The King & Co does it again, reeling Clapham pub goers in with another kitchen takeover by one of London’s better street food purveyors. This time round it’s smoked fish artisans, Allihopa, claiming a residency and offering diners a variety of homey, Scandinavian inspired dishes. I made it down to the King earlier this week for a breeze through Allihopa’s menu and enjoyed pretty much every bite had. Highlights were the gorgeous and buttery smoked trout (worth the visit alone!), what might have been the best meatloaf I’ve yet to try in London, and a 48-hour salt pork and breaded smoked trout mega-burger on a potato bun dubbed the Zlatan.
There’s nothing foul about the Fowl Mouths residency taking place now through the first week of March at Clapham’s rockin’ little indie pub, The King & Co. And without doubt a read of the Fowl Mouths’ menu jam packed with Japanese comfort food treats should ring mellifluent to any foodie within earshot.
Kristine Diana Tsiknaki
+3.5
Quiet pub down the road from Clapham high street. On a Tuesday it is not very crowded and there's lots of space to sit. The music was just David Bowie when I went as it was only days after his passing.
There was a decent selection of drinks and in terms of food there seemed to be different kinds of cheese based finger food. I believe they had a specific cheese based pop up residency this month so that may vary according to the time you visit.
I did like the atmosphere but I think it will be better in summer when you can also sit outside. If you want to avoid the crowds in the main Clapham bars it's a good one to look out for.
Continuing with its pop-up approach to pub grubbing, The King & Co in Clapham has opened its kitchen to Madrileño style street food vendors, Squid Kitchen. A match made in heaven? It is if crisp craft beer coupled with cones overflowing with calamari sounds like you kind of fiesta. I loved my nosh through the recent launch party and am happy to gloat … erm … share the highlights of that occasion with you.
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I have never had Ghanaian food before, so I was intrigued to finally try Zoe's Ghana Kitchen, the latest in the series of kitchen takeovers at The King & Co.
There was a good selection of Ghanaian beers - I don't drink beer, but I could see that the majority of the rest round the table who drank did enjoy them.
We sampled some of the vegetarian options - my favourite was the okra tempura which was really tasty and more-ish, served with shito, a traditional ground prawn and chilli dip.
The cassava croquettes were also pretty good with a nice, crisp batter. Unfortunately I was not a fan of the spinach and agushi (ground melon seed) stew - probably one of those dishes that require an acquired taste!
We were also served some of the side dishes from the menu - plantain chips which I really liked, jollof rice, and a scotch bonnet and chunky heritage tomato salsa which had a nice spicy kick to it.
Next up were the mackerel fillets and the jollof chicken skewers - I particularly liked that dip that accompanied the chicken skewers. The pork belly was juicy and tender, and there were some delicious chunks of sweet plantain.
And my favourite dish of the evening, as I'm sure the majority would agree as well, was Zoe's Signature peanut butter stew with mutton. I LOVE peanut butter, and have had plenty of peanut butter desserts, but never in a savoury dish. The stew was really smooth and thick, and the mutton was really tender.
A must-order dish! - unless you have a peanut allergy...
And to finish off, we had the Chin Chin Banofee Pie, made with Chin Chin which is a popular West African snack food.
For those of you visiting on the weekend, Zoe will be offering a range of hearty brunch dishes like spiced black eyed beans with fried eggs, sweet plantain pancakes, and a signature ZGK breakfast burrito; alongside a lunch “Chop” bar menu that gives the opportunity to sample a selection of Ghanaian classics in a single platter.
Zoe’s unique Sunday roasts are also not to be missed, such as tender Lamb Palaver (a five hour slow cooked hoggat shoulder with baby spinach and ground melon seed stew).
Get yourself down there whilst you can to try this contemporary twist on traditional Ghanaian flavours.
Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen’s residency at The King & Co will run from Monday 30th March until Sunday 31st May 2015.
Check out my blog for the full post with photos x
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Bah Bah's pop-up at The King & Co. runs until 29 March 2015; if you like Persian food, and struggle to eat it in London because of the hefty prices it often comes with, you mustn’t miss it. If money’s not your worry, try it just the same. It’ll only mean you can order tons of Bah Bah’s brilliant grub, and leave with an even bigger smile on your face.
