Mini Bites: Pitt Cue Co, Southbank

Over the Summer, we will be seeing the Festival of Britain revived on the South Bank to celebrate it's 60th anniversary. As well as a variety of exhibtions and activities, we are seeing a few foodie related events springing up. We have already seen the street food festival which happened earlier this month, and the recent opening of Dishoom Chowpatty Beach, and now we have the arrival of the Pitt Cue co. Influenced by American BBQ culture, they are bringing the "Cue" to the Southbank.

Dishoom Chowpatty Beach Bar, Southbank

Pop ups seem to be becoming all the rage. A chance to do something a bit different. In a couple of weeks time, Dishoom (the popular "Bombay Cafe") opens it's doors to it's first venture outside Covent Garden. Taking over an old artists studio, it is invading the Southbank with a Chowpatty Beach popup, named after the eponymous beach in Bombay, and I was lucky enough to be asked along for a sneak preview.

Sustenance on the Southbank, Benugo Bar and Kitchen

Southbank, one of the best places in London to wander. Packed to the brim with a great diversity of people, I don't believe that there is a nicer place to be on a balmy and bright summer's evening.

Dotted all the way down at intermittent intervals are places to eat of various shapes and sizes. From chains to upper end dining, you can find them all within spitting distance of each other. Having already visited the Skylon Grill on a previous visit, I decided to try out Benugo Bar and Kitchen within the confines of the BFI.

I was meeting the curiously named Mountain Goat. This particular breed threw in his well paid job at very well know company (forgoing free food, and probably more importantly, free cake) to climb mountains for a living. As far as I am aware, he hasn't been classified insane. Yet.

Anyway, we met, we chatted and we scampered around a bit looking for this well hidden place, which incidentally is actually located slap bang inside the BFI. Benugo Bar and Kitchen is an offshoot of the Benugo clan of coffee and sandwich shops. On entering this lofty space, this place clearly had no intentions of being a coffee bar, with furnishings closer to that of an upmarket All Bar one and a rather resplendent bar situated at the back. We headed over to the restaurant on the right hand side of the room and were given our menu's. So far so good.



Benugo B&K prides itself on its British classics and the food appears firmly routed within these loose restrictions. I decided to order a Watermelon Martini (start as you mean to go on) as some above average bread was brought over, accompanied by some rather bland butter. The martini was crisp and reassuringly strong, although the overall taste of watermelon was somewhat lacking.



For me, I ordered the lamb chops with garlic mash and mint pesto. The lamb chops were very nicely cooked, with the pre-requisite grill lines. It must have hit the grill at quite some temperature as the fat had begun to crisp up whilst to middle remained pink and moist. The mash was ok, not that much garlic flavour really coming through, and I never seem to understand why so much mash is normally piled on the plate. If its really rich, you don't need the mounds of starchiness, although if it was that rich, you would probably polish it off anyway and make you feel ill. Lastly, and probably the most confusing for me, was the mint pesto. It really didn't have that much of a mint kick, but the dominating flavour was the cheese (parmesan I assume), used in the making of the pesto. A rather more restrained use of said cheese would really have helped the dish along, instead, it totally dominated all the flavours.



The goat went for the Chicken, ham and mushroom pie, with the only proviso being that I was allowed a taste. My mouthful was a little strange, dominated by something sweet. I wasn't sure where this sweetness was coming from, but the mountain goat assured me that my taste buds were playing tricks on me as he silently but stealthily devoured his pie.

Benugo B&K is a good value but ultimately average restaurant. I think the cooking is above average but the flavourings of the dishes definitely need work, judging on this experience. Prices are competitive with mains starting under a tenner and not more than £15. Once the bill was settled, awaiting the final musketeer, we toddled off in search of beer surveying a frankly startling London skyline.



Benugo (Website), BFI Southbank, Waterloo

Seeing the sights at Skylon

In 1951, London welcomed the Festival of Britain, and much of the Southbank was developed as the principal exhibition site for this momentous event. Where once were warehouses, sprang buildings designed by the leading British architects of that day. Amongst others, this included the Royal Festival Hall (the only remaining building from that exhibition) and the Skylon, a steel and aluminium shaped cigar suspended by wires. What better a way to celebrate Britishness than by erecting a giant pointless metal structure which was dismantled just a year later.

