Weekend Brunch at The Bottle of Sauce

Now that Cheltenham Festival is over for another year, we can finally talk more sensibly about brunch. The past month has all been about promoting those gut busting, overloaded 'Race Week Breakfasts', no matter where you looked. I'm betting that the majority were easily more than the recommended daily calorie intake, and that's before you've hit up the Guinness for a full day, celebrated a win with some fizz and scoffed a large portion of chips on the way home. Can normal service resume now? I think so…

Last month, everyone's new fave hangout The Bottle of Sauce invited a group of us local bloggers for a special 'Bloggers Brunch'. You might remember their previous burger heavy event that I featured at the start of the year, though if not you can familiarize yourself with it *here*. Armed with appetites, cameras and phones - standard - we congregated in the private dining area (which seats up to 12) and perused the menu.

Despite not needing a 'hair of the dog', I'm not one to turn down some early morning drinking, so went straight in with a Bloody Mary. It's £6.50 for one, but if you're feeling particularly sorry for yourself then you can get Bottomless Marys for a tenner. The Dodo Pub Co have their own secret spice mix, of which they'll ask you your heat preference, and alongside vodka they use a splash of Tio Pepe Fino Sherry. Swoon.

The Bottle of Sauce's brunch menu generally has something for everyone; go traditional, sweet, healthy, or something a little different. As you might've guessed, we basically ordered the whole shebang. Surprisingly, the one dish we missed off was the Eggs Benny (£8.50), and also the side of Cheesy Chipotle Beans (£4), but I'll save those for next time.

The Chap wasn't with me for this one, so I had my gorgeous friend K there instead; someone who's much more willing to share. Bingo. Whilst everyone else was going in on the Boss Man fry ups (£10), between us we had the Chilli Avo' Smash (£7) - what's brunch without avocado on toast (?!) - The Big Squeak breakfast burger type thing (£6.50) and Buttermilk Pancakes for 'dessert' (£7). There were also a few plates of Breakfast Fries (£4.50) lurking on the table; salty fries topped with two fried eggs, runny yolks n'all. Probably more appropriate if having brunch after midday. Probably.

The Avo' Smash comes on a decent doorstop wedge of sourdough, and topped with two perfectly poached - and very Instagram-able - eggs. A good execution, but we both felt the chilli, lime and coriander were a bit tame. A wedge of lime on the side and some hot sauce on the table wouldn't go a miss, but that's coming from a citrus and spice fiend.

The Big Squeak is a bubble and squeak patty topped with american cheese, a juicy portobello mushroom and a fried egg, all in one of The Bottle of Sauce's signature glossy sesame buns. It's veggie, but you certainly don't miss the meat. The Morning Glory (£7.50) has a sausage patty and bacon if you really are a devout carnivore though. There's ketchup on all the tables, which I slathered on, but again I think a hot sauce would make it a knockout option. I'm sure if I'd have asked, the staff would have been more than happy to get some from the kitchen, but being in a big group with orders coming at various times, it wasn't very practical… Chilli sauce for the tables, yeah?

There are two options for the buttermilk pancakes, either Kelmscott dry cured bacon and maple syrup - classic - or what we went for, rum roasted pineapple and whipped coconut cream. It was news to me that you could whip coconut cream in the same way as regular cream; the consistency was pretty much identical. Mental note taken.

Three fat fluffy pancakes piled on top of each other seemed a decent portion for the price, and the chunks of sweet and sticky rum roasted pineapple were eye-rollingly good. We just needed more of it! It's like going out for a roast; there's never enough gravy. More pineapple and another dollop of that coconut cream would've sealed the deal. As it was, leisurely chomping our way through them and catching up over a latte was just fine (the coffee is crackin' here too).

So if you've only ever ventured into The Bottle of Sauce for a booze fueled feed of burgers, pizzas and wings, you should definitely try them in the cold light of day for their brunch menu. Don't go with too much planned after though, those Bottomless Bloody Marys might catch you out…

Seeing Out 2015 Pt. 2

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 
Before we get too far into January, it's time to finish off telling you the tail end of 2015 (see my previous post here).

Avoiding the Christmas panic, The Chap and I took some time out for ourselves and spent a few well earned weekends doing the things we love most. 

Firstly, Brunch... Instead of heading out to a café, myself and another blogger buddy, Roseann from Honeybourne Line (check her out), arranged a brunch date at hers. Obviously, The Chap and her other half Kinglsey, of Kingsley Leather (check him out too), were in on it as well. 

We all first met at last year's Diamond Rush, boozily sipping Champers in Beard's after finding our gems, little did we know that we had so much in common! A few diamond winner dinners later, and here we are; a food blogger's brunch (accompanied by two hungry food loving fellows), and having each made a sweet and a savoury option, we had loads to go round. 

