Turkish Delight in Bromley

I'm a born and raised Bromley Punk but the one thing that always puzzles me is the lack of decent restaurants there are in the town centre.
Ok like many other places you get your usual chains such as Maccy d's, Burger King, Nando's etc and we all go there as its quick and convenient but for Bromley, its a bit embarrassing not to have a few restuarants to shout out about. We are after all meant to be the biggest borough outside of London.

However, there is one particular joint called Havet that has given Bromley something to show off and perhaps encourage the town to have more top places.

Ever since Havet has opened it has grown and grown and every time I walk past it there's always a massive crowd of people enjoying some proper authentic Turkish-Cypriot culinary treats. Its got to the point now where there's a queue of hungry diners waiting to get in on some of the action but believe me guys to avoid disappointment you're better off booking a table.

I've been there a fair few times now and honestly it gets better after every visit. Its clean, fresh, spacious and has a great uplifting party atmosphere. The staff are a brilliant bunch of polite, friendly and outgoing people, always looking out for their customers and I Particularly love it when they crank up the Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday song for someone's special occasion. Some might consider it cheesy but hearing it definitely gets me in the party mood and puts a smile on my face.
Another example why I have a lot of time for their staff is that they're very patient and calm even at their busiest period. They don't mind the questions if you're unsure about something and they do their utmost to make sure you're relaxed and comfortable. TOP PEOPLE!! :)

Now for the food. No matter how much I rave on about it, I believe it won't do it enough justice. It is as I said earlier proper authentic Turkish-Cypriot food. Everything is hand made on site from the bread to the mezze's and the kebabs.
For me I have my regular dish that I will order every time which I'll show later.

The first time I visited I ordered a bunch of mezze items to share and now I order just a few along with my favourite kebab. Check out the menu below and believe me it will get your taste buds going. If it doesn't then quite frankly there is something wrong with you.

As you can see from  the pics above I had to split the menu pictures but there's a great variety to choose from and you can see why I only had mezze on my first visit. 



The food really does showcase the Turkish cuisine and culture and I think the owners have got it spot on with the menu and having the diners see their food cooked in an open kitchen with massive grills all having a load of different style kebabs being cooked to order. You can even smell the food from a mile off and believe me when you get one whiff of the food coming out of the restaurant you can't but just help go in there for a bite to eat.

Just behind the baking hot grills is a massive furnace where they slowly bake their other dishes all wrapped in foil as well as a mountain of homemade bread which is impressively made by this guy right here.

On Saturday evening I did the rookie school boy mistake of not booking at table for dinner. I thought I would chance it after going to the cinema but as I said the crowds get out of control and there was no chance of me getting a table but I salvaged the situation by booking for Sunday lunch. I had some of the best food I have ever consumed.

In typical FoodPunk style I ordered a whole bunch of vegetarian mezze items as well as a two combo choice kebab plate with two sides. You know me I will never learn but it was so worth it. Before I show you these epic food pics can I recommend for all you meat eaters out there that the lamb liver mezze dish is to die for.
However on this particular occasion I was with Sian and bless her I couldn't hog all of the orders with meat hence the veggie mezzes.

Halloumi and grilled peppers

Potato salad

Kisir (cracked wheat, onions, celery ,peppers, parsley and peppers)

Baked falafels

Hummus

Feta cheese, spinach and red peppers in filo pastry

Homemade bread

 

 

 

What's fantastic about the mezze is that its not too heavy and there's plenty to go around for a large group. The choices available caters for everyone and if you're not able to eat a kebab then its the perfect alternative. It's light, refreshing and not to mention very, very ,very tasty.

 

 

 

After polishing up the mezze my awesome kebab came along and it was well worth the wait. Moist and flavoursome spiced chicken adana on a bed of doner meat accompanied with a fresh mixed cabbage slaw and spicy rice. I never get bored of ordering it. I feel that Havet removes that stigma surrounding doner meat. I know we all associate it with kebab houses after a Friday night out but this my fellow punkers is doner meat with out all that disgusting grease and its there's no gristle or crap when you're eating it. Moreover its proper shavings of meat. They really don't scrimp on the portion sizes here.