The menu offers a wide range of hot and cold meze, a few mains and desserts, and daily changing specials. The meze are quite small in size; if you want to sample different dishes, get three or four of them, and pair them with sesame seed flat bread or steamed rice. That will amount to nearly a full meal, leaving enough space for dessert. If you want a sharing meal for a large group, get lots of small plates to feed everyone. We ordered nine meze for five people, which yielded smallish individual portions; everything tasted so incredibly good, I couldn’t help being hungry for more.
Our choice from the cold meze list was Borani e Bademjan: similar in concept to baba ghanoush, it’s a light spread made with yoghurt and small chunks of smoked aubergine. To the palate, it’s fresh and smoky at the same time; you’d be tempted to eat it straight from the bowl, although it goes just as well with flat bread. Speaking of which, the spinach flat bread in the hot meze menu is also remarkable: large slices of toasted bread comes with soft, warm spinach on top, seasoned with mint and a touch of garlic. Well worth a try.
If all this sounds intriguing, know that the best is yet to come. Kufteh are impossible to dislike: what’s not to love about juicy lamb and dried fruit meatballs? Sprinkled with pistachios and pomegranate seeds, Kufteh combine many of the signature ingredients in Persian cuisine, bringing out an irresistible array of flavours. I knew I’d enjoy them from the moment they landed in front of me; what I wasn’t expecting, was to come across a meze dish I’d like even more. Enter Pirashki: soft crepes with a beef filling, cooked to a turn and richly seasoned with herbs. To hell with fajitas – I don’t want to have ground beef any other way now.
The meat main, Ghormeh Sabzi (beef shin braised with roasted bone marrow, fresh herbs, kidney beans and Persian dried limes), is just the winter warmer you need to find relief from London’s freezing wintry winds. Its rich, warming sauce reminded me of the beef stews my mother used to cook in large batches when I was a kid. A befitting connection, for Bah Bah’s food is a product of cherished memories, too: chef James Nicholson’s recollections of the fragrances involved in his Iranian mother’s cooking are the main source of inspiration for his pop-up.
A slice of carrot and halva cake ended my meal on a sky-high note. Its texture was unlike anything I had before: not quite as crumbly as traditional sponge, somehow similar to the tender yet compact consistency of fudge (without its sickeningly sugary notes, though). The sweet orange peel it comes with and the sour whipped yoghurt on top even each other’s bold flavours out, creating a perfectly balanced, utterly addictive dessert: you’ll feel tempted to eat it until you feel a sugar rush kicking in – and you may need several helpings to get to that point.
No name could be more appropriate for my experience than Bah Bah: a Farsi auditory compliment for all things appealing, and most likely the way I’d describe my meal if I was any fluent in the language. Get yourself to the King & Co before 29 March, and you’ll see what I’m on about; even if Persian food’s not your thing, the pub is a lovely place to be. You will definitely find your poison among their selection of craft beers, wines and spirits, and even on a Friday night, you’ll be far enough from Clapham’s overcrowded main haunts to find a seat and have actual conversations with your mates. Tempted to pay a visit? I thought so.
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I counted down the days until Miss P's Barbecue began their residency atThe King and Co in Clapham, less than a 10 minute walk away from Clapham Common station.
I'd fallen in love with Miss P ever since tasting their BBQ brisket at KERB in Canary Wharf (note: please come back to the Wharf soon, KERB).
That summer day I sat with my box of lovingly smoked meat, moist with its perfectly rendered fat, slathered in a zingy hot sauce and sat next to cooling coleslaw and felt the buzz fade away and my stresses dissolve - for that 20 minutes I savoured the food for, anyway.
Having only tried them once though, there was the danger I revered them too much. What if they didn't live up to my recollection, especially now they were catering for hungry diners in a small yet busy pub?
Ever the optimist I took three friends on the first day we could make it. As soon as we walked in, I could smell that familiar, warming smell of smoke and I was happy.
Miss P's menu includes brisket and pulled pork, as well as their popular Cajun catfish, smoke-fried chicken wings and specials, including oak-smoked ox-cheek or pumpkin.
The Trifecta platter (£25) offered a nice selection of brisket, pulled pork, wings plus two sides (we had the BBQ beans and mac and cheese), and we stuck on some ox cheek (£10.50), slaw (£2) and potato salad (£3) as well.
The brisket was a delight - if I'm pushed to compare between this one and that first that set off my love affair, I'd say this one slighly lacked the same succulence of the first, but was still a delight - flavoursome, tender and that earthy, smokiness that barbecue fans love, in abundance.