Roseann and Kingsley whipped up Jamie O's Pancetta Hash with Eggs & Apple Salad along with what's essentially a deliciously sweet yorkshire pudding - Dutch Baby with Fresh Berries. The Chap and I turned up with our make-ahead-transportable-goods, Ruby Tandoh's Broccoli, Gorgonzola & Walnut Quiche and the best readers' recipe from the OFM Awards 2015, Masala Chai Banana Bread with Coconut, Cream Cheese & Cardamom Icing. Washed down with tea, coffee, buck's fizz and prosecco, we somehow grazed our way through 4 whole hours! Job well done I'd say, and we'll definitely have to do it again.

Tivoli Wines Christmas Wine Fair is our annual indicator that it is in fact coming up to Christmas. Every year we lower the tone in The Bacon Theatre, stumbling around, trying as much as is humanly possible. Thankfully, The Chap's brother and sister in law joined us this year, so we weren't drunkenly chatting and embarrassing ourselves alone - haha! As always, it was a cracking night. Pop it in your diary now - the last Friday of November.

As a Christmas present to ourselves, we booked a trip to London to eat, drink and be merry in the places we love best. We stayed at the Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green, which I'd wholeheartedly recommend to anyone; it's stunning. There's a snazzy restaurant within the building - The Typing Room - and a shit-hot cocktail bar, Peg + Patriot. The Piccadilly Circus with daikon infused Nikka Whisky, fermented rice, purple shiso, Belsazar White Vermouth, sesame oil and dried seawater is incredible. 

Street Feast's #HawkerHouse has become a bit of a winter tradition between us, so we managed to get a visit in just before it finished it's residency at Canada Water. Whisky roulette, Smokestak ribs, Kamm & Sons cocktails, wine, and so much food made for a pretty special night. 

Oysters are a must on any Scott and Lucie adventure, and in two days we managed to have them twice! The brand new Noble Rot Bar & Restaurant was the top of our 'to do list', and having some seriously good wine paired with half a dozen oysters as soon as we arrived in the big smoke set the tone for the weekend pretty well. The other oysters came from Decatur at Druid Street Market; chargrilled Maldon rock oysters with butter, cajun spices and hot sauce. These totally sorted out our hangovers, and not having tried cooked oysters before, we're now desperate to give them a go at home!

Other eats in the Druid Street/Maltby Street area included the mega Reuben at Monty's Deli. We've tried various times to try the salt beef sarnies after seeing them on Tom Kerridge's TV programme yonks ago, and with a full on arch, rather than just a stall, we finally got our chops around one. It was everything we wanted it to be, I'm only sad that I had to share.

40 Maltby Street is a no reservations natural wine bar that serves up some wonderful food alongside some quirky wines. Avoiding the crappy weather, The Chap, my bestie and I pulled up a pew and spent a few hours sipping vino and munching on fried pheasant.

As you might have guessed from previous posts (and the start of this entry), brunch is a sure fire hit with me. I torture myself by perving on all the London Food Instagrammers on a daily basis, but it's so useful in gauging where's best to go when we're in town. Nine times out of ten it's bang on, but unfortunately we got struck with that 1/10 this time. Kopapa's Turkish Eggs are Instagram famous, but I felt the taste wasn't quite as good as the hype; the chilli butter could have been spicier, and paying a tenner for the privilege seemed a little steep. The Chap's experience was the clincher though, his pot of tea arrived cold and his Chorizo Hash came with two non-runny fried eggs. I so wanted it to be good, but I fear it's a case of Social Media making things look better than they are (see Jay Rayner's Observer article on this). 

The Grape Escape's December wine tasting was a Christmas special; 4 rounds - fizz, whites, reds and sweets - with 3 wines for each... Dreamy. Though it was even more significant for me, as I offered my services and rustled up some food to accompany each round! Coming back (hungover) from London on Sunday afternoon, I cooked a hoofin' turkey, and didn't stop in the kitchen until the tasting started on Monday night (note the last photo above). The menu was:

Fizz: Parmesan biscuits. Pork, apple, apricot & thyme sausage rolls. Stilton & walnut balls.
Whites: Smoked salmon blinis, Prawn cocktail lettuce cups.
Reds: Devils on horseback. Turkey, cranberry and stuffing sandwiches.
Sweets: Mince pies. Chocolate puddles. Clementine cake.

Had I not gone to London and had the whole weekend to prep, I'm sure it would have been a much easier task, but I'm still pretty chuffed with how it all turned out. And a thank you present in the form of Broc Cellars Carbenet Franc Fizz made the last minute stress all worth it.

