Back on the road again…
For the first time in what seems like years, we managed to get outside of the confines of the North East and on the train to LDN. Not that you’d know we were in the midst of a pandemic down there, or indeed, anywhere, anymore like 😷
It was a bit of a last minute treat more than anything. It’s been tough not getting to enjoy a cold glass of cheap white on a beach in Spain, but a few days in London always feels like it’s worth the inevitable breaking obliterating of the bank for.
We had a loose plan of reservations, but as ever there’s enough going on to just wander and find your way around the capital. Here’s some of what we got up to this time.
Feasting lunch at BRAT
It’s not exactly difficult to find new and exciting and highly regarded restaurants in London, but BRAT was the one that won me over this time round. The menu is one of those that implores ‘eat all of me, now’.
If you’re not gonna smash in the eponymous turbot for 3/4, the entire menu beckons. Despite a couple of ehhhhs, these were my standouts, with that spider crab on toast being a solid 10/10 dish I need to eat again.
Leeks barbecued until tender and taking on a lick of the fire, softened with a fresh cheese. Perfect duck breast & confit leg with chicory and ‘I’ve never had potatoes like that’ also both wowing. Just great, really, and somehow a notch higher than we have here in the NE.
The home of hops, Mikkeller
London is crammed with micropubs and taprooms (more on that below) but where better than for me — one of the top 5 breweries on the planet for the last 15 years — Mikkeller.
You probably know the score by now, and if not, just put one of the two Mikkeller UK destinations on your itinerary. It’s textbook. Nothing gimmicky or daft to be found, just a superb selection of beers on tap. Mostly IPAs but I can forgive them for that, and some incredible rarities in the fridge. It was a sunny August evening, we were full of Michelin starred bait. What more does a guy want?
Also, it’s in Hackney, so you’re well served by…
Late night wine vibes at Sager & Wilde
Just up the road from Mikkeller is one of the three Sager & Wilde bars.
Well sourced wines, and with glasses from a fiver up to… whatever you want, it was the ultimate late night spot. It’s of those places where you go ‘for one’ and then realise the wines BTG are dreamy, and before you know it you’re sipping that ridiculously priced Riesling and feeling really quite smug about your life choices. Grab a people-watching seat at the bar, relax in the atmosphere, and sip enough wines to keep you warm for a couple of hours — you could almost be at Le Garde Robe. Almost.
Finish the night on one of their sizeable cheese toasties to help you chug along and you’ll be ready to take on tomorrow.
Breakfast on the move at St. John
With the quality and quantity of great bakeries in London, it seems surplus to sit down and plow through a Full English unless it’s been a really heavy one. And the best of the best is still St. John, for just consistently nailing it for over 20 years now.
Tell me you don’t wanna eat all of it? Mug of builders tea, custard doughnut, cinnamon bun. It’s fresh, it’s classic, it’s always going to satisfy.
Take note, NE doughnut and croissant peddlers — St. John in Covent Garden, one of the priciest places in the bloody world is doing all of these for £2-3. Your twice-the-price-bang-average attempts can do one.
Finally, though I’ve referenced it here as an epicentre of breakfast pastries, St. John Bakery at Neal’s Yard is a serious wine shop, too 🍷
A curry feast at Gymkhana
I’ve really wanted to try Michelin starred Indian food for the longest of times but as with BRAT, there’s always something shiny and a bit more exciting which makes it seem a little tame in comparison.
How wrong could I be?
Lunchtimes at Gymkhana are supreme value — £32 for 3courses which let’s be honest is about the same as local restaurants like Khai Kai & Sachins(!) I mean, you’ll not really see a wine here for less than £50, but this is as accessible as it gets. Drink the chai instead.
Insane spicing, lots of heat, the finesse you’re looking for and really intense Indian food. Possibly the only M* meal where there was just too much to eat, and I had to forgo a couple of bites. Regret 🥲
Hazy days on the Bermondsey Beer Mile
I really can’t think of a better day than figuring out a new bit of London that has trendy AF up and coming restaurants, followed by a meander through London’s real greatest landmark — Bermondsey Beer Mile. A gathering of around 20 brewpubs & taprooms all within a mile-is of each other, it’s a craft beer wanker’s Mecca.
From mega names like Cloudwater & Fourpure, to mainstays like Moor and Brew By Numbers, I don’t believe there’s a better beer destination in the UK.
There’s just not a concentration of so many quality names anywhere else I know, and it’s an ideal chance to try something fresh from your favourite, explore a new brewery altogether, or sup a daft 15% pastry stout on the streets of LDN just because you can. Favourites? The Kernel never ever misses the mark for me, but honestly you can’t really go wrong. For the winos, OPS Wines had some lovely glasses from Portgual, too, and 40 Maltby Street blew my mind.
Obvious pro tip: pace yourself, or you’ll get about halfway along and fall asleep.
Mild disappointment at L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele
I’m busy making my way across the UK’s AVPN designated pizza places, and thought it was strange that despite the praised heaped upon it, L’Antica Pizzera da Michele was notably absent from that list. I mean, it’s the OG isn’t it?
But… I must be spoiled. I know the range and overall standard of pizza these days is getting increasingly high, but I expected more from y’know, a former ‘Worlds Best Pizza’. Maybe it’s the location, and clambering through the extremely busy Soho Bank Holiday crowd, but the L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele experience left a lot to be desired. Not a bad pizza by any stretch, but give me 50 Kalo any day.
An eyewitness account of what happens when you ambitiously try to serve too may covers — something has got to give. Here, it was service, and an overall feeling of just being order #29322 rather than the lucky recipient of a pizzaiolo’s finest work. Oh well!
As ever, this will remain a stanuchly North East focussed website, but a little detour never hurt anyone, right? Let me know if this type of content is good or bad, and where you’d like to see us head to next. Bruges? 🤞🏼
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