresh drink and loved the stripy cinema popcorn cups too. Well done Matt!

#3 Gilpins and Liberty Lounge with The Herbalisor

Loved the story here, loved the passion of those working for Gilpins, loved the mini g&t sorbets, and although their berry cocktail was more “my thing” the boys loved The Herbalisor, very fresh

#4 Williams and Worship Street Whistling Shop with A Smoked concoction!

This was an interesting combination of citrus and smoke, though it was mainly smoke. Nice, but it could have been any gin in there 

Gilpins Berry Cocktail

#5 Bombay Dry and London Cocktail Club with a Custard Cream topped concoction

Bit forgettable but loved the custard cream!

#6 HVEN and Danger of Death with Dirty Bomb Martini

Good lord, why would you swap olive brine for MEZCAL?! Barely drinkable

#7 Beefeater and Polpo with Negroni

This pre-mix was way WAY too bitter, and I was not the only one saying it, given away

Not tried: Bombay Sapphire and Nightjar with Singapore Sling

I was advised not too so since we were several drinks in I heeded that advice!

Gilpins G&T mini sorbet

Top surprises

§         Williams Gin new Extra Dry Gin offering - delicious, great progress

§         Gilpins Gin and Tonic sorbet in mini cones with a touch of absinthe – world’s BEST hangover cure – as well as their range of tonic waters

Thanks to the band (I recognised the lead singer and pianist from Nightjar) for great music, thanks to all the guys representing their bars and gins who were all more than happy to take the time to tell you about what they are doing and to @tweat_up for making it happen

Cocktail Reading and Tasting A Bit Of History

Hix Bar, Soho

I am not going to rate this bar because I have only been once – and at these prices I am unlikely to go back any time soon (cocktails start at £9 though most are £10.50 and upwards, not outrageous but nonetheless…)

The reason I am writing this is because on the advice of Gin Monkey and Adam of DrElmegirab Bitters I took up some cocktail history reading and very soon got addicted. So I started off with the very readable Straight Up Or On The Rocks: A Story of the American Cocktail by William Grimes. This was a great place to start tracking the progression of drink in general travelling from the taverns of the west to glitzy hotel bars in the city and back to old techniques being reintroduced in today’s bars (though it does need updating with current fast moving trends, prohibition etc). It also got intrigued looks on the tube. There was a quite a lot of mention of punches, but nothing was on a par with the full history found in Punch by David Wondrich – utterly recommended and I am now onto his other book Imbibe! – which, as the title suggests, is all about the punch: the history, the tools, recipes old and new. Utterly fascinating.

Reading these recipes David has done his best to give you access to the drinks “of yore” but we simply do not have the same ingredients around. However when I saw The Criterion Milk Punch at Hix I simply had to go for it. Yes. MILK! And it was so interesting, in a good way.

-          El Dorado 5yo Demerera Rum

-          Martell VS Cognac

-          Pineapple, citrus, spice and milk infusion

All clarified and bottled and served in a metal julep cup with shaved ice and pineapple garnish

It was just so complex with a very fresh palate but a lush texture, creamy and weighty. I would definitely have this again. (Gin Punch a la Terrington made with lemon sherbet that I read so much about was also incredibly well executed).

I do wonder how many people would dare order a cocktail with milk and citrus in, either way, I thoroughly recommend getting your hands on any of these books, then heading to Hix for a special occasion to take yourself back in history. This is the Time Traveller’s Cocktail Club (unlike this!)

Punch: TheDelights and Dangers of the Flowing Bowl, David Wondrich

Imbibe:From Absinthe Cocktail to Whisky Smash, David Wondrich

Straight UpOr On The Rocks: A Story of the American Cocktail, William Grimes

Chase Presents... Rock The Farm

On a surprisingly pleasant Sunday morning a crowd from “the industry” boarded a bus to Hereford for a special event run generously by William Chase and his team – Rock the Farm. On arrival the lovely marketing girls (thanks Hattie!) dished out the wrist bands, we then pitched out tent and headed out for pizza and the first drink of the day: HOBSONS ALE. This is from a local brewery and I tried the Twisted Spire. This was really fruity and a great summer drink, I will look out for it again in London. They also have an ale – Old Prickly - which donates money from every pint sold to hedgehog preservation, LOVE it!

