Beef & Brew Haggerston - Where Galician Txuleta & Craft Beers Will Not Break the Bank!

Name: Beef & Brew Haggerston at The Duke of York

Where: The Duke of York, 33 Downham Road, N1 5AA, http://www.beef-and-brew.co.uk

Cost: A 3-course meal will cost around £35 per person not including drinks and service. Starters are priced from £3.50 to £6.75, steaks from £10 to £19.50. There is a Friday lunch and every day early bird (5.30-7.00pm) menu at £10 for hanger steak and chips or burger and chips. Desserts are ice-creams and sorbet or priced at up to £5.50 for 3 scoops, or sundaes at £6.50.  

About: Beef & Brew has been operating from a small venue in Kentish Town, offering in their own words 'quality steak without the price tag' from grass-fed cattle. Owned by ex-Murano chef Jessica Simmons and former City worker Daniel Nathan, Beef & Brew's signature sirloin comes from 14 year old retired dairy cows, known as Txuleta from Galicia, while fillet cuts come from Swaldale Foods' native-breed cattle in North Yorkshire, and onglet from grass-fed Herefords.  All their steaks are dipped in beef dripping before being quickly chargrilled.

Beef & Brew opened a second and larger branch at the former Duke of York pub (dating from 1822) in Haggerston in July 2018, with a more extensive menu than the sister branch.

It is a true pub-restaurant, with a bar and stools for those who just want a pint, but most of the area is given over to dining tables. With solid wood floors, the walls a harmonious blend of metro tiles, bare brick and exposed industrial ducting, its a relaxed and informal place to wine and dine. And most commendably - it is a dog friendly pub-restaurant!

What We Ate: Brisket jam nuggets (£5.50) were little cubes of well-seasoned pulled brisket, wrapped in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. Delicious.

Devilled sardines (£6.75), freshly grilled in a spicy chilli rub, were bracing, served with a cooling cucumber, herb and yoghurt quenelle.

Best of the starters though was the grilled squid served with ultra-thin slices of sweet pickled fennel, and a lightly spiced Romesco sauce (£6.50).  Made from garlic, old bread, almonds, vinegar and paprika, the Romesco was spicy, nutty and was the perfect accompaniment for the grilled seafood.

Having been lucky enough to sample some wonderful Txuleta mature beef on a recent trip to Galicia, we just had to try the Galician sirloin (£19.50), one with Bearnaise sauce, the other with truffled hollandaise (both £1.50). Naturally firmer than your average 2-year old sirloin (the usual culling age for beef cattle), this cut was richly flavoursome, slightly gamey, served medium-rare with golden yellow fat, and a real steal at this price for 250g of prime Txuleta.

As side dishes, the chips, gravy and beer cheese (£5.50) - similar to a Canadian poutine except with beer cheese not cheese curd - were rich, tangy and flavourful.

Smoked aubergine with honey and miso (£5.50) - an adaptation of Japanese nasu dengaku - was meltingly tender, with deliciously smoky notes from the char-grilled flesh. The lightly pickled, sweet daikon ribbon was a great garnish, adding freshness and texture.

Although the gnocchi'n cheese with jalapeños (£5.50) looked a tad dry, the interior was anything but. We loved this.

For dessert, we shared a sundae of pistachio, chocolate sorbet, poached cherries and chocolate sauce (£6.50). I enjoyed the combination of flavours here - nutty, chocolatey yet light and with aromatic cherries.

What We Drank: There is an excellent range of craft beers on draft and in bottle. The entry level wines, both priced at £19, are a Spanish Pinot Bianco - Garganega blend, while the red is a French Merlot - Grenache blend.  We opted to share a bottle of Papa Figos Douro wine from Portugal (£30). With red berry fruit, fresh acidity and light tannins, this went down a treat with the Galician sirloin.

Likes: Highlights included the grilled squid with Romesco sauce and the Galician Txuleta sirloin.  Beef & Brew has helpful and knowledgeable staff, a casual vibe despite the obvious focus on top-quality food, and best of all, it is dog-friendly too. So bring your pooches!

