Pub Royale- Brunch

When I last went to Pub Royale, the chef recommended that I try brunch.  Since brunch is a thing that I do regularly, it was easy to add to my list.  As I wasn't sure how many people were going to join me, it was a good choice because they don't take reservations.  It was a small group that arrived when they opened.  We sat at in a booth, but had a good view of the bar which is framed with a pair of stuffed peacocks and a motorcycle to the right of the bar (toward the back of the restaurant).  I had mentioned that there were several Indian masks hanging on the wall.  We were sitting next to several of them.  While it is a bar with a great beer list, that changes quickly, many cocktails go down easier in the morning, than beer and that's what I went with.  The cocktails all had similar names, Royal Cups, which is what they all contained, though they all varied as far as base liquor and fruit.  I am not sure what a Royal Cup was made from, though I will guess that it is similar to a Pimm's Cup.  I ordered the Royal Cup #1 which, in addition to the Royal Cup itself, had Gin, Orange, Cucumber, and Strawberry.  It was sweet, vegetal, and bitter, and very herbal and it was very good.

 

As is typical, I like both sweet and savory for brunch, but for this location sweet was easy because there really was only one thing that fit that description, the Naan Doughnut.  As described, it was a doughnut made from naan coated with Chai Dulce de Leche.  It was dense, sweet, and had a little spiciness to it.  I also ordered Samosas for the table.  While they are not sweet, they are really good and I really like them.  While some samosas can have meat in them, the samosas served at Pub Royale are vegetarian, containing Potatoes, Fried Onions, and Peas and served with Cilantro and Tamarind Dipping Sauces.

After we ordered our main courses, but before they came out, we were greeted by Chef Joanna, who I first met when she was chef at Ada Street.  We had some nice small talk and when she returned to the kitchen she sent out a bonus dish that wasn't on the menu, that the waitress called an Avocado Omelette.  While it did have egg and was topped with mashed avocado, it was all sitting on top of some Naan Bread, so it was essentially an avocado toast with egg.  In any case, it was really good and because I had so much other stuff, I ended up bringing most of it home.  It was still good after the trip.

For my main course, I ordered what was called Combo #5.  Why it was called Combo #5, I have no idea because while it was a combo, there were no other dishes labeled combos.  Combo # 5 included Pakora Battered Shrimp, Basmati Fried Rice, Spicy Soy Glaze, Bean Sprouts, Scallions, and a Fried Egg.  While I liked most of this dish, I didn't care much for the shrimp because the flavor was too strong.  Besides the shrimp, it was a good dish and made for a good finish.  While there were many brunch standards on the menu, they all had an Anglo-Indian spin to them which gave it some variety.  It was a lot of fun and I will surely return. 

Pub Royale

While I have been told that I am a pretty adventurous water, I am a little intimidated when I don't really know what the food will be like.  Indian food uses so many unusual spices that are not used in other cuisines, that I have been a little intimidated to dive in.  There are things that fall within the realm of Indian cuisine that I really like, but my knowledge base of Indian Cuisine is small so it is generally not a go to for me.  India, however, was a colony of the British Empire and Anglo-inflected Indian cuisine is popular in England, so if Indian Cuisine is put through an English lens, this makes it easier for me to try.  If a restaurant putting out Anglo-Indian pub fare hores a chef that I know and like, that makes it easier for me to try.  Pub Royale, a gastropub with a really good beer list serving Anglo-Indian cuisine recently hired Chef Joanna Stachon, formerly of Ada Street, a restaurant I have come to love, so I decided that it was time for a visit.  The sign over the door looks really weathered with the lettering giving an exotic Indian feel and green neon signs above the name announcing food, beer, and brunch.  Inside, the space is narrow with the bar running along one side.  The walls are brick with Indian masks hanging on the brick walls and hanging globe lighting.  There is a large mirror behind the bar framed by a couple of stuffed white peacocks.  The glassware is kept hanging or sitting under the shelf holding the liquor and there is an old BMW motorcycle hanging on the wall behind and beside the bar.

While there is a printed beer list, the most up to date list is on a digital screen at the back of the restaurant.  I didn't actually notice the list until I had already ordered and received my beers off of the cardboard menu.  I ordered Odell Pyrus and Prunus American Wild Ale and Prairie Twist Farmhouse Ale.  The Odell was very tart.  While I liked it, it was a sipper as opposed to something you might put down quickly.  The Prairie was a hoppy and funky saison.  It had a pronounced flavor, but I had never had a high alcohol sour before (the Odell was 9% ABV), and I liked that more.  Having said that, while I did like the Odell better, the Prairie was better with my food.  

As for my food, I started with something I will almost always start with when I eat Indian food, Samosas.  They had a crispy outer shell as a good samosa is supposed to and was filled with Potatoes, Peas, and Onions, and was served with Cilantro and Tamarind Chutneys.  The samosas were good without chutney.  The crust was like a fried wonton with steamed potatoes, peas, and onions and the flavors that they provide.  While they were good without the chutney, they were better with, thiough I will admit that I did prefer the tart and bitter flavor of the tamarind to the green flavor of the cilantro chutney.

When I looked over the food menu, I saw something else that there also was no question about ordering.  At Ada Street, Lamb Ribs had made a showing on the menu and they were a big favorite among my friends and I.  They were also on the menu at Pub Royale with an Indian twist, adding Pomegranate Seeds, Cilantro, Pistachios, and Crispy Rice.  The ribs themselves were tender and flavorful, but required a little pull to remove from the bone.  The pomegranate seeds provided a bitter sweetness, and the crispy rice had a light fried flavor and added some crunch.  While it was a little different from that that was served at Ada Street, it was still very good.

