BULL AND LAST: GREAT GASTRO IN HIGHGATE - NO SHIT

On one of those rare occasions when I could hear myself think (very rare in the cut/thrust, hustle/bustle of the City - although for some strange reason the place seems a bit quieter recently) I pondered upon the subject of my favourite time to eat.

With advancing age a big breakfast is out of the question. A midweek dinner usually means indigestion - it’s those big, greasy steaks, you see - and a fuzzy head the next morning.

I came to the conclusion that if I could only eat at one time then Saturday lunch would be it. When most people are visiting the DIY Superstore, mowing the lawn or heaven forfend, buying clothes, sensible folk (that’s us) are slowly getting sozzled while scoffing great grub. Well, that’s how it usually goes.

The Bull and Last pub in Highgate hasn’t been open that long but has already garnered great reviews (as has its sister The Prince of Wales in Putney). This would normally be the kiss of death for any place for me but I decided to give it a chance and wandered along last Saturday for a spot of lunch with HS.

My initial concerns increased when I saw that all but one of their ales was off. And so it begins I thought when I saw a pile of Scotch Eggs and Sausage Rolls behind the bar. The Harwood Arms cooks them to order I huffed to HS.

As it turned out I was just being unusually and extra-curmudgeonly. The Bull and Last is an absolutely terrific gaff.

Those Scotch Eggs and Sausage Rolls had just been cooked. Both were excellent especially the Roll where the buttery, flaky pastry encased good Pork Sausage meat which had been studded with little nuggets of Black Pudding. Such a good idea I’m surprised you don’t see it more often.

Our little bar-side amuses finished we rolled up our sleeves to get stuck into the menu proper. This kitchen doesn’t hang around and the first three dishes weren’t long in arriving.

Crispy Squid was indeed, crispy, and very fresh. A pungent Aioli had us using our fingers in the only way that DH know how. Some more Porky (and Ducky) treats came on the Charcuterie board: a silky Liver Parfait was refined but with a pleasingly Offaly kick. A terrine of Belly Pork was little underseasoned but was good and fatty. As were the Rillettes.

Best of the lot was the Deep Fried Lamb Breast coming on as an English version of the Iberian Croqueta. Notably good Lamb had been shredded and breadcrumbed and fried properly so that the coating complemented rather than dominating the whole.

A dish of Pig Cheeks with Sauerkraut and Prunes had HS coming over all Greg Wallace (“It’s deep, it’s savoury, it’s…etc”) which is a bit of a coincidence as

a) they’ve both been naughty boys at a football match (although HS’s punishment was disappointingly lenient - a stern telling-off from plod ) and

b) they’re both bald.

Perfect comfort food, then, but done with no little refinement. Perfect ingreients too and, a nice touch here, instead of hiding the provenance of the ingredients in the menu they’re prouly displayed over the bar.

Triple cooked chips were up there with the best and had us engaged in one of those unseemly squabbles over the correct and fair distribution of the same. If the friendly and efficient staff hadn’t been quite so busy they would have wondered what on earth was going on. Sad, really quite sad.

While taking cinquo minutos we saw other plates of food pass by: Beef Pies with flaky, crusted tops; a big fist of Deep Fried Haddock with more of those chips; doorstep sandwiches; a steaming pot of Moules, this time served with great looking Frites. O-M-G, this kitchen does TWO types of chips.

After what had gone before it would have been a major surprise if the puds had been anything other than great. I really liked my Praline and Chocolate Ice Cream. It seems to have just the right texture, HS astutely noted.

Even better was the Marmalade version with his Chocolate Orange Fondant, both of which had HS going off on one (“it’s sweet, it’s chocolatey, it’s…etc”).

Things were beginning to liven up by the time we drained the dregs from a half bottle of Sauterne. The Nappy Valley families who had come for an early lunch had moved on to be replaced by a mixture of locals, dog-walkers and groups of lads devouring big plates of Sausage Rolls and chips. A pretty mixed crowd making for a buzzy yet civilised atmosphere. A model for pubs of the future ? Possibly, but certainly a model pub for today. Other hostelries please take note.

DINE WITH DOS HERMANOS: DOWN AT THE OLD BULL & LAST

When we started Dos Hermanos nearly four years ago, neither HP nor myself ever imagined that it would be read by anyone but a handful of relatives and friends. It is both heartening and slightly scary to see how it has grown in that time and even more to note that we are rapidly approaching the 1000 post mark.

Just as unlikely has been the rapid growth of the food orgies that occur every couple of months under the banner DINE WITH DOS HERMANOS. The first one at Hawksmoor, nearly three years ago, attracted twelve hardy souls, the next a year or so later at New Tayyabs brought twenty people out of the woodwork. Earlier this year we had thirty people crammed into the small but perfectly formed dining room at Vinoteca and in June forty like-minded people ate more Jamon than Brindisa could have possibly bargained for.

Last night saw the latest DINE WITH DOS HERMANOS take place at the splendid Bull & Last in Highgate, recently nominated for the Time Out Gastropub of the Year 2009. The numbers were kept at forty, but with approaching 300 requests for places, it proved to be the most popular event to date.

