Dose Espresso

An impending office move means less time in Clerkenwell and more in Soho. Not necessarily a bad thing, but as my legion of readers will know, I spend enough time there anyway. When I say Clerkenwell, I'm including quite big swathes of EC1 with numerous clusters of food, booze and coffee interest: Smithfield, Leather Lane, St John's Square, the Italian strip, Exmouth Market, Whitecross Street... it's a great area with a lot of choice.

But onwards I go, and before that, a brief serenade to my favourite coffee place in the area. Not Workshop (always St Ali to me), or Prufrock, or Caravan - but the humble Dose Espresso.

Dose is a tiny, low key place on Long Lane towards Barbican. It's a typical Melburnian hole-in-the-wall sort of place, with a few chairs but mainly take away. The cute red cups match the huge, vintage La Marzocco but you wouldn't linger for too long.

Coffee is fantastic; Square Mile but some of the lesser seen single origins and blends. They do some snacks and sarnies too but the focus is firmly on the coffee here. For the peckish, I'd go next door to The Old Red Cow for one of the best bar food and craft ale selections for miles.

Soho is obviously littered with great coffee places, so I'm not worried on that front. But Dose has a certain calm and serenity not easily found in W1, and I'll miss it. Their range of Hario gear is excellent too.

 

Workshop Coffee (ex-St. Ali)

Working close to Workshop Coffee  as I do some days, I’ve spent quite a lot of time there. I’ve known it primarily as St. Ali and the unexpected name change hasn’t quite sunk in.

Getting good coffee in London is no longer a rarity worth crossing town for, and a decent brew knocked up with Square Mile, Monmouth or Climpsons is easily found now. But Workshop and a few others go a little further. The single-origin beans, house roastery and faffy techniques nobody really needs like AeroPress, Chemex and siphon are what elevate them to the highest echelons of the land of coffee. The upshot of this is the possibility of paying a criminal £3-4 for a single origin filter from their specials list.

But I’m not here to talk about the coffee - this is an ode to a burger. The food here is a mirror image of the standards - serious, high quality and highly priced. The baked goodies throughout the day are all made in-house, imperfect in shape perhaps but full of taste and fresh fruit. The sandwiches are the norm for modern indie coffee joints - modest in size but not scope.

Now and again a burger breaks out of the humdrum league of pretty good burgers to exalt itself above its countrymen and bask in foodie glory. Currently doing the rounds is the sexy beast from the Cod in Chelsea, once a misguided, underage hangout of mine in the mid 90s. Byron’s Chilli Queen is also darkening the Twitter feeds of our seemingly important but actually rather small sphere of burger nutters. And I'd wager that The Workshop Burger could do the same:

It’s £11.95 which is about market price for a burger of this quality. The bun is brioche, but not overly eggy or sweaty. More glowing like a lady. Importantly, it’s mealy enough to hold everything in place without disintegrating under the tomato dribble. 

The cheese is comté, an absolute favourite of mine but not used so much in burgers. Considering it’s such a perfect melting cheese, it’s a rare choice.

The patty itself is lovely. I was on a work lunch so could only justify one picture sadly! I requested medium but it was gratefully on the pink side of that – nicely charred on the edges. The chipotle mayo added some more smokiness too. 

It's just so damn juicy and flavoursome. And really filling. I find the Byron burgers are over in about five minutes. Chips are ratte potatoes, probably the weak link of the situation but not bad by any means. Some skinny fries would make this superb, as it’s definitely a burger in the neo-trad American approach.

And bonus points for two pickles...

So even if you're not after a coffee, I thoroughly recommend you get yourself down to Clerkenwell Road and feast on this juicy, fat little devil. Wash it down with one of three Kernel or three Meantime beers by the bottle. Perfect.

Food – 9/10

Drink – 8/10

Service - 8/10

Value – 7/10

Tap water tales – 10/10

Staff Hotness – 7/10 (more if you like '94 Seattle)

 

Bleeding Heart Tavern

I had a lovely lunch at The Bleeding Heart Tavern just before Christmas, which was a new place for me. I’ve not been to the more formal restaurant either, so I was keen to dip a toe in here. For some reason I was expecting something like The London Dungeon, all blood, guts and pigs' heads everywhere. I was only marginally disappointed, because what I got was a pub cum bistro with great staff and good grub.

It’s an old pub near Hatton Garden, and seems to balance the pub/restaurant dynamic with ease. The vibe is more Edwardian Dining Room of Gluttony than generic gastropub and it has 'great period features' as Foxtons' filth might say.