My next course, while vegetarian, could very well be considered a main course.  It was Butternut Squash Dal with Red Lentils (the dal), Broccolini, Saffron, Pumpkin Seeds, Lasanachi Chutney (Garlic Chutney), and Crispy Kale.  This was very rich, flavorful, and spicy, and the Kale was very light and crispy with the lentils and squash being very creamy textured.  While I expected that I would like this, I was surprised at how much that I did like it.

While I was enjoying the dal, Chef Joanna came out to greet me (I asked if she was in and when told who was asking, she said that she would come out and say hi).  We exchanged pleasantries and caught up a little and shortly after she returned to the kitchen, I received a bonus course that was not yet on the menu:  Charred Rainbow Carrots with Lemon and Honey Greek Yogurt, Smoked Pistachios, and Sherry Golden Raisins.  I really like carrots and these were cooked to a perfect tenderness.  They were lightly sweet which the raisins paired well with.  The pistachios added a crunchy textural variety and a nutty flavor and the yogurt provided a tart counterpoint.  It was simple and complex at the same time and I really enjoyed it.

There is one thing on the menu that could qualify as dessert and that was the Naan Doughnut with Chai Dulce de Leche Sauce.  While most doughnuts are finger food, this, because of the Dulce de Leche Sauce needed a knife and fork.  The doughnut itself was pretty dense and powdered with sugar, making it lightly sweet.  The Sauce provided the sweetness that you would expect of a doughnut and the chai spices added a sweet spiciness to the whole thing.  It provided for a very nice finish to a good meal.

 I really enjoyed my meal here.  The food was really good, and while a little exotic, not inaccessible.  The staff is very friendly and helpful and the place has a nice design.  I will definitely return and will probably bring friends.    

St. John

Before I went to London, I had heard about another restaurant that sounded interesting.  It was a little off the beaten path, but it wasn't that heard to get to.  The restaurant, St. John, is located in an old smokehouse and is a truly English restaurant that does seasonal, nose-to-tail cooking.  Located in an old smokehouse near the Smithfield Market, a centuries old meat market, it really reminds me of a farm building despite being located in a very densely populated area.  The front of St, John looks like a small shop that takes (or does) deliveries.  With a large freight door on the left and a smaller door that might be assumed to be the entrance on the right.  It might be assumed to be the entrance but it would be assumed wrongly.  The door on the right is actually for the restaurant offices.  The big freight entrance is actually the proper entrance.  It is not however, a freight entrance.  There are a few tables in the room and as you walk further back, you walk into the bar and bakery which has a large skylight.  All of this area is painted white and has little design.  The main dining area to St. John is actually up a flight of stairs located in the bar and bakery.  It is a circuitous route to get to the host's station but it is right inside the entrance at the top of the stairs and I was seated immediately upon announcing myself.  The main dining area is also very white with wooden chairs and white tablecloth covered tables with white paper on top of that.  The kitchen was in one corner and looked relatively small.  I mentioned that St. John does nose to tail cooking.  Having looked at the menu frequently before I arrived, I saw that the menu changed frequently and it could at times be a little challenging.  Looking at the menu before I ordered, I saw that it was going to be a little challenging simply because there were several things on the menu that I didn't know.  I asked the waiter (who was also in white) to explain a few things and while he did, he was a bit snarky about it.  The waiter actually reminded me a bit of Will Ferrell.  While I did appreciate the help, I didn't appreciate the sarcasm.  After my questions were answered, I made my order and tried to get past the waiter's attitude.

For my appetizer, I ordered the Roast Bone Marrow with Parsley Salad.  I have had marrow before and have really enjoyed it.  In normal circumstances, you are given a small fork to remove the marrow from the bone and it is normally spread on some bread which is frequently toasted.  While I am certain that I would have enjoyed this in the same way, the server was pretty specific as to how I should eat it.  It was similar to how I would have normally eaten it but there were some differences.  I was to spread the marrow onto the the toasted country bread that was served with it.  Sprinkle it with some wet salt that was served on the side, and top it with the parsley salad.  With four bones (with a lot of marrow in each), I actually had more marrow than I had salad to eat it with but it was all good.  The marrow was very smooth and buttery, the salt added salt (obviously), and the salad was fresh, crisp, and very flavorful.  In addition to the parsley, the salad had thinly sliced onions, and was lightly coated with a vinaigrette.  It tasted very good and got me well on my way to getting over my feelings of insult by my waiter.

I don't remember exactly what the dish I ordered for my main course was called but I was surprised when it came out.  It may have been called a Breaded Veal Cutlet with Artichoke and Spinach but I recognized it as a Veal Schnitzel which is a favorite dish of mine at a German Deli near where I work.  A half a lemon came with it to add some acid and to allow it to pair better with the artichokes and spinach (with capers).  It was good as all fried foods are and the lemon provided a needed sour element to the dish.

I had heard of my dessert before I ordered it but I wasn't exactly sure what it was.  I remembered reading or hearing that it was very good so I decided to try it out despite what I thought was a rather non-descriptive name.  I ordered an Eton Mess.  While I say that it was non-descriptive, I found after I got it that it was only non-descriptive in that it was not obvious from the name what it was made of.  It very much looked like a mess, but a very good mess.  It was composed of whipped cream, meringues, and strawberries.  The dessert was apparently created at Eton College and is served during cricket matches between Eton and Winchester.  The mess seemed obvious from the appearance.  This was a very simple dessert (as everything else here was very simple), but like everything else, it is done very well. 

As far as the food was concerned, I really liked what I had.  The restaurant was very English in that the food was very simple but it was prepared very well.  I found the spartan and rustic design of the restaurant rather interesting and even though it was a little disconcerting to wander through the (well lit) building to find where I was to announce myself, it was kind of cool to see the building.  I liked my visit here despite being put off by the waiter but because of the attitude of the waiter, I am not sure that I would visit again.