ON LONDON Archive

Il Baretto

By
OpenMikeNight
 – February 17, 2010Posted in: FOOD, ON LONDON

Now here’s a place I didn’t expect. Situated in the normally staid area around Gloucester Place and Baker Street my Dad and I were referred by his hotel over to Il Baretto. I know the Hyatt Churchill is a nice hotel and they have no reason to point us in the direction of somewhere that isn’t nice…but still have a hard time taking recommendations from hotels at face value. I feel like there must be something in it for them. This, however, seemed to be a completely honest recommendation and man am I glad we took it. The place seemed pretty quiet at 7:30 when we arrived, but when we left at 9:30 the place was absolutely buzzing. My starter of bruschetta with tomato and roasted red peppers was a nice change from what you usually expect out of bruschetta. I had a basic gnocchi with veal ragu sauce but they managed to make each gnocchi really light and fluffy (I’ve also come to expect gnocchi to be heavy and doughy). So that’s two surprises. The main course did take a really long time to come out, but the manager came over to apologise and treated us to some fried zucchini…or is it courgette?…and was extremely (some might say overly) friendly. Pats on the back, shaking hands, that kind of thing. I’ll definitely be back.

The Tip: Osteria Antica Bologna

The Tipster:

(Photo courtesy of LondonTown.com)

Callooh Callay

By
OpenMikeNight
 – February 17, 2010Posted in: DRINK, ON LONDON

There are a dizzying amount of bars in Shoreditch and it seems like every week another new trendy hotspot open up. In an area that is constantly (d)evolving, there is one constant, Callooh Callay. Tucked away on one of the many Shoreditch sidestreets, you’ll find this gem on Rivington Street just down the street from Cargo…and I wouldn’t be surprised if the ridiculously long queue at Cargo stretched all the way there.

On any night of the week, I can go in and know that I am going to get great service and great drinks. Ask for a Full Marks (sweet with bourbon), a Broadmoor (might have been a special, rich and whiskey based), or just have them make you a hell of a good martini.

There are three main areas: the open bar in the front of the house, the sit down seating area (complete with bathtubs cut in half to make couches), and the upstairs more private area. Upstairs is practically a different bar. A world apart from the commotion downstairs, the drinks menu is different (though, like the rest of shoreditch, this changes every week) and while the area seats 15-20, a couple could sit up here and feel like they have complete privacy. It feels exclusive. Also there is a dedicated bartender and server so you’re rarely at risk of going thirsty.

Things to note: sun-thursday they’re only open till 11. Fri-Sat till 1. On any given night, its worth making a reservation if you want a seat.

Also to note: If you’re on foursquare, you’ll see I’m the mayor. I encourage you to try and dethrown me because htis place deserves all the business it gets.

The Tip: Casita

The Tipster: Andrea

Dollar Grill & Martinis

By
OpenMikeNight
 – February 12, 2010Posted in: DRINK, FOOD, ON LONDON

 

Thursday night is one of my favourite nights to go out. Friday mornings are one of my least favourite mornings to go to work. It was my job to organise a work night out, or “team building exercise” as I preferred to call it. The “grill” portion of Dollar Grill and Martinis is pretty good value for what you get. Around the table everyone walked away satisfied with their burgers and steaks that all came in between £10 and £15. About £20 total after we’d washed it down a nice glass of Malbec. We then proceeded downstairs to really kick the night off with the other house specialty, the Martini. They have a really wide range of spirits and, being a vodka martini man, I started with Ciroc before moving on to the less-traditional Akvinta vodka from Croatia. The beer selection was limited, but unique: Viru (Estonia), Moritz (Spain), Blue Moon (USA), Deus (Belgium), and both light and dark Bath Ales from here in the UK.

Drinks tend to be on the pricier side at about £8.50 for a martini. We had about 5 before the night was out.

Favo(u)rite American Hangout : The Big Easy
Tipster: Brett Newmark, Operations Manager

Broadway Market

By
OpenMikeNight
 – February 9, 2010Posted in: LIVE, ON LONDON

I went over to Broadway Market for the second time last saturday and I was so dissappointed. Dissappointed that I had eaten an absurd amount at my usual brunch spot, The Breakfast Club. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Broadway Market features stalls full of food, bric-a-brac, flowers, clothes, books…even a guitar stall. I’d say it doesn’t necessarily have the charm of Columbia Road, but who needs charm when you’ve got your mouth full of cookie from The Cinamon Tree Bakery? This charming little stall sold all homemade goods and I will say my Cowboy Cookie went really well with my coffee from Climpson & Sons, the first independent coffee shop in east London. They roast their own beans behind the shop, too. Broadway Market is only open on Saturdays.

The Tip : Too busy to ask!

The Tipster: I’m going to have to go back.

Pitch 42 @ Whitecross Street Market

By
OpenMikeNight
 – February 9, 2010Posted in: LIVE, ON LONDON

I thought I would kick things off with a place I am so fortunate to have on my doorstep. Whitecross street market does every kind of food you could think of: burritos (with chorizo added to your choice of meat –a nice touch that separates them from other burrito stalls), Thai, Brazilian, Spanish, hog roast, Italian, salads, Caribbean, cheese, pastries…you name it and they probably have it. The Market is open Mon-Friday but Thursday and Friday have an expanded selection. If you get there by noon you might avoid the lengthy queues and things start to close up around 2:30.

Above all else though, my absolute favourite place is the Coffee Stall. I think it might also be referred to as Pitch 42, but this red covered holy house of coffee is the primary outlet for Gwilym Davies, World Barista Champion 2009. You’ll occasionally catch him hanging around, but more often that not, one of his highly-qualified associates will be slinging the drinks. I’m not going to pretend to know much about coffee, but one of the guys who works there described the coffee as “slightly fruity”. I guess I could agree, although my palette is certainly not refined enough to say for sure. Best of all? They fully encourage you to go out and try other places…Try 8  East London independent coffee establishments and your next cup is on them.

The Recommendation: Any one of 8 places!

The Informant: Gwilym Davies of Prufrock Coffee

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