They own their own vineyard in New Zealand called Trinity Hill which pushes out the house wines; we tried a pinot noir and a shiraz and both were excellent, especially for the price (£4ish). Didn’t ask about the wine miles!

To eat, the bloggers’ nightmare: two people, stubbornly on the same main. It was the bavette steak, well-cooked with excellent chips. Pet peeve (at the risk of repeating myself as it was the same at LesDeux Salons) but the bavette wasn’t sliced to serve. Which I think makes it a bit of a faff as it’s not the easiest cut to slice correctly.

It was in a rich red wine jus, and good value at £12.95. Had some roasted parsnips on the side too, feeling all festive. They were sweet and with those burnt ends I love (£2.95).

Service was attentive and very friendly. The manager was great and topped up our wine – higher than the paid-for level! Of course we left buzzing and raving about the place, cheap dates that we are. Very shrewd!

The menu was extremely varied and there were numerous things I could have ordered – and will definitely go back for, like the rotisserie menu. It’s not as carnivorous as the name and reputation might imply either, and has a decent mix of people and buzz too. 

I wouldn’t say it’s a destination place but it’s very solid if you’re in the area. And especially if you fancy a cheap NZ winery tour!

Food – 7/10

Drink – 8/10

Service - 9/10

Value – 8/10

Tap water tales – 2/10 (not offered and then forgotten on request)

Staff Hotness – 8/10 (couple of French hotties)

 

Vinoteca (Farringdon)

Having had a less than perfect experience at Vinoteca in Marylebone, I was a bit reluctant to return to the original in Farringdon. My main Marylebone gripe was service-based, and mainly one person, so not really enough to be outputting. And I'm a forgiving guy...

So dipping my toes back in, I met a friend for their set lunch - it changes daily and is £8.95 for one dish, or £9.95 for the same dish and a glass of matched wine.

Homemade tagliatelle with tomato sauce and meatballs will always get me through the door. And for a simple lunch, it was great.

Nice al dente pasta, which was more like those long zip-shaped pastas than standard tagliatelle so had more ridges and texture to it. The sauce was light but flavoursome, and the meatballs dense and rich. I think they were beef and veal. The wine was a surprisingly light Sicilian red and complemented the pasta perfectly.

As a growing lad, I found the portion size a little on the small side, but I do like a big lunch, (and a catatonic afternoon), and I appreciate it's probably about right for a quick weekday lunch. Great deal and certainly perks up an otherwise ordinary day. Must come back for the prosecco on tap...

Food – 7/10
Drink – 8/10
Service – 7/10
Value – 8/10
Tap water tales – 8/10 (brought without asking) 
Staff Hotness – too hungry to notice I'm afraid...

Piada

For a fast, great value yet satisfying lunch by Smithfield, it’s hard to beat Piada. The queues can go out of the door sometimes and I’m there relatively frequently. The name refers to some kind of flatbread, piadine, which they do in the style of common-or-garden wraps.

But the two main crowd-pullers are the pastas and the salads. For £6 they have two daily, changing pasta dishes which can vary depending on what they have fresh that day, but are often simple tomato based sauces with perhaps a big dollop of burrata, or rocket and chilli flakes, or maybe arrabbiata.

The salads are impressive too (also about £6) – they do a mean caprese, or a bresaola salad with piles of fresh rocket, parmesan, balsamic glaze and tomatoes, or even a warm creamy slab of goats cheese with spinach and sundried tomatoes, all with some flatbreads on the side to mop it up with.

The staff are real Italians and extremely friendly, it’s quick and really quite tasty considering the slight ‘lunch rush assembly line’ feel. 

Food – 7/10
Drink – 6/10
Service - 7/10
Value – 8/10
Tap water tales – 7/10 (was brought one unprompted once, paper cup though)  
Staff Hotness – 5/10 (usually too famished to notice, very nice though)

Kurz & Lang

Silly one really, but I’ve passed it a few times and now that winter is coming, occasionally have a romanticised craving for German Christmas markets; all wrapped up warm with steaming mulled wine, stuffing my face... although the reality can be quite different at the South Bank markets. Tourist tat and sloshing lager is closer the mark.

But it was at one of these that I first tried currywurst, basically a sausage with some curry-flavoured ketchup, and rather liked it. So one lunchtime I took the plunge. It’s open until about 6am on weekends and does have a sterile, kebab house feel to it. More post-Fabric fuel than Christmas in Köln, but there you go.