Finally, after months of people prying, I asked my two favourite ladies to be my bridesmaids. Having not seen one of them since my birthday, we organised a day trip to Birmingham to celebrate, and what better celebration than Afternoon Tea?! The Edgbaston, which is a bit of a trek out of the centre, was recommended to me, and as soon as we got there and saw the black and gold Art Deco decor, I knew we were in for a treat.

We started with a cocktail (because their cocktail list is mega), and I had the Smoke & Mirrors, which arrived in a glass dome filled with smoke; Glenfarclas, Smoked PX Sherry, Cherry Liqueur and Chocolate Bitters. Yes.

Our afternoon tea started with an amuse bouche cloaked in dry ice; carrot cake crumble, carrot purée and spiced brandy ice cream. Being December, everything had a festive twist, and we even had a turkey and cranberry sandwich in our selection. The warm scones - one fruit, one plain - were crisp on the outside, sweet and fluffy on the inside, and piled high with jam and clotted cream, I was in heaven.

The patisserie/petit fours were the highlight though; green apple meringue Christmas trees. mini mince pies, passion fruit and coconut macaron snowmen, berry meringue mushrooms and a rum and chestnut tart (which was my favourite).

It's £25 per person for The Edgbaston's Afternoon Tea, or £33 to include a glass of Champagne. Money well spent.

So that's 2015 done and dusted. Here's to a more exciting year ahead! 

London Lunching

It's become apparent that London brings out the greed in me. This is by no means a bad thing; I love reading up on all the latest places to eat and drink in preparation for my visit, but it leaves me with a lengthy list that I have to somehow schedule in to fit with my other plans. More often than not, things don't quite work in my favour and I go home dreaming of the stuff I've missed out on.

My latest venture to the capital took a more laid back approach. Arriving early, we were able to go for breakfast - it was 11, so could probably be classed as brunch - and after our recent Peruvian feast (see my Senor Ceviche post), The Chap and I had been craving more; hello Andina in Shoreditch! Martin Morales, the main man behind Ceviche in Soho, has just opened his second restaurant, focussing on delivering healthy, Andean cuisine all day long. Inspired by the traditional 'picanterias' in Peru, Andina has that social-eating, open-kitchen, popular dishes kind of vibe, with visually attractive interiors to match its beautiful food. It’s a sanctuary from the 'dirty burger' trend, its quinoa burgers here, and menus are graced with heaps of superfoods and smoothies.

To drink, I had an espresso made with their own fair-trade coffee blend, and an Ekeko juice (carrot, melon, pear, lime, maca, ginger) - uniquely savoury and fruity - whilst The Chap had tea and Supay (orange, pomegranate, goldenberry, limo chilli). To eat, I went for the Choclo Corn Cake - a corn and fresco cheese cake, with a poached egg, avocado, salsa and a creamy spiced sauce - and he chose the Full Peruvian - two fried eggs, confit pork, potato rosti, wild mushrooms, grilled tomato and a side of avocado on toast with salsa.

If that wasn't enough we shared a Lengua De Suegra (which I'd spotted on Tweat Up's best breakfast in London list); puffed up Peruvian filo pastry with a dulce de leche filling. Bliss.

The Chap had a date making gin at The Ginstitute on Portobello Road, which was his Christmas present, so we parted ways and I ventured off to The Royal Academy to see the Sensing Spaces exhibition with some chums. It was enjoyable, but we felt it could have been more adventurous; the 15 minute video at the end is definitely worth watching.

A spot of Carnaby Street window shopping, then it was about time for a late lunch - perhaps drunch? Anyway, Foxcroft & Ginger on Berwick Street was our venue of choice, and at just after 3pm it was still crazy busy. Perched next to a pommel horse - yes, you heard correctly - we waited until a table became free. Three of us squeezed round a two-seater, not that we minded, and ordered off of the all day brunch menu; it was a double brunch kind of day.

I went for the naughtiest thing imaginable (please don't judge me); two massive pieces of French toast with banana, bacon, walnuts, mascarpone and drizzled with syrup. It’s a rare occasion that I leave the daintiest morsel of food on my plate, but this defeated me. A strange combination, but one you must try. With a constant flow of customers, F&G is clearly a popular choice amongst Londoners, and whilst they may have cocked up our order – which led to a delay – they rectified it with a free slice of cake. If they hadn't have said anything, we really wouldn't have noticed, but who turns down free cake?!