Next we signed up for a farm tour led by eldest brother Harry Chase. This was one of the most interesting parts of the visit for me, really seeing the spread of the farm including fields of potatoes (on a 1 in 5 year rotation) interspersed with orchards and they also raise cattle on the side. (The waste is invaluable!) This year has not been kind with the rain and wind, and many of the fields had patches completely flattened with a fifth of the oil seed crop was lost. It was especially interesting to talk about biodynamics, how the moon affects the growing cycles and also see techniques – like drip irrigation – that have been taken from Argentinean wineries and used in an English orchard for the younger trees. It was also, simply, beautiful.

Onto the tasting room and for the first time I was half way convinced by Chartreuse. This is a spirit I had always decidedly avoided, as it normally came out at the end of a dinner party with somewhat middle class friends or I remember my dad putting it in hot chocolate when ski-ing. It comes in two colours, who knew?! The green, a blend of 130 herbs still made by monks, is 55% so this explains my revulsion at drinking it straight from the off however the yellow! The yellow has the addition of honey and this sweetness really rounds the bitterness of the green herbs and would be lovely, I think, with a cream soda mixer. As for the green, add some limoncello, soda and some citrus and this is a great refreshing drink to mix up for friends and they will be surprised by what is in it!

Onto the cider next, another product from Hereford and we had Tom Oliver, the man himself, to talk us through the range of Olivers Ciders. What really stood out for me was the medium dry Perry blend. This was so good I would genuinely consider replacing sparkling wine at an event for this bubbly goodness, wonder who would notice…? There “premium” range is even made in the champenois method and then we moved onto the vintage stuff, from 2010. “Blue cheese!” I declared as my mouth ran ahead of my brain but in fact this is correct, and strange as it sounds it was very tasty but would go better with food. You cannot deny the passion that drives these guys too.

Onto the Chase stand and we worked our way through, well, everything! And those boys have been busy with cask finishes from Bourbon, Islay Whisky, Brandy, Rum…and then there is the Raspberry Vodka, Rhubarb Vodka, Juniper Vodka (?), Marmalade Vodka and of course the classic Chase that is still one of the creamiest vodkas I have encountered and the single product that has held me captive since they started. One last look around led us to the Top Secret products, and yes of course we tried the Stupidly Hot Vodka. Perhaps I had tasted too much by then but it was, well, nice… Yes there was burn but I think for a Bloody Mary with a kick you couldn’t do better!

So after that we descended into general bad behaviour and debauchery with music from Reverend and the Makers amongst others and an awful lot of dancing.

Thanks to my tent buddies Gin Monkey and Sarah (who has a great post found here), the LCC crew for an awesome time, the Exhibit guys for rocking with us, all the producers who shared their passion and products and of course the WHOLE CHASE TEAM for their fearless 2^nd year of entertaining some of the worst behaved crowd around! 

Presenting...American Gins (at World Gin Day)

From www.ginmonkey.co.uk

What better way to celebratethe 9th June, World Gin Day, than with a selection of gins from our neighbours across the Atlantic. This was put on at Graphic - no surprise there! - and thanks to the generosity of David aka @summerfruitcup. A man with the most impressive gin selection I have ever seen!

So we tasted the 9 selected gins blind and in flights of three, and this is what I thought:

(1) The nose doesn't give much away though does get more bubblegummy as it goes on but there are lots of red berries on the palate and a hint of spice, more coriander seed, not much (any?) juniper

(2) Slightly "meaty" nose and then the palate, wow, methnol flavours, sort of citrus pine toilet cleaner and meaty on finish. Cannot help thinking this would be a difficult mix.

(3) Slightly golden tint and that is the only thing that is interesting. The nose and palate seem...cheap, bland and overtly alcoholic. Not for me.

(4) More interesting than no 3 so straight away better. Smooth, creamy and classicly "gin-y", spice notes, nice

(5) Very different again, lots of citrus peel, palate is "pine-y", nice hit at the end, good length

(6) Nice, brief peppermint notes then lots of aniseed, it then gets quite sweet and there is quite a lot of pine-y juniper again - MY PERSONAL WINNER

(7) This isjust OK, pine-y, quite creamy texture, quite classic gin

(8) Orange shortbread nose, fruity, quiet and a hint of spice that is missing from gin no 7

(9) A butterscotch nose is nice, sweet but not very gin-y

So, now you know what I thought, what was I drinking:

1 -Square 1, and not even a gin but a botanical infused vodka
2 - Aviation
3 - Cascade Mountain, made with juniper only
4 - Pinkney Blend
5 - 209
6 - Death's Door FAVOURITE!
7 - Junipero
8 - Bluecoat
9 - Cold River, a potato base

Presenting...G'Vine Gin

Last night, at The Juniper Society, French company G’Vine pitched their gin to two groups of ginthusiasts.