Dislikes: None 

Verdict: Beef & Brew is the local steakhouse any foodie would love to have on their doorstep, and so I'm lucky to live just a few blocks away.  I can't wait to return with my doggies, and next up will be one of their burgers with steak salad and a craft beer! Or perhaps I will just have the magnificent Galician Txuleta again. Highly recommended.

Galvin HOP - Pub Grub with Knobs On!

Name: Galvin HOP

Where: 35 Spital Square, London, E1 6DY, https://www.galvinrestaurants.com/section/62/1/galvinhop

Cost: Starters cost from £6 to £10.50. Main courses range from £7 to £19, with desserts priced at £4 to £8. The average cost per person is around £30 excluding drinks.

About: Brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin, well known for Galvin La Chapelle next door as well as well 5 other Galvin restaurants across London and 2 in Edinburgh, launched Galvin HOP in January 2016.

With their background in successful Michelin-starred restaurants over many years, this venue represents a foray into the more casual though upmarket pub offering. The Galvin 'Pub Deluxe' (which descriptor they prefer to somewhat jaded label of 'gastropub'), is situated on the site of the former Galvin Cafe à Vin in Spitalfields Market, a stone’s throw from Liverpool Street Station.  It is a traditional pub where you can stand or sit at the bar and enjoy a pint, but with the option of some seriously good food.

The pub has a stone-coloured floor, with cream and green wall tiles, and two environments - one a darker, traditional pub-style room, the other a conservatory with a flat plate-glass roof. There is also a heated, covered outdoor area to smoke or for City types to enjoy a Havana cigar from the thermidor. On the Sunday lunchtime we were there, the place was packed with a mix of families, tourists and Spitalfields Market shoppers.

Galvin HOP is an innovative partnership between the Galvin brothers, Pilsner Urquell, and Maille, the French mustard maker. Urquell comes from Plzen in the Czech Republic, where the company has been making beer since 1842, and the recipe has not changed since then. Galvan HOP has four huge copper tanks containing unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell over the bar, filled by weekly deliveries from the Czech Republic. 

Maille is a premium French mustard brand founded in 1747, and well known for its fine Dijon and wholegrain mustards made with Chablis Premier Cru vinegar. The menu at Galvin HOP offers classic pub dishes and a range of premium hot dogs. Uniquely, it has a professional hot-dog station by the entrance, so people can eat in or take away. The 'Luxe Dog' is a range of gourmet hot dogs served with Maille's seasonal mustard.

What We Ate: I was lucky to have a chat before lunch with the Sous-Chef Chris Barrett, who showed me around the spankingly new kitchen. He suggested a range of dishes he felt I should not miss. We started with an appetizer of tarte flambée (£8.50) - a lovely wafer-thin and crisp base, topped with crème fraiche and smoky Alsatian lardons baked in their state of the art wood oven.

Next came a mixed platter - Galvin gala pie (£7.50), Cumbrian sausage roll (£3) and steak tartare with toasted sourdough bread (£8). The gala pie had traditional water pastry made with hot water, flour and beef fat, with a filling of minced pork, kidney and liver, herbs and a hard-boiled Clarence Court egg, all topped with a jelly of Marmite and pork stock. It had a fine crust of crisp pastry, and a richly flavoured, not too offal-laden filling. If like me you have reservations about meat and kidney pies, this is definitely a dish to try at Galvin HOP – it will change your mind I’m sure.

The sausage rolls were light with deliciously buttery pastry and a flavoursome filling. It was a delight to see this pedestrian British snack given the Galvin treatment, generously brushed with Maille truffle mustard. 

For me, steak tartare is always a good way to judge a restaurant, in addition to being one of my favourite things to eat – highlighting freshness of ingredients, seasoning and presentation. Galvan HOP's version had hand-chopped fresh, good-quality beef, well-seasoned with herbs and caperberries and served with crisp toasted sourdough. I very much enjoyed it.    