 

 





And there you have it people, Bromley's first proper top notch establishment. Havet has arrived giving me a reason and many others to go up to town and experience a treat. After all these years there's a restaurant that's arrived, building a solid reputation and hopefully its here to stay. Havet get the Foodpunk thumbs up for sure :)

Smokehouse Pub And Restaurant. In The Words Of Jim Carrey "SSSSMOKIN!!!"

This week has probably been the hottest summer as far as I can remember and what better way than to spend a Monday evening with hipster Reid than to check out a place in the Islington area which has been on everyone's list recently (as well as featuring in this weeks Metro newspaper) called Smokehouse.

Being a Spurs fan I had to have a beer to calm myself down at the thought of going into Gooner territory but anyways football aside, the weather was awesome and I was ready to go drinking and chow down on some blinding food.

As we usually do when we meet up, Alex and I had a few beers and a good catch up and I probably ordered one of the campest cocktails which was made in homage to the tennis at Wimbledon called Love Deuce. It was basically strawberries and cream mixed with gin (or at least I thought it was). I'm not gonna lie, it was bloody nice.

Anyways after hydrating ourselves and intoxicating our bodies with ice cold beer from the finest pubs in North London, Reid and I made our way down to Smokehouse.

This place looked seriously cracking and the staff were quite simply a bunch of incredible and lively group of people. They were very chatty and made sure that the pair of us were well looked after and having a great dining experience.

I loved the menu as it had influences from many different cultures such as Jamaican, Korean, Thai and French. All of the dishes looked so appetising and if I could stomach it I would have ordered everything off it.

In true FoodPunk fashion even though it was baking hot I was going to tackle a variety of dishes. Besides I had a refreshing homemade lemonade to cool me down.

This is what we started with:-

• Chopped brisket roll & gochujang
• Burnt leeks, fried egg, Portobello mushroom, truffle & parmesan
• Foie gras, fried egg & apple pie

The starters look good right??? and indeed they were. Its hard to pick which one was my favourite because they were all equally as delicious. You simply can't go wrong with a croquette jam packed with a load of smoked shredded beef or mouth watering melt in your mouth foie gras.
Even the vegetarian option was out of this world, mountains of layered grated parmesan all over the leeks and mushrooms was too good to turn down. I'm a man that's never been a fan of truffle but I have to admit that they got the balance spot on with it, it wasn't overbearing as we all know truffle can be and talking about balance even the brisket wasn't too overpowering with the smokiness.

It was a perfect start to proceedings and those small plates set myself and Alex up for the main event which was:-

• Shortrib bourguignon
• Smoked pork belly, tattie scone, black pudding & apple, beurre blanc

Wait until you see these mega mains!!!!!!

Oh and that wasn't the only thing that came out. When I go out to eat with my friends, I've gotta order sides as well.

• Caramel roast potatoes
• Korean pulled pork

Now I know what you're probably thinking, its summer and the food looks quite heavy and you would be right, the food was rich but after sharing three starters of course it was going to be a bit of a challenge for us, but we came with a game plan like we always do, hit it hard, hit it fast.

Ultimately this is why I love my food. The mains were perfect examples of simple, great tasting honest plates of food. The pork was thick, juicy and tender and underneath it was sweet chunks of apple, crumbly black pudding and a rich beurre blanc to mop it all up with. As for the short rib, it was to die for with bits of meat just falling from the bone, soaking up the jus with crispy shallots, decent sized salty lardons of bacon and smooth creamy mash to go with it.
I admit I wasn't a fan of the Korean pulled pork. I know shock horror being half oriental but I couldn't work out why. I honestly don't know what it could have been that was in it but you can't like everything in life and it certainly didn't put a downer on the meal.

Somehow Alex and I tackled our orders. I definitely was suffering from a food coma the next day, I didn't touch anything for at least a day but it was worth it.




So Foodpunkers get your asses down to Smokehouse especially whilst we are blessed with a great summer. The combination of refreshing drinks, down to earth staff and moreover banging food gives this place such a great vibe.  The food they produce here is honest grub and you certainly won't be upset.
Restaurants like Smokehouse deserve to be visited again and again and I know for a fact I'll be going back for more smoked meats and delicious sides. I also need to squeeze in a dessert or a cheeseboard when I go back.
If you can't get to the Islington one, they have another one situated in Chiswick.
Fantastic place and it was such a pleasure going there, no wonder these guys are getting more and more exposure from magazines and newspapers.