There is a reason why these events seem to work so well and it ain’t nothing to do with DH. It’s to do with the generosity of the restaurants involved, the people who are kind enough to donate wine and other drinks and, of course the companies who offer up samples to fill the now legendary goody bags. Without their incredible good will none of these events would happen.

Ollie Pudney and his team at The Bull & Last came up trumps. The menu was ostensibly a “Best of British” to celebrate the end of my journey EATING FOR BRITAIN and from the moment we arrived to be greeted by Martinis care of Plymouth Gin, to the moment we left with the taste of Lancashire cheese and Compass Box Whisky lingering on our palates, I was reminded over and over again why DH rate The Bull & last so very highly.

We began with some superb canapés; Calves brains, Skate cheeks, Razor Clams and, best of all, steak tartare topped with a golden yellow quail egg yolk. Once we sat down, each course just topped the last. A starter of roast loin of hare came in a salad with sweet pumpkin sauce. It was matched by bottles of Original Ale donated by Badger in Dorset.

Next up, the main courses, Roast Mutton with a mashed potatoes and black cabbage and huge hands of pork with layers of crackling. Both seemed to be enjoyed by everyone and in the end, Joe and Zoe who looked after us so well had only bones to collect. We matched this with bottles of ESB donated by London’s finest, Fuller’s Brewery.Desserts were matched with award winning Jaipur IPA from Thornbridge Brewery in Derbyshire and both mini trifles and plates of gloriously chewy Eton Mess soon disappeared.

Those of you who read the blog regularly may recall that, earlier in the year, I headed up to The Ribble Valley to meet Bob Kitchen and his daughter Faye at Leagram Organic Dairy where, not only did I discover that there were three types of Lancashire Cheese, but that they also made a soft curd cheese that will change your life. Faye had been kind enough to send down slabs of “Tasty” Lancashire and enough curd cheese to feed an army and while we sipped on glasses of Peat Monster from Compass Box, Ollie contributed to the feast with oatcakes, damson jam and pickled grapes making it a stunning end to a stunning meal. Not bad value for £40 a head.

All I can tell you is that everyone seemed to have a great time and contributed to my belief that DINE WITH DH is something worthwhile and something we might just keep going for a while.

Oh, and of course, people left with those goody bags, stuffed to the gunwhales with all sorts of amazing stuff courtesy of the incredibly kind brands listed below (I hope I have not missed anyone out, but if I have forgotten anyone, please let me know)

The next event is at Bentley's on the 9th November. If you would like to come along, please join our group on Facebook.

P.S: All of the good photographs are courtesy of Niamh Shields at EAT LIKE A GIRL

Dos Hermanos would like to thank the following for making the latest event possible and such a huge success.

THE BULL & LAST

PLYMOUTH GIN

HALL WOODHOUSE BREWERY

FULLERS BREWERY

THORNBRIDGE BREWERY

COMPASS BOX WHISKY

LEAGRAM ORGANIC DAIRY

and, of course, we would also like to recognise the incredible generosity of the PR's and companies who supplied the following for the goody bags

ENCONA SAUCES
LUSCOMBE ORGANIC DRINKS
GALAXY CHOCOLATE
JUICE BREWERY
TILDA BASMATI RICE
JORDAN'S CEREALS
PENDERYN WELSH WHISKY
WHITWORTH FRUITS
SHERE KHAN SAUCES
HALEN MON SALT
MAKE MINE A BUILDER'S
CHARLIE BIGHAM'S

THE PRINCE OF WALES: A RIGHT ROYAL REPAST

Who’d have thought it ? Two visits in as many weeks to areas of London with SW in the Post Code. Actually, not so strange. Before I ascended to the heights of North London a decade ago, I lived in various locations south of the river. My first job was in SW15 and (hard to believe, I know) I even did some courting involving many trips back and forth across Putney Bridge. So any return was always going to be very evocative and full of amazement at the rapid passage of time.

The Prince of Wales is situated on the Upper Richmond Road a short walk away from the rather ghastly Putney High Street (Chain coffee stores ? We got ‘em). It’s the elder sister of The Bull and Last in Highgate and the MO is roughly similar: a bunch of people with a lot of experience in the restaurant biz have got together, found some great ingredients, cook them with care and accuracy and serve them in a professional yet relaxed manner. Piece of piss, really. As I said in my post about the B&L, all (shudder) gastropubs should be like this but sadly aren’t.

In some ways I preferred the PoW. It’s a lot more relaxed. The Pub bit is separate from the restaurant bit so there isn’t the scrum at the bar to order food. On a Saturday lunchtime it was more or less full but things felt a lot less harried. And most importantly, you’ve no chance of running into Giles Coren. A deal closer or what ?

The menu here isn’t as diverse or as large (the small kitchen and brigade probably mitigate against that) but the food is terrific. I always order Scotch Eggs whenever they’re on the menu. This one was great: porky and herby and the perfect amuse with a well-kept pint of Black Sheep.