Where am I going with this? Well, its all about Skylon, innit! Located on the 3rd floor of the Royal Festival Hall, it has both a main restaurant, serving “haute” cuisine, and a grill serving lighter more regular fare, a popular trend amongst upper end restaurants these days. In addition, it contains a pretty spectacular view. Although the blinds were quite low as the sun was out, the view from Skylon spans much of the Thames and its highlights. You know what they say, if you eat with your eyes, I had already eaten the equivalent of a starter before even sitting down.



The night contained the many wonders that is Beardyman, so a quick and filling meal was the order of the day. The main restaurants going to have to wait, Grill it was. Bread down (which incidentally was chewy, but worth every ounce of effort), we perused the menu and ordered.

So, to start a Chicken and Ham Hock salad:



This was the business, where do I start? Shreds of chicken that actually taste of chicken, none of that battery farmed, pumped full of water chicken here. The ham hock was reassuringly salty and tender. The sugar snap peas were crisp and so fresh that it lit up my palate. To bulk it up, alfalfa and baby spinach, accompanied by a grain of sorts (quinoa?). All smothered in a velvety mustard dressing, this really was the highlight of the meal and probably one of the more enjoyable dishes I have had this year.

FP went for Confit Duck and Puy Lentils



I snaffled some. I would say that the duck was above average but nothing outstanding. Crispy little nuggets of skin are always the highlight for me, and this had a few. Puy lentils had lots of flavour, presumably cooked in stock. Bit hard though, could have done with a few more minutes.

My main, Slow roast middle white pork, spring greens, pommes Alsace



It's not the prettiest thing to look at, is it? But it was oh so good. The meat just fell apart and was lubricated by a delicate gravy with serious apple undertones, a nice alternative to lumping a load of apple sauce all over the meat (which I invariably do if apple sauce is to hand). The requisite crackling passed the test. Firm without breaking the old gnashers. The greens were ok but the potatoes were a bit rubbish. I mean, what is pommes Alsace anyway? If this is how they do potatoes in Alsace, I don't really want to eat there. The pommes frites we ordered on the side were much better. Probably not of the triple cooked variety, but crisp and seriously moreish.

On the whole, thumbs up. Each main cost just over a tenner so it's really not going to break the bank. The food here is clearly cooked by an accomplished kitchen and I would love to return to try out what's on offer in the main kitchen. As I left, it seemed strange to me that a restaurant run by a Finn cooking predominantly French food is located in the remnants of what represented Britain in the 50's. There is talk of another Skylon being erected on the Southbank. For the time being, I'm quite satisfied with this one.

Skylon Grill (Website), Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX

A bit of something else: Beardyman and Comedy at the Castle

Just for a change, I thought I would jot down a quick post about something else other than what I have been stuffing my face with.

This week, I arranged a bit of an assault on my oratory senses. First a big cow containing a beat boxing madman (and friends) and then some seriously off the wall comedy at my local.



E4 are running a series of shows at the "Udderbelly" on the Southbank, in preparation for their move up north for the Edinburgh Festival. A popular venue up in Edinburgh, the "Underbelly" is normally based in the cavernous area under the George IV bridge. Instead here in London, we get a big purple upside down cow!



"Beardyman's complete and udder shambles" was a collaboration between the man himself and a few of his contemporaries, each with their own abilities (almost akin to superheroes). There was the scratcher, the instrumentalist, the other beat boxer, the electric guitarist, the MC and even his brother with his own comedic songs.

If you have never heard of or seen Beardyman, he is a sound to behold. His vocal/beat boxing ability really blew me away. Although he was supported by some very talented people, none of them could even come close to this genius. Check out some of his stuff here.



After that assault on my eardrums, I decided to indulge in a bit more EdFest related tomfoolery, this time, a couple of Festival warm up gigs down at my local boozer, The Castle. £3 on the door, a ridiculously paltry sum, we all bundled to the room upstairs and sat back to enjoy the show. Two hours later, we emerged from a sweltering room, satisfied if a little hot under the collar. The best on the night was John Gordillo and his show “F*ckonomics”. A really affable fella with some good material. If your heading up to the festival this year, check out his show.

I arrived home to find my flat slightly damp after the unholy deluge that London endured earlier that day. One of the follies of living in a basement flat with inadequate drainage. Oh well, I guess you can't have it all.