There are three hot dog options on the menu, and we went for the Galvin Dog Deluxe with a portion of straw chips (£8.10). This had a Frankfurter sausage made from beef and pork, and a choucroute of white cabbage and carrot, topped with crispy shallots and Maille truffle mustard, all served in a soft bun made in-house from potato flour. I loved the choucroute, an unusual but delicious Alsatian addition to the hot dog, which added freshness and acidity. The bun, though delicious, was a tad too soft and did not hold it all together, so I resorted to knife and fork.

The Galvin HOP's fish pie deluxe (£17), served with a side of glazed carrots and peas, was filled with smoked haddock, prawns, scallop, and salmon, topped with mashed potato and Pecorino cheese. With a rich, creamy and cheesy sauce, this fish pie was delicious and as good as it gets.

But what about Galvin HOP’s Sunday Roast? On the day we visited, we tried the Brisket Beef Sunday Roast with all the trimmings, including Yorkshire pudding, cabbage, roast potatoes, parsnips and carrots (£16). Cured in salt, then slow roasted for 18 hours, this was a super-tender and well-flavoured piece of beef. The meat was thoroughly cooked, with no pinkness (as would be expected from cured beef), which I thought detracted from its appearance. 

For dessert, being rhubarb season, I ordered the Yorkshire rhubarb doughnut (£4) - this was light and fluffy, and I just wish I had had room for more.

What We Drank: The Galvin brothers and Pilsner Urquell are collaborating at Galvin HOP, and the latter’s unpasteurised draft beer features on the menu at £5.50 per pint. Bottled beers cost from £4 to £4.50, including St Peter's Old Style Porter and Lindemans Kriek cherry beer. Wines are available on tap by the glass, at £4.50 to £6.80. By the bottle, the entry level white is a Languedoc blend of Grenache Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Ugni Blanc (£18.50), with the red being a Tannat/Syrah blend from Gascogne (£23).

We started with a half pint of unpasteurised draught Pilsner Urquell (£4), which was a classic clean, refreshing beer. We then tried the Roosters Fort Smith American Pale Ale, from Knaresborough, UK (£4) - served from a can, it had a wonderful aroma of hops and a rich, complex flavour. The Adnams Broadside English Strong Ale (£4.50) was a rich, dark beer with chocolate and coffee notes.

Likes: The Gala pie, the steak tartare and the fish pie were stand-out dishes for me. The opportunity to drink fresh, unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell is a rare one, and there is a small but delicious range of craft beers. Super friendly service.

Dislikes: None.

Verdict: The newly opened Galvin HOP is a great option for top quality pub grub, gourmet hot dogs, unpasteurised Pilsner and craft beers. Conveniently located whether for a quick City lunch or a more leisurely Sunday roast for weekend shoppers at nearby Spitalfield Market, it ticks all the boxes. Recommended.

Shepherd Neame Celebrates Movember With A Hare-Raising Toast

Words and Photography by Matthew Brown, Luiz Hara & Bearded Robin

To celebrate the start of Movember - an annual event dedicated to improving men’s health - The London Foodie was invited to the Dickensian Old Doctor Butler’s Head pub in the City of London, for a preparatory shave, and the chance to try a food-and-beer pairing menu organised by Britain’s oldest brewer, Shepherd Neame.

Before the Movember-themed meal - featuring everything from razor clams and hare pie - had even begun, I was whisked into the barber’s chair for a cut-throat shave by the talented Paul Dos Reis of the Genco Male Grooming. Thankfully, this terrifying experience was accompanied by a cold glass of Spitfire Gold - the new star of the Shepherd Neame empire.

Spitfire Gold was launched early this year, 25 years after the original Spitfire was first brewed in memory of The Battle of Britain. True to its name, this really is a vibrantly golden beer. From that amber complexion comes a malty butterscotch aroma, and sweet citrus notes balanced by astringent pine.