The pulled pork was lovely and somehow delicate despite all the flavour that had been thrown at it. And the smoke-fried wings - they were incredible. Smoky, crispy, salty and just delicious.
But the highlight was the ox cheeks. Transformed from tough bits of meat to juicy, delicious bites, I was in heaven.
The sides were special too, and the sauces. It would've been nice to be told what they were, as there was a nice little selection. But that's only a small complaint.
The King & Co's drink selection was pretty special too. I started off on an OK ruby port before we moved onto cava (£25 a bottle). They also do a gluten-free beer, Mongozo Pilsner (£4.60).
Once we'd demolished our first round of food we weren't quite ready to leave it. It was too special and we knew we'd probably not get the chance to come back. So that's what prompted us to get a second helping of brisket (£9.50) and more mac and cheese (£3).
We were pursuaded into a slice of Mud Pie (£4) at the end, but we were so stuff, and so sated, we could only half-heartedly attempt to eat it.
If there was one thing I'd change, it would be to have ribs on the menu. It's not about wanting my cake and eating it, but offering a wider selection of textures as with brisket, pulled pork and the ox cheek, they were all similarly presented. On the streetfood scene Miss P's short rib are a blink-and-you-miss-them gold-dust menu choice (only the first in the loooong queue get to try them) but surely a residency has more opportunity to provide them for customers?
Nevertheless, we had a brilliant night. The staff were lovely and hidden away at the back of the cosy pub, we could be as loud and enthusiastic about the food as we wanted. Which was pretty fortunate, considering.
Recently opened on Clapham Park Road, this pop up is away from the hustle and bustle of the high street and has a very chilled vibe. We went on a Saturday night and the pleasantly warm, late September evening perfectly suited the outdoor seating area, as did the lovely weiss beer that i had (although i paid the price for it).
The menu here is from Donostia Social Club and described as 'basque inspired'. By that they mean Tapas.
Fancy descriptors aside, the food is good. I had the pigeon with lentils which was unusual but very nice. My co-eaters had the lamb cutlets, gaspacio and mini beef burgers respectively, whilst we all shared patatas bravas.
The lamb was described as lean, succulent and the perfect accompaniement to the pea purree.
In general, the atmosphere was very laid back and condusive to pleasant conversation and a perfectly chilled out, light-eating, weekend evening. The range of beers was also commendable and so definitely worth a visit.
Jamie The Business Bear
+5
Impressed with this little gem of a pub. Good range of draught also. We came for Sunday Lunch with their Pop-up Kitchen and it was great! Delicious and lots of it. They also, make a good bloody Mary.
Really lovely Sunday service. Relaxed and chilled which is just what you need.
The ever changing pop up kitchens are great and there's always something new, to tempt you! If you're in the area, it's definitely one worth visiting. It's 3 minutes walk from Clapham Common tube and also on a major bus route. The seating inside is spacious and there's even a small garden at the front to enjoy a Portobello beer too.
Came for a Sunday roast because they’re dog friendly. Staff were nice and friendly, and provided good service. Food was really good, although I didn’t really rate the Yorkshire puddings, a little too large and over-cooked.
The toilets seriously need a refurb! Really dark and dingy.
A good selection of beers on tap and a themed menu that changes regularly. The seating area outside is small but if you can get a seat it’s a lovely space to sit in the sun or on a warm evening.
Such a lovely pub - we went to watch the Ireland v SA rugby match & the staff looked after us so well! Very good vibes all round
Travelled far for the food by the truffle team here.
Food and booze options and quality were too draw. Service was friendly and available also.
You should go to this pub and eat lots and drink lots..
Stan is so helpful when it comes to picking a drink! The food is tasty and isn't over priced. Really needed an unwind and that's exactly what I got. Beers have gone down a treat. Thank you for having us.
Also, side not: if you aren't looking for a manic clapham common pub on a Saturday night but need somewhere to just decompress and be out, but not out-out, this is a few minute walk from the common and just wonderful
Such a cool little pub. Amazing food and attentive, friendly service too. Have been a couple of times and will be back again soon.
Beautiful local spot, great for live sports and a Sunday roast. Great ambience and a few craft beers on tap. 10/10 would recommend to a friend.
Friendly staff did their best giving me a taster of some of the craft beers but ultimately it was bottled lager for me...
Amazing pub. Staff and food are great!!! Beers on tap are also a crazy great selection. Best vibe. Minutes walking from Clapham Common. 🍻
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