See : Southbank, London Bridge to Waterloo

Today’s expedition sees the Tehbus venturing north from Camberwell all the way up to London Bridge in readiness to traverse the expanse that is more commonly known as the Southbank. My intention is to make my way all along the Southbank, taking in all the delights it has to offer, setting off from London Bridge and ending up in Westminster. This covers the first half of the trip, London Bridge to Waterloo.

1. Borough Market - A "must visit" destination for anybody who has even a fleeting interest in food. Be wary, it is only open on Thursday-Sunday, but even if you’re in the area on any other days, there are numerous shops and stalls which are open for your perusal. Packed with fresh veg, oils, breads and pretty much every other comestible under the sun. Most stalls offer little tasters, you will probably fill yourself up before you head for something more substantial, like the venison burgers or authentic German sausages. Notable places to visit include the Ginger Pig (for all your meaty requirements, a great traditional British butchers), Tapas Brindisa (top notch authentic Spanish tapas, try the jamon iberico) and Monmouth Coffee. With my latte from Monmouth in hand, I proceeded west and continued up the Southbank.

2. The Globe Theatre - This theatre is a faithful recreation of Shakespeare's Globe and is somewhat a homage to all things Shakespeare. It’s a great place to experience a Shakespeare play, with a highly unique space and is split between standing and seating. About half the tickets are standing tickets and are dirt cheap. At the moment, they are showing "As You Like It" and "Troilus and Cressida" so catch them whilst you can.

3. The Tate Modern - Continuing west along the Southbank, the next prominent building you will come across is the Tate Modern. Directly opposite St Pauls (and linked via the "wobbly bridge" or the Millennium Bridge as it is better known), the Tate Modern is housed in a disused power station and its main tower stands out along the London skyline. As its name suggests, it houses a plethora of examples of modern art, ranging from lesser known British artists to the more well known such as Picasso and Dali. The main space is what is known as the Turbine hall and is normally dominated by one main exhibition piece. At the moment, this is full of bunk beds with books on them, a dinosaur and a big spider, courtesy of Dominique Gonzales-Foerster. Up to the 3rd floor finds you on the first real exhibition floor and at the moment, the themes are "Material Gestures" and "Poetry and Dream". I wandered around these exhibitions, easily passing a few hours and immersed myself in works from artists all over the world. The expert description next to each piece of art really helps you immerse yourself in the work. Real thought provoking stuff.

After this, I was all cultured out and hungry, so decided to leave the Tate Modern for now and revisit this at a later date. Other current exhibitions include "Rodchenko and Popova" and "Roni Horn aka Roni Horn".

4. The OXO Tower - By this stage, I was starving so I attempted to locate some food. Now don’t get me wrong, the Southbank has an abundance of restaurants and cafes. The OXO Tower is no exception. Housing various shops and restaurants, the piece the resistance is the restaurant located on the 8th floor. So, optimistically, I thought I would head up there and check it out. I knew it would be pricey, but I couldn’t justify forking out £33 on the set lunch. It wasn’t a wasted journey however, as there is a viewing platform affording fantastic views over London. My quest for food continues.

5. Gabriels Wharf - So my next stop was Gabriels Wharf. Having stayed in halls during my uni days on nearby Stamford Street, I used to visit this place fairly regularly. Home to a variety of little craft shops and places to grab a bite to eat, it’s a nice little oasis just off the Southbank. I ended up in the House of Crepes, it just being after pancake day and all, had my food for under a fiver and was on my way.

6. The National Theatre - My final stop is located right next to Waterloo Bridge and is a big grey lump of concrete. I say that disdainfully and in all honesty, this building has the potential to be one of London’s ugliest buildings. However, clever lighting actually makes this place look good, especially at night. Anyway, I digress. What’s important here is what this concrete block houses. Here you will find three theatres, not to mention various bars, shops and restaurants (although they detract from the main feature). These theatres are host to various plays originating from all over the world. Well worth checking out if you have the time. Also, if you book early enough, Travelex run a £10 ticket promotion which is an absolute bargain.

Anyway, after all this walking, I was pretty knackered and ready to go home. I set off for the bus stop located outside Waterloo and headed off home via Somerfield for some pig for dinner.

For more pictures, please feel free to visit my flickr page here.