This rounded and satisfying beer was so good that it was served again with the first course, a jar of “shaved courgette and goatee cheese parcels”. Though they were served from a pickle jar, the parcels were delicate, with the sweet juice softening the sourness of the goat’s cheese and making for a filling but moreish starter.

They were followed by a course of ‘razor clams and angel hair pasta’, and another beer from the Shepherd Neame portfolio: a Whitstable Bay Pale Ale. Pale Ales are popular for their light body and citrus aromas, and this light, grassy variety is one of the best of the bunch, and fortunately it is easy to find in supermarkets! True to their seaside origins, Shepherd Neame paired the Pale Ale with razor clams so thick and plump that it was impossible to believe that they’d made it all the way to the City of London so fresh.

Things became altogether much heavier with main course and dessert, a ‘hare and Spitfire ale pie’ followed by a ‘sticky stubble pudding’. These were great versions of pub classics, and I highly recommend hare instead of beef for a richer ale pie. These heavy dishes needed a strong match, and we opted for the Shepherd Neame Master Brew, a mid-brown bitter with a darker colour and weightier scents of toffee.

Shepherd Neame proved the diversity of their selection, finding a beer pairing for everything from razor clams to toffee pudding. Look out for Spitfire Gold and Whitstable Bay Pale Ale at the supermarket, and if you’re inspired by their punning menu you can even visit their website to design and suggest your own beer.

India Pale Ale - The Belgian Connection?

Words & Photography by Greg Klerkx and Luiz Hara

Beer is seemingly everywhere on London’s fine dining scene these days. It’s no longer odd for a Michelin-starred sommelier to recommend a fruit-infused brew instead of, say, a Muscat to finish, or even to hear the more heretical suggestion of a witbier to start. Craft brewpubs abound, growlers are the new must-have foodie toy, and everyone and their beer-making mother is trying to hop (no pun intended) onto the beery bandwagon.

Uber-hip Belgian brand Vedett has been a fixture on the discerning beer drinker’s scene for longer than most, though many Londoners may only have encountered Vedett’s squat, cheerily-coloured bottles with their moules et frites at the local Belgo. Until now, Vedett, a self-described ‘cult’ brand in the larger Duvel group, has made only two beers and made them very nicely indeed: a hop-tastic, aromatic and eminently drinkable Extra Blond and a lightly fizzy, almost candied Extra White. So far, so Belgian.

This month, the laid-back label is taking a much bigger leap into the fray with the launch of Vedett Extra Ordinary IPA. IPA beers aren’t unknown in Belgium, though they are a fairly recent development and tend to be bolder, darker and punchier in flavour and alcohol content – Vedett’s is a hefty 5.5% – than English IPAs. They most closely resemble American IPAs and often use American hop varieties, as does Vedett’s.

Vedett offered a chance to sample its new IPA and other beers at Cinnamon Kitchen, the suit-and-tie branch of Vivek Singh’s very successful Indian restaurant empire. The intent was to show off great beer and great food, but also to demonstrate the versatility of beer as a stand-alone food beverage – suitable not just as a novelty against one course, but fully capable of carrying a sophisticated four-course menu.

The Vedett Extra Ordinary IPA featured twice during our meal, initially with a some rather delicious canapés that showed Cinnamon Kitchen to very good advantage. Particularly delicious was baked tilapia with Bengali mustard and sweet pepper coulis, which managed the difficult feat of packing a huge flavour punch whilst not steamrolling the delicate tilapia. Potato and green pea cakes with tomato chutney were also lovely: robust and zingy, moist and crispy in the right proportion.

As for the IPA, it was absolutely delicious: not as overwhelmingly hoppy as some IPAs, yet still firm and treacly, dark gold in colour and eminently drinkable. Though the Vedett representatives on hand were somewhat modest about their entry into the crowded IPA field, they should feel very confident. This one deserves to be a hit.

The evening’s other beer-food pairings also worked a treat. Vedett’s workhorse Extra White provided a gently fruity, slightly lemony complement to Tandoori salmon with dill & mustard, served with a wasabi-infused green pea relish.

