The Joker Of Penton Street

Had my birthday party there at the weekend in the function room, it was absolutely amazing, nothing was too much for the management and they helped me with everything. Food was delicious, drinks fantastic and the price was amazing. Highly recommend this venue.... I have been a few times before to the pub too and the craft beers they offer are great as well as the food.

My first visit to the Joker was on a balmy Thursday before heading to Smokehouse and we just had one quick drink sitting outside, which meant I wasn't really able to assess the place.

I had the chance to come back three days later with some friends for some early evening drinking on a Saturday. We got there at about six and were practically the only people in the place. It's not on the 'strip' of Upper Street's bars and restaurants so if you don't know it's there, you wouldn't know it's there. Luckily, I do.

It's a cool pub with a modern style. Definitely a pub not a bar, but light and airy with a few quirky decorations thrown in. I loved the huge wooden comedy/tragedy masks and the 'Be Here Now' clock.

They also currently have Tongue 'n' Cheeks in residence serving up their famous heartbreaker burgers (so-called because beef heart is mixed in) but they've got a few other things to choose from as well if you don't like burgers, offal, or the idea of them both combined. I would fall into this camp so I had the picchiapo fries - chips topped with some fantastic, juicy pulled brisket that had been cooked with peppers and onions in a tomatoey sauce, a take on a traditional Roman dish apparently. And the chips this was heaped on weren't bad neither. They also do a philly cheesesteak which one of my friends had. This was a pretty hearty serving of meat and cheese overflowing from a hoagie-type roll.

It was a really chilled out place, perfect for a bunch of friends to catch up, and actually be able to hear each other - no din of music or crowds. In that respect it shares elements in common with an 'old man's pub' but this is definitely for the younger pub-goer. They also have gigs and quiz nights on in the week if you want to do more than just sit and drink. An excellent haven from the hustle and bustle of 'Supper Street'.

I love this pub, it's tucked away at the back end of Penton Street, running away from the Angel 'strip' and contains one of the best pub kitchen residencies in London today (in my view!) - Tongue 'N Cheeks.

Tongue 'n Cheeks is not your usual burger slinging, street food set up, oh no. They're focused on nose-to-tail eating, using the parts of the animal that don't tend to make it onto mainstream restaurant menus.
And at the heart of their offering (no pun intended) sits the Heartbreaker burger - a glorious blend of beef and ox heart. 


I caught up with them at Kerb to find out how good their burgers actually are, but you can also sample their wares at The Joker on Penton St. in Angel.



Price:

Heartbreaker 'Cheesy' - £6

Heartbreaker 'Belly Connection' - £7



Presentation:

Tongue 'N Cheek burgers are presented open in a wrap of greaseproof paper, wrapped in a napkin. Being streetfood, the burgers are cooked and built in front of you with the care and attention you'd hope for . Peeking out of the wrapper, the poppy and sesame seed bun gives this burger great visual appeal and the fantastic smells emanating from the packet mean you won't go far before chowing down.



Toppings:

On the 'Cheesy' burger, the cheese has been superbly melted under cloche with steam, coating the patty with a cloack of oozing dairy that fills in all the cracks in the patty. Add in ketchup and mustard and this is Tongue 'N Cheek take on the classic cheeseburger. They don't stop there, however, as under the lid also reside some sharp and crunchy slices of pickled radish, which give a great contrast to the soft patty and cheese. They're also rather moreish.



The 'Belly Connection' burger, on the other hand, is topped with an almost japanese-style sweet mayo, pickled onions and a couple of slices of griddled belly pork. The sweet mayo works an absolute treat with the aged beef, complelementing the rich earthy flavours of the patty, but the sheer volume of it sadly drowned out the flavours of the pork belly - which on its own was excellent. The long strands of pickled onion were sharp and offered a great balance to the rest of the mellow burger.



Meat:

The meat at the heart of all the Heartbreaker burgers from Tongue 'N Cheek are a thick, coarsely ground blend of ox heart and dry aged chuck, which is loosely packed into thick patties. For each burger, the patties are seared on a flat-top grill for a good long time, which results in a dark brown, and super crunchy crust around the beef, whilst retaining a juicy, pink interior. These patties have a great earthy aged beef flavour and high fat content, which should come as no surprise as they're supplied by butcher Nathan Mills who runs The Butchery in Bermondsey.



Bun:

White, and studded with poppy & sunflower seeds, the Tongue 'N Cheek bun looks beautiful. It is toasted, but I still found this to be a little firm for the rest of the soft furnishings inside the sandwich. I found it compressed when squeezed together, but didn't spring back, leaving solid lumps where my fingers had pressed. But I'm nit-picking here - yes, it's denser than other street food burger buns I'm used to, but looking at the practicality it's good for structure, particularly when the recipients are going to be eating it on the hoof, and it works well with the juicy patty.



The buns are supplied from The Spence bakery, based in Stoke Newington.



Overall rating: 9/10

I'm really impressed with the heartbreaker burger - it's charm lies in the combination of earthy, beefy flavours played off against sharp and sweet elements of the build, as well as great texture throughout the burger. Cristiano, Tongue 'N Cheek's founder, has created a thing of beauty from parts of a cow that aren't first choice on many people's list, and for that I salute him.

Such a multi functional space! First of all, the deco is beautiful. They host dance nights that are incredibly cool even if dancing isn't your cuppa. Bar staff - 5/5 - always happy to help you pick a drink. The food menu is everchanging yet reliably tasty and the beer menu often offers rather interesting local options.

These guys put up with a LOT! We had the private room upstairs before Christmas. We brought in a games host, we were noisy and boisterous... The staff couldn't have been nicer. The room was great, the drinks well priced, the catering wasn't bad, and overall we had a great time (until 3 am!).

Great staff, cool decor and amazing beer selection. The manager Jon is running the pub really well and it's a joy to have a drink here most Fridays. Ah... And a great Dj on a Friday night as well..! Cheers Paul

Had a few drinks here. Very chatty, friendly staff, warm & welcoming. Drinks are average prices for the area. Nice sweet potato fries. Recommended!

Lovely place. Open and light. Good beer selection and a 50/50 menu. All dishes either vegan or meaty. Forward thinking. Great staff.