Quick post work pint

The Ship, City of London, EC3V 0BP

Talbot Court is tucked away not far from Fenchurch Street, as you expect round here its mainly full of suits going for a couple after work or topping themselves from lunchtime. They do have a good selection of guest ales and I decided to have a pint of Tribute from the Cornish St Austell Brewery, was actually a lot better than I expected with a really creamy mouth feel and medium hopping so very easy drinking. Even my lager drinking mate tried it and regretted his poor choice from the bar, I would have definitely stayed on this if we'd stayed for another. It does get rammed here in the bar and outside later in the week but whenever I've been its been pretty painless getting served.

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Pop-up restaurant in Portobello Dock

Moveable Kitchen, Dock Kitchen, Ladbroke Grove, W10 5BU

We decided to visit this so called pop-up restaurant after we'd been to 'The Shed' where they were having a curry night. The Shed was as you'd expect a shed, but a very nice shed in a back garden close to Newington Green. The highlight was the homemade chapattis and really sociable side to sharing intimate tables.

The Moveable Kitchen is run by a couple of chefs from the River Cafe, they do mainly various food themed nights and the night we visited was a Mexican evening. The Dock Kitchen is bright and airy, kind of like an art gallery but does work as a restaurant. The seating was long benches so quite a communal thing and the people there were a real mixed bunch.

Aguachile with octopus, lime and coriander

This cold soup was fantastic, the cool lime mingled with the spicy chilli to superb effect. The small dices of octopus were like little bits of cheese, only slightly fishy with a lovely texture. It was served with black tortilla that were crispy and likely coloured by squid ink - together with the watery aguachile they both contrasted each other well.

Crab fideus with sour cream and chipotle salsa

This was a noodle based dish where the noodles were smothered in the chipotle salsa with the delicate pieces of crab meat and sour cream on top. I did really like the smokey barbecue flavour of the chipotle sauce but it totally drowned out any resemblance of the crab taste, I suppose it wasn't too much of a problem and it was nice to eat.

Slow cooked pork with anchiote and wild greens with cheese

The main course was very generous with big chunks of slow cooked pork which fell apart on your fork and melted in your mouth. The greens were a vibrant green colour contrasting with light cheese but lacked in any outstanding taste. A habanero sauce was brought round which we were warned was extremely hot... it wasn't - After everybody reservedly spooned on a tiny bit to start with they were all (me included) pouring it on trying to get real heat kick. After we'd nearly finished our pork, a plate was brought over with some soft tortillas in a cloth napkin, you were obviously supposed to put the pork and everything else in these to eat - we'd seemed to totally miss the point but the tortillas were just a bit spongy and dull anyway so didn't feel I'd missed out at all.

Clementine granita with aged tequila

Like the aguachile this sung of fresh thoughtful flavours yet was simple in design. The smooth tequila was a perfect balance to the sweet clementine and cleansed your palate with the freshness and icy coldness. With the granita finished a plate of chili chocolate truffles were handed round, I'm not a massive chocolate fan but I have never had any that compared to the delightfully richness of these, a slight background chili heat was such a bonus that I could have eaten a load of them right there.

I feel like I've moaned a bit much about the starter and main dishes but I think it was because the aguachile, granita and truffles were so exciting that the other dishes seemed half as good. At the end of the meal I spotted Thomasina Miers who won masterchef a few years ago and now owns Wahaca in Covent Garden, having been to Wahaca and loved it a few months ago I feel the Moveable Kitchen tonight didn't quite do it. All the Wahaca dishes jump out with the freshest flavours and the two dishes in the middle tonight missed the point for me, I also left really wanting more chilli bang and wonder maybe they were edging on the cautious side too much - after all mexican food should have a bite to it, but maybe that's just me - I have been known to have hot sauce for breakfast! In a way a similarity I can see between the evenings at the Shed and the moveable kitchen is the way they both cooked good food well but the food they cooked wasn't there expertise. Saying that all, it was an interesting evening and I will definitely keep an eye out for other evenings they are putting on.

After we left we decided to finish the night off in typical mexican style with a bottle of aged tequila, it was superb to drink but not so good for the head the next day!

(NOTE: Found out Thomasina Miers was actually sharing the chef duties for the evening - even more confused why not up to Wahaca standard now!)

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A Japanese curry ritual

The Japanese Canteen, City of London, EC3R 5AQ

Its become a bit of an addiction for us to visit here at least once a week usually on a Friday. Unlike when I go to most other places, whenever I visit here I always have the same thing from the donburi menu - Chicken Katsu Curry. Its just one of those things you don't seem to tire of, the breaded chicken on stodgy sticky rice with loads of curry sauce over the top, even the lotus root in the sauce tastes good and adds a needed crunchy alternative texture. For a quick lunch in a box its not the cheapest at £6 but that doesn't seem to deter anybody, the queue usually stretches outside but the food is out of the kitchen so fast you never seem to wait very long.

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A number of pubs around SE1

The Market Porter, Borough Market, SE1 9AA

A lively after work pub they have a good selection real ales. You've gotta love it when you walk into a pub and that second you spot a mate who passes you pint instantly from the bar, what simple joy. We had a pint of Harveys Sussex Best which hits the spot with its light and mildly hopped flavour when its the first pint of evening after working all day.


The Rake, Borough Market, SE1 9AG

I've visited this pub a few times now and its easy to see why people come back - the selection of beers, ales and ciders is outstanding. It really is small inside but the fact that all the draught beers and ciders have been different every time I've visited is such a novelty, a novelty which appeals to me a hell of a lot. The bar staff seem to really understand what they are selling and a dubious slightly vinegary beer was immediately replaced with no qualms. We drank BrewDog's Physics beer which really reminded me of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale with it's extreme hopping and easy drinking nature - incidentally the first Sierra Nevada I had on draught was here a couple of years ago, its now one of my favourite beers and to get one in the same class brought big smiles to our faces.


The Royal Oak, Borough, SE1 4JU

What a gem of an English pub. Tucked away so much from Borough High St that its one of those pubs where everybody in there must keep going back time and time again. A Harveys owned pub the selection of their beers is hard to find elsewhere, the pint of Sussex Best put to shame the one we had earlier (even though the earlier one was great!). A pint was followed by traditional hearty pub grub, I had the Game Pie which was served with chips and masses of well cooked veg. Obviously homemade the pie had a suet crust and a good variety of different game meats. After a post meal pint of hand pulled Thatchers Heritage cider we decided to finish off with a bottle of Harveys 8.1% Christmas Ale and a cheeseboard. In the way a glass of port works with cheese, the intense treacle followed by liquorice undertones of the Christmas Ales really worked, the cheeseboard was generous with big chunks of cheddar, brie, stilton and goats cheese - more than enough for two to share. This pub really is quite special; unassuming, unpretentious with a great atmosphere it is just a proper boozer. I imagine there aren't many pubs around when a group of five nurses come in after finishing a shift and order three pints of mild and two of pale ale - seems everybody appreciated the beer here. I know this will be a pub I'll find it hard to stay away from.

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A pre gig drink in Brixton

The Rest is Noise, Brixton, SW9 8EJ

Two minutes from Brixton tube this is good pub to pop into for few drinks before heading to Brixton Academy for a gig. What makes this pub is the location but saying that the decor is really very quirky - old furniture and stuffed animals glued to the ceiling upside down, definitely made you look twice once you'd spotted them. Although it got pretty rammed from 7pm onwards the bar staff were excellent and service reasonably quick. Drinks wise nothing really jumped out, but I quite like a pint or two of red stripe before a gig, whether I'd drink it at any other time I doubt it.

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