As we all know, France and Italy fight over the claim to have created gin though G’Vine make a good point in saying that Tuscany is a well known juniper source so it is very likely they were making it there, even if not the first to work out that grape based spirit + juniper = yum.

G’Vine are now based in Cognac, France, and use a base spirit made from the quite bland and acidic Ugni Blanc grape. Their gin is distilled in a Florentine still, often used in the perfume trade, and botanicals are infused in four batches for the juniper flavour, high notes, low notes and their unique selling point – since the rest of the botanicals are pretty normal - an infusion of the vine flowers. This has also inspired the name of their two gins:

#1 Floraison (40%)

Named after veraison, a key moment in the lifecycle of a vine when the leaves turn green to red before harvest.

Nose: lime, lots of lime and some floral notes

Palate: more lime, cardamom, very easy drinking with a hint of spice at the end

Mix: these flavours are gentle so simplicity is the key

 

#2 Nouaison (43.9%)

A higher ABV brings out different notes in the gin

Nose: more ginger and more juniper

Palate: More texture, almost creamy. More spice. More weight. Green spicy finish

So to conclude, not the most exciting gin. Described by the G’Vine team as a gin for gin drinkers and non gin drinkers. I beg to differ. Perhaps this is a good one for beginners but I feel other gins have more to contribute than this particular offering. Maybe its just my palate…

Presenting...Dr Adam Elmegirab Bitters

First of all, he is not a doctor. Sorry. 



Second, Adam came all the way from Aberdeen - bringing his accent with him (I've been in London too long) - to present the London Cocktail Society and I hope he felt it was worth it because we all really did have a great time, best event yet...


Thirdly, I have never been as tipsy as I was at this tasting so it may get vague towards the end. 


So, bitters... more than just for getting drunk?


I shall start with the bits and bobs of history that I wrote down, feel free to skip to the drinks underneath:


The original recipe for the bitters that Adam has spent years recreating exists in two places: New York where the bitters company was originally created and Mexico City at the Casa di Bokers. Used the past as a remedy for indigestion amongst other things, Adam has dug into the history of the creating family and the label (which he used to individually sign and glue on) reflects this work. 


So what are bitters? Essentially they are overproof spirits and botanicals. They can either be potable i.e. drinkable such as Campari or non potable i.e. used for flavour. Being the first new bitters company in 100 years the explanation of his product on setting up was no easy task! You see Adam is not distilling but needs a compound license to change the flavour of the base spirit...


How do I taste bitters? Try them on an ice cube, in a vodka cocktail or simply with soda water (or when cooking add Aphrodisiac to your chilli, Bokers to your chicken and Dandelion & Burdock to your lemon sorbet)


What is the inspiration? The Bokers was the original recipe and that Adam extended into Spanish bitters (with citrus and camomile) designed especially for a Spanish drinks competition, Dandelion & Burdock (citrus, ginger and anise too) from childhood drinks and Aphrodisiac bitters (cocoa, spice) were created to treat "Dickensian illnesses" for the Zetter Townhouse - a favourite of mine.


1500 bottles a month now go out to 18 different countries with more growth day by day!


For more info on this side see Adam's blog and how it all started at thejerrythomasproject.blogspot.co.uk


Lets get straight in with the drinks of the evening now:

#1 Caorunn Gin and Fentimans Tonic with Dandelion and Burdock bitters and an apple garnish :Liquorise notes, a little earthy and I got more juniper on this but may have been the gin


#2 Adnams Copper House Gin and Fentimans Tonic with Spanish bitters and a lemon garnish: Violets and citrus flavours were stronger and had more of a kick


#3 Adnams First Rate Finest Cut Gin and Fentimans Ginger Ale with Aphrodisiac bitters and a lime garnish: Fresh!


#4 "Horses Neck" Adnams Copper House Gin and Fentimans Ginger Ale with Bokers bitters and a lemon twist: Earthier


And a cocktail recipe for you to finish:

Highland Picnic


25ml Caorunn Gin
25ml Lillet Rouge
25ml Apple Juice
3 dashes of Dandelion & Burdock bitters


1) Shake with ice then top with lemonade
2) Garnish with fruit and mint or rosemary


Perfect alternative to Pimms

Presenting...The London Gin Club

The Star at Night. Heard of it? The bar is in an unfortunate position just now as a train network is being built down the street effectively cutting off any passing trade but it was packing Friday past (30th March) as a rather special launch was taking place...the launch of The London Gin Club.