The smoother, somewhat more elegant Vedett Extra Blond held up nicely against a Chargrilled chicken with yoghurt & coriander, and also went well with a rich, kicky black lentil daal served with naan bread between courses.

Cinnamon Kitchen’s shining moment of the evening came with its main course, an absolutely gorgeous Chargrilled lamb fillet with mint & onion sauce that was succulent and perfectly spiced, the lamb falling apart on the fork (and very quickly disappearing from the plate.) If the intention of the lamb course was again to show the Extra Ordinary IPA to good effect, it worked: the IPA was just as compelling here as it was at the beginning of the evening.

We finished with Shrikhand cheesecake, ginger & fennel seed crumble and glasses of iced Liefmans Fruitesse, a refreshing cherry-and-berry-infused beer that is a favourite at The LondonFoodie Supper Club. By that point in the evening, the point had been proved: the beer revolution in fine dining is here to stay, and justly so.

A classroom lock-in of beer and chocolate

Words & Photography by Su-Lin Ong


Beer in one hand and chocolate in the other?  Never!  That’s always been my unshakable view.  So Rupert Ponsonby, the ultimate beer persuader, had a challenge on his hands.

With the front door of the Rococo shop firmly locked up for the night, we go downstairs and the class begins.  Greed is encouraged from the outset.  Things could get messy.  There is ample beer lined-up, and there is exquisite chocolate in whimsical packages stacked up high.  The long table is covered in Rococo’s signature print cloth - it would make a cheery duvet cover.  Immediately, you’re in a cocoon of comfort. 

Rupert has chosen six beers to match six types of chocolate.   These big-boy beers are not session pints and deserve contemplation in their own right.

Duvel Belgian golden ale 8.5% abv – with a bold head, hints of clove; light bodied and zesty.

Hogs Back traditional English ale 4.2% abv – malty and sweet toffee flavours.

Innis & Gunn Original 6.6% abv – this Scottish oak aged beer has deeper tones of malt, with pronounced vanilla and oak.

Innis & Gunn bourbon stout 7.4% abv – more bitter; dark and intense.

Mr Trotter’s Great British chestnut ale 4% abv – made with chestnuts and sweet Maris Otter barley, giving a nutty creaminess.

Liefmans cuvee brut 6% abv – refreshing sour cherry, with a stoney marzipan finish.

Rupert  prescribes a match with an array of chocolate; all so different in texture, intensity and flavour.

Cardamon white chocolate
Milk chocolate with salted caramelised almonds and rose
Anglesey sea salted caramel ganache
Grenadian and Islay single malt ganache
Grenada Chocolate Company dark chocolate 
Grenada Chocolate Company Salty-Licious 

There are potentially 36 beer and chocolate combinations in this feast, but that would make it too much like hard work.  

A good match has to excite the palate.  Other than that, the intensity of the beer should equal the intensity of the chocolate, but flavours mustn’t be so similar so as to go head-to-head.  Every sip of beer should merge completely with the chocolate as it melts in your mouth.  As in wine tasting, aeration in the mouth helps you sense every nuance of taste – if such a treat as a gourmet Aero bar existed, then we want to test it.  The process tonight deserves slow enjoyment and random re-tastes of beers and chocs.

The time comes to name favourites.  I vote for the Innis & Gunn Original with the sea salted caramel ganache.  For me, this is all about silky textures, punchy flavours, and the familiarity of savouriness.  

Perhaps I was really hankering after a more conventional marriage of ale & a packet of crisps?  But rather, I prefer to think I’ve now learned a thing or two about the quirky joys of matching beer & choc.

Rococo in Marylebone is at 3 Moxon St, London W1U 4EW

Su-Lin Ong (@sloLondon) drank beer at chocolate school on behalf of The London Foodie as a guest of Rupert Ponsonby, Rococo, R&R.