The Native Oyster season has finished but some Colchester Rocks were briny and delicious and were as good as you’ll find. Au Naturel is best when it comes to bivalves but a drop or two of lemon juice or some shallot vinegar is always interesting to try.

Small Cornish Squid was sliced and coated in a mixture that had a little paprika in the mix then quickly deep fried. It was some of the most tender I’ve tried (apparently flash freezing does the trick) and really didn’t need the accompanying dip or salad, decent though they were. They didn’t need a fork either – this was a job for fingers.

A slab of Rump Cap was cooked pink and was nicely beefy although the unctuous Wild Garlic Butter slathered over the top stole the show. Triple cooked chips were crisp and crunchy and the real thing – they’re not always. I didn’t think the wooden board thing added anything but it only really registered after I’d eaten my main course.

The signature dish in terms of what the other punters were going for appeared to be the Fish and Chips and the big hunks of Haddock wm ith Chips looked the business, although seeing them on a board brought back unhappy memories of those I’d had at Tom’s Kitchen. Difference is, these examples looked much, much better, cost a tenner and were served with proper ketchup.

I’ve gone right off puddings in high-end restaurants. They tend to be an unwelcome sugar overload at the end of a usually very rich meal. I’ve had much better desserts in pubs which are restaurants, for example, The Red Lion. Like the Bull and Last puddings at The Price of Wales - well, the one I had – was impressive. A Salt Caramel Chocolate Fondant with Peanut Butter Ice Cream was rich and luxurious without being cloying – every mouthful brought a little smile (well, that’s as much as you’re going to get from me). A comped glass of Recioto widened that smile.

Coffee was superb – I knew it would be – and there was a very nice Calvados that spoke of apples and le trou normand.

Service from manager Bernie was friendly and on the ball and he seemed to breeze through a busy service, even with me interrupting and asking stupid questions. The kitchen seems to work without muss or fuss and turns out accurately cooked and tasty grub at what I think are very reasonable prices. It all looks so effortless, but of course that’s professionals for you – always making it look easy. Bastards.

THE PRINCESS VICTORIA: IMPERIAL GRUB

Sometimes it’s the small things that impress. I’d just had my Pork Board (how could you not order something called a Pork Board) when the friendly server asked me if I’d enjoyed it. I said I had, but there weren’t enough Pork Scratchings. She went away and returned soon after with a bowl of freshly cooked crisp piggy goodness. Things like that make me inclined to like a place.

I also liked the ale which, as anyone who drinks in the capital’s pubs will know, can be a bit crap. Here it was well kept and had that wonderfully fresh aroma and thirst- quenching ability that the best beers have. I’d especially recommend the Harvey’s Sussex Best if it’s on which was as good as I’ve had in Sussex itself.

Back to that Pork Board (yes we must). There were other porcine delights too: a little croquette of Pig’s Cheek with a tart sauce gribiche; a dense meaty GOS Pate with piccalilli; proper Ham; Salami and some rolled Pork Belly which spread easily onto excellent homemade Brown Bread. Speaking of which, that bread made a better match than the flat variety on the plate. There was nothing especially wrong with it or the almonds or the stuffed guindillas which all added a little Moro-esque touch to the dish, but to be honest I would have given them all up for another fried pig’s cheek. How ever would this dish be shared ?

Surprisingly, the only disappointment came with my main course. I’d heard the triple-cooked (yes, those again) chips here were the best in show. They certainly looked the part with a golden brown colour that said: eat me. The problem was they didn’t have those extra layers of crunch that the best examples have - I’m thinking of the Bull and Last here. In the end they were just superior fat chips and you all know what Dos Hermanos think of those.

The rest of the plate was textbook stuff – not surprising given co-owner and chef James McLean’s CV. Rib Eye, although not the Gigantor-like specimens DH are used to was notably good meat and had the taste of the grill (mmmm…grill). There was a fine Béarnaise to dip my fat chips into, some neatly trimmed, squeaky green beans and some dried Tomatoes that had a very intense taste of, get this, Tomato. Whatever next ?

Affogato (Italian for drowned) is an espresso with a scoop of Ice Cream in it. Sounds like an interesting way to combine pud and coffee if you’re in a hurry but next time I think I’ll stick to a bowl of the stuff, ice cream that is, and a coffee to follow.

The Bull and Last is our current standard when it comes to Gastropubs, or pubs with restaurants as we should probably call them to separate them from the chaff, but in many ways the dining experience is more enjoyable at The Princess Victoria.

I’ve already talked about the beer but the wine list, from other owner and ex-sommelier of The Capital, Matt Wilkin is better, there’s a proper dining room in which to eat and the atmosphere on a Saturday lunchtime is less hectic. Crucially though, you won’t get Giles Coren coming in on spec and nabbing your seat.

That said, the B&L with its bar snacks (Black Pudding studded Sausage Roll anyone ?), its wider range of dishes and its two types of chips wins out in the all-important food category. If I lived anywhere in West London though (and not a day goes by when I thank my own personal god that I don’t) I’d be more than happy to have the Princess Victoria on my doorstep. Now, all they need to do is to fix those chips.