The currywurst (£5.75) with potatoes and a bread roll (I didn’t fancy sauerkraut) was ok. One singular but large imported German sausage brutally sliced up in that clever little machine they have. I could only think what light work it would make of male appendage.

It was then doused with ketchup and curry powder which wasn't quite what I remembered, and served with some small cubed potatoes which were pretty dusty and dry. It filled a gap – I think if it was 3am and I was hammered, this place might be a godsend for being less artery clogging than kebabs, chips etc… but it’s not that satisfying. If it wasn’t German themed, it could be any old banger stand at a funfair.

They do serve Paulaner and some other German beers, no idea how late though. I’d love to track down some good German food in London though. I suspect it’s all Oktoberfest themed and tacky, which is fun and fine, but I'm sure higher end stuff must exist in Germany. And if I’m honest, I really just fancied adding ‘German’ to my tags…

Food – 5/10

Drink – 7/10 (German beers available)

Service - 7/10 (no pleasantries but quick and efficient)

Value – 7/10

Tap water tales – n/a (no ask, no get)  

Staff Hotness – 4/10 (burly man on the sausages and bored, moody woman at the till. Lost opportunity for some dolled up German hotties?)

 

Bistrot Bruno Loubet

I'd been wanting to try this place for quite a while; it's had good write ups, I love the area and anywhere named after the chef themself has to be good right?! Not including the ghastly Jamie’s Italian of course.

I’ve been pigging my way through Clerkenwell's venerable establishments at a steady pace, yet this most prominent of landmarks has remained undiscovered. There is a popular al fresco breakfast and lunch scene, which combined with The Modern Pantry gives the square a busy vibe throughout the day. The brunch offering does look good, but having held out this long, I think it has to be dinner.

Before the food, an off-list New York Sour is strong, faithful and perfectly presented. The Zetter Hotel itself has a bit of a NY feel to it, and the little bar area would be a cosy place to get intimately sloshed. That sounds rather dirtier than I meant, but never mind – they do have rooms too should you require one.

boudin blanc

But now let’s to table: my starter of boudin blanc was very meaty, despite being so light and almost foamy in texture. It's quite an alien texture but I enjoyed it very much once I was used to it (5 seconds?) The bed of semi-crushed peas is a worthy accompaniment too. I should really go back to Boulud (do people still go there?) and sample some more of the more unusual charcuterie rather than the burgers. The duck carpaccio is generous and rich with a well-dressed garnish, and both starters are around £7.50.

duck

Piglet’s rack of lamb was a conservative pink, although I noticed that each of the three ribs was a different hue of 'doneness' so perhaps this was a diplomatic attempt to hit one right. Or just inconsistent? The miso sauce and broccolini salad was a good combinaton but didn’t provide much in the way of sustenance. Side dishes weren’t recommended either as is often the case.

The grilled quail on a bed of herb and broad bean risotto was a fantastic dish. I’m even more chuffed because I ordered this myself! I usually struggle to go past a rack of lamb or a steak in a French bistro, but I’m so glad I did. The three quail legs were very nicely grilled, with a proper bbq charred taste to them. The risotto had meaty juices to give it bolder flavours, but also tasted very fresh and healthy due to the beans. An excellent dish overall, and I felt very virtuous afterwards.

quail

Desserts were impressive too: a selection of three sorbets and gelati nicely presented. Flavours ranged from the usual suspects to orange & cardamom. The fresh English strawberries with lemon marshmallow and green peppercorn ice cream was absolutely brilliant too.

The service was efficient but not overly memorable on the night. Some of the other dishes looked a little shaky, but I admire the ambitious mixes of flavours and ingredients, and the deliberate avoidance of bistro staples to offer some more daring, adventurous food. If this place was in the West End, it’d be buzzing into the early hours.

I wish the bar and restaurant would actually stay open for later service to give it that true New York feel. And the bar, although pleasant, seems almost an afterthought use of the space, it should be more epic and 'destination' to match a hotel of this conspicuous stature. Am heading off to ZTH next with high hopes to see how they run a bar, given the right space…

Food – 7/10
Drink – 8/10
Service - 7/10 (great in the bar, fine in the restaurant)
Value – 7/10
Tap water tales – 7/10 (iced glasses brought on request, no attempts to sell bottled)  
Staff Hotness – 5/10 (nothing too notable, serious French career-waiters)