London Restaurant Reviews - Mason & Taylor (Craft Beers and British Small-Eats in Shoreditch)

**THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED DOWN**

A craft beer and real ale bar, Mason & Taylor is the Shoreditch destination for those who, like me:

1. enjoy good quality craft beers without having to pay the earth for them

2. dislike watery lagers that taste of nothing

3. just cannot drink wine all the time (maybe I can but it is nice to have options…)

4. enjoy grazing on some good nosh while drinking

Mason & Taylor is becoming one of my favourite local bars since opening in December 2010. All its beers are supplied by independent brewers directly from their country of origin, with a particular focus on London microbreweries. 

There are 12 draught beers and ales on tap at all times, and a list of about 40 bottled beers including craft North American, British and Belgian beers that changes regularly. There is also a "Brewery of the Weekend" and 5 weekly guest ales. They also serve all their draught beers in taster flights of 3 or 6 x 1/3 pint glasses.

We always get to try at least one beer we have never heard of when we go there. On our latest visit, our new beer was a bottle of Duchesse de Bourgogne @ £4.50. This is a traditional Flemish red ale, oak aged for up to 18 months and 6.2% alcohol. We enjoyed the lovely cherry and chocolate flavours in this beer and the unusual tanginess akin to citrus fruit.

We also had one beer flight each - the first was a combination of Chimay White, Westmalle Dubbel and Odell Cutthroat Porter and the second included Brooklyn Lager, Rodenbach, and Sierra Nevada Porter. Most draught beers were priced at £3.80 per pint although the Belgian and American black beers were around double that. The cost of the flight depends on the combination of beers chosen, but is essentially the price of a pint divided by three.

To accompany our selection of fine beers, we ordered a medley of small plates. Food at Mason & Taylor is served tapas style rather than as traditional starters and main dishes, the exceptions to this being the weekend brunch, and the Sunday all day menu which includes several roast dinner options. On a weekday, the recommendation is to order around 3 small plates each, but we were so tempted by the menu that we ended up with 10 dishes!

The food is classic British cooking with a modern interpretation. Dishes are reasonably priced at £4.50 - £5 each. Produce is seasonal, and the meats, fish and seafood that we ate tasted ultra-fresh and delicious. Of the 10 dishes we tried, we each had our favourites, but we both agreed that they were all good and perfect with the beers we chose. These are the dishes we had:

Potted crab with capers and toast @ £5 – scrumptious and a steal at the price!

House-smoked duck breast with ruby chard and pea salad @ £5 – the duck had a subtle smokiness that tasted well with the earthy chard.

Wild Mushrooms on Toast @ £4.50 - totally delectable but I wish there were more mushrooms!

Jersey Royal and crayfish salad with heritage tomatoes @ £5 – this was a lovely and substantial salad with great flavours and stunning presentation.

Devilled chicken livers on toast @ £5 – we really enjoyed this, the liver was meaty and perfectly cooked (very tender), and worked well with its spicy dressing.

Woodpigeon breast with carrot and beetroot salad and raisin jus @ £5 – this was delicious. I loved the combination of gamey umami with the sweetness from the beetroot and raisins.

Nettle and goat's cheese tart with red onion chutney @ £5.

Chilled Bloody Mary Soup @ £4 – the weakest link in our opinion but still good.

Eton Mess @ £4.

Chocolate Pudding @ £4.50.

Cost: Based on 3-4 dishes per person, a meal at Mason & Taylor will cost about £15 to £20 per person (excluding drinks). Many draught pints are priced from £3.80.

Likes: excellent range of craft American, Belgian and British beers. Great food. Possibility of ordering many small dishes to graze on. Friendly service. Reasonable prices. Free Wi-Fi. Good and affordable wine list with every option also sold by the glass.

Dislikes: I am not quite sure about the industrial décor, it feels more like student canteen than New York loft apartment.

Verdict: great Shoreditch destination for craft beer and British food fans, I enjoyed all the small plates on offer and the selection of reasonably priced beers. A local favourite. Very highly recommended.