The Star's owner, Julia, is a gin aficionado. They stock over 40 gins and also do these great little packs to make your own martinis or other gin based cocktails at home with glasses, stirrers and all necessary spirits.  If you fancy signing up - its free! - you get the following benefits:

• A 5% discount off purchases of premium gin at Gerry’s of Old Compton Street, Soho.

• A London Gin Club allegiance card, which will reward you for your commitment to gin.

• A monthly bulletin keeping you abreast of gin news, gin reviews, events at the bar and snippets of gin history.

• Priority booking for master classes, entertainment nights and gin related events held at The Star at Night.

So the venue itself is a cute little affair with wooden tables and chairs packed into the ground floor and walls plastered with old drinks posters and a spiral stair case leading down to a Gordon's Wine Bar type basement with a curved brick cellar - white washed give more light - and about 10 further tables. 

I look forward to seeing how this progresses in the months to come, and hope that they offer an alternative view to gin and enhance the upcoming scene (including Juniper Society) rather than competing directly.

Presenting...Sloane's Gin

"A gin without peers"

"World's best gin and best white spirit as well as double gold at 2011 San Francisco competition"

At Juniper Society on Monday 26th March it was time to see what all the fuss was about. A bit of history on gin started the class and the more interesting bits were about Sloane himself. This 16th C. gentleman whom the gin is named after was a physicist and botanist, as well as a lifelong collector of botanicals. These were contributed to and led to the creation of British History Museum on his death and now, a gin. I wonder if he would be proud?!

Now the distilling company is Netherlands based and family owned. They but whole lemons and oranges into water baths for the flavour minus the bitter pith. The distillates are hand blended into the final product.

So to the taste and we started by having the distillates sprayed straight onto the tongue - cardamon was the most interesting with its spicy citrus notes - before trying the finished product, a lemon tinged liquid.

The nose offers - I thought - no more than a simple citrus though it was smooth in its quality, no burn coming out of the glass. The vanilla in the botanicals adds creaminess to the palate and coriander and angelica root beef up the spice at the front. There is also a floral, perfume style to it - but over all it did not stand out.

Perhaps I am just looking for something distinctive in the raft of gins that come out weekly and this did not knock me off my feet

Tip: Not one to drink with Fentimans, try a simple Schwepps G&T instead

Mishkins, Soho: 20/20

Location: 25 Catherine Street

Website: www.mishkins.co.uk

Visit: Saturday lunch

To Note? Arrive early

Score

Ambiance 5/5

Design 5/5

Drinks 5/5

Staff 5/5

Extra LBS star: Another 20/20!

If you haven’t heard of Polpo, or Da Polpo, or Sputino in the last year where have you been? Seriously.

Due to their burgeoning popularity and mainly no reservations policy I have rarely felt like fighting for a table at these establishments but the universally good reviews of Mishkins, combined with the concept of Jewish food that I am not sure I have ever had, saw me taking up a stool at the bar/counter area of E.Mishkins at 11.50 determined to ensure no queue.

There has long been a Jewish Deli on this site, but as a cocktail fan and especially of gin, I am pleased to say that this is not 100% Kosher. I started with the first deviation from Judaism with a Gin Sour – recommended by the bar manager Alex – and they were more than happy to let me try some of the interesting digestifs, including one from artichokes. They have around 12 gin based cocktails, a special gin menu (do ask) and if that does not appeal around 7 white and red options, pop floats and their yummy homemade lemonade is an option too.

The menu is a simple typewriter printed onto lined A4 affair and do not forget the blackboard specials that are not immediately obvious but well worth a look. Also, do not be afraid to ask as I was unfamiliar with about 40% of what I saw! I opted for a bit of choice-by-food envy and ordered the pastrami sandwich “Reudben on rye” with pickles, and what a choice if I do say so myself. This monster of a sandwich took me about 40 minutes to get through and was delicious from first to last. It was either that or the Big Apple Hot Dog which I am assured was excellent with the piles of salad a positive addition to the street food version. My friend took the “knish”, a sort of meat ball made of fish with a parsley sauce. I will be returning for the Duck Hash alone and the desserts that I am horrified I could not manage but between Banana Fosters and Chocolate Bread and Butter pudding it could have been world war three to decide!

There was a lovely buzz from the minute it opened to the minute we left, and we were barely out our seats when they were taken so do arrive early if you don’t want to queue. I would definitely suggest trying to get a stool at the bar rather than taking a banquette in the main room as you can tuck yourself away for hours and ignore the growing queues looking longingly at your table.

Great interesting food, great cocktails, great staff, great atmosphere, all in all a must visit.