As darkness descended, drinks were needed, so we pottered to Mayfair to meet up with The-slightly-sozzled-Chap at The Running Horse (mentioned in a previous London post). Rumour had it that their 'race-y' cocktail bar, The Whip, was open upstairs, and with Cheltenham Festival fast approaching it seemed only right to go and check it out. Mint green racing stripes decorate the walls alongside jockey silks and traditional equine paintings, and the vintage leather chairs and velvet sofas are a luxurious touch. It’s quiet when we arrive, 6pm is hardly prime cocktail time, but the 'feel' of the place is excellent nonetheless. It’s dim lighting makes it feel exclusive, smooth tunes infuse the atmosphere, chatty staff make you feel at home, and the menu is succinct; all drinks - with names like Frankel's Fizz and Final Furlong - are a tenner each, no faffing.

Juleps are the signature sip; a mint and bourbon based drink, famed for its popularity at the Kentucky Derby where over 120,000 are drank over just a couple of days. Served in traditional pewter tins, and taking up half of the cocktail menu, The Whip are championing a Julep revival. I opted for the house favourite, a julep made with a blend of Chase Rhubarb Vodka and Williams GB gin. Having to bury my nose into the sprigs of mint sticking out of the top in order to drink it, it attacks the senses; smell, taste, and there's something quite nice about the feel of the ice told tin in your hand. With seriously good booze behind the bar, inventive mixes, swish settings, and a central location; this is a place I could see myself visiting again and again. My bets are that The Whip is going to be big, so get galloping over there before you're queuing at the door.

The next morning saw a stroll to Columbia Road's flower market in East London. A lovely chilled out Sunday thing to do, you might think, but it's so popular with both locals and tourists, that you have to wrestle your way down the street, trying to avoid being poked in the eye by the mahoosive bunch of flowers that the guy in front of you is nursing. That said, I like the flurry of browsers, photographers, foodies, dog walkers, hungover folks inhaling carbs, posho's quaffing coffee; you get the works. Lily Vanilli's bakery is what drew us here (see my previous cake inspired post), though as we had lunch plans already, we couldn't gorge ourselves on cake like we did last time we visited. A simple - but bloody amazing - slice of sourdough toast it was instead; topped with courgettes, mushrooms, red onion and cheese, then strewn with a few stems of watercress to add freshness and a mustardy tang. Breakfast should be like this more often.

Hawksmoor was our eating agenda for the day; a previous winner in the Observer Food Monthly Awards 'Best Sunday Lunch' category, it was also a runner up in 2012 for best restaurant, and voted the 'Best Place to Drink' in 2013. It had a lot to live up to. We opted for the Seven Dials branch, a short walk away from Covent Garden, as the building - which was formerly a brewery - looked stunning. It's a dark, unassuming entrance; you take your coats off and leave it with the staff to put in the cloakroom; there's nothing but a desk and a set of stairs. Down you go, and you find yourself in an unexpectedly large space; a long bar lined with stools, not a single one empty, high speakeasy style tables – it was standing room only - tables dotted right round the edge, seating two to four, then loads more tables, the kitchen, and wine room through a set of doors. They've crammed as many people as possible in here, which is fine if you like that kind of buzzy ambience, but I wouldn't suggest this as a place for an 'intimate dinner for two'. Fortunately, this is the kind of thing we like about coming to London; our usual Sunday roasts involve serene country pubs, where the most noise comes from a dog sat under the table, begging for a mere crumb of his owner's yorkie pud.

An apéritif? Oh go on then, we were on 'holiday' after all. I had a Garden Party; White Port, Redcurrant Campari and Prosecco, stirred with cucumber. Apparently this drink was created accidentally, through using sparkling wine in a Negroni instead of gin. The bartender should make mistakes more often if this is anything to go by. Anyway, Hawksmoor's got beef - and lots of it – there’s a variety of cuts and weights you can choose from, but it's got to be a roast on a Sunday. A thick piece, flushing pink in the middle, came sat on top of the veg; a huge Yorkshire pudding masquerading as a bowl to house the crispy potatoes; roasted onion and garlic, a nice addition, and some glistening gravy. We asked the sommelier to suggest a wine within our budget to go with the food, to which he picked Château de Ricaud, Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux 2010; a well structured Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend, with lots of juicy dark fruits and velvety tannins; a great match.

Dessert was a toughie; salted caramel always leads me astray, but this time I stayed strong and chose a buttermilk pannacotta with poached rhubarb and spicy ginger-bread biscuits. With the silky pannacotta flecked with vanilla, and the luminous pink stems, it felt pretty girly. The Chap had a manlier banana and bourbon tart; ice cream and lashings of toffee sauce - job done.

Having to move to the next notch on my belt, it was definitely home time. Another successful, weight-gaining, liver-pickling, London trip. I look forward to our next encounter, but I best make sure I'm hungry.