Pigging Out At The Pig & Goose

Before I begin and tell all you FoodPunkers about The Pig & Goose, this awesome place that I went to, let me start by saying how I stumbled across this hidden little gem.

Most of us have probably heard about the news about Dave Grohl and his poor leg. Well last Friday, myself and a few other peeps were meant to have seen the Foo Fighters at Wembley Stadium but because of Dave injuring his leg, they were forced to cancel their U.K and European dates. Yes it sucked at the time and anybody who has seen them live knows how much they bloody rock. But I'm not one to mope around about such things. Anyways I saw Faith No More and The Strokes the previous evenings, so I was content and had my live music fix for the time being. However I did bump into Dave and wished him a speedy recovery. No leg jokes from the picture below, I've already heard them.

So, like I said no Foo Fighters on the Friday but that didn't stop me from making alternative plans.
Sian and I met up with my "hipster" best friend Alex Reid (no introduction necessary) up in the Holborn area and with gorgeous warm summer weather in London, what better way to star the late afternoon/early evening off by having a few pints and talking about how awesome The Strokes were the previous night.

Alex has this app on his phone and I've totally forgotten what its called but basically it finds restaurants in and around London that has spare tables and you can book last minute dot com depending on how many people are in your party. Now this is where the Pig & Goose comes in. So we're sitting around in a pub called the George which is located in the Strand area and we're using this app to find somewhere to eat for dinner. We booked at this tapas place but we noticed something. The George had a new furnished restaurant on the floor above called the Pig & Goose. Therefore we asked the bar staff if there was a menu we could check out as well as if there was any chance of us hanging around for dinner. Thankfully there was space upstairs for the three of us to eat and moreover the menu looked frickin awesome (which you can check out below).

Alex and I are big foodies and if you have the pleasure of either partying hard or getting wet with us (we don't get wet, don't panic) then you will see that we don't scrimp around eating small plates. You either go hard or you go home.
As we all know drinking fine top notch alcoholic beers (Stella, Carling......I joke by the way) gives you serious munchies and I eat non stop, I don't go by the three meal a day routine. Therefore after having a few drinks we ordered perhaps something that would more than fill a hole. Check out these mofos below!!!

All of the food above was ace and was being sold at such a decent price. I mean three pounds for a pint of pork scratching's, seriously, other places need to take note. I was going to do a FoodPunk video on pork scratching's, finding the perfect one but I'm not going to do that now because The George Pub does the best I have ever eaten. Those bad boys certainly didn't lack on the crunch level, they would destroy any other pork scratching if we were to judge it on that basis.

The good old fashioned scotch egg is also worth mentioning and it was scoffed within seconds on being on the table. You couldn't really blame us as it was packed with loads of sausage meat and the yolk was still soft in the centre. That's what dreams are made of right there.
 Poor old Sian being a vegetarian was missing out on some banging snacks but I will say that she was happy having her cheese and customary large glass of Pinot.



There's some lessons that I will never learn and one of them is how much food I order. The old saying is true about your eyes being bigger than your belly and no matter where I go I always eat more than I bargained for. I'm not gonna lie, knowing that I was going to eat dinner within the next hour, I probably didn't need to order so much. But I was off work, I was downing or should I say mixing my drinks and the snacks were brilliant.


After our stomachs had settled we headed upstairs to the restaurant where we were greeted by a awesome chick called Jade. For a restaurant that's meant to be sophisticated and refined, she was one cool funny lady. It's great to see someone who makes their guests feel at ease and at home, having a bit of a laugh in the process. She was on top form and was always on hand to help and have a bit of a joke with us. She said that if we liked we could go on trip advisor to review the place and her customer service skills but screw that, I can do one better by mentioning her on my blog, so Jade if you're reading this you get the FoodPunk love.

As I just stated the restaurant leans towards the more refined side of things and on top of that it was an amazing looking place.

Now for the food and my God it was worth every penny!!!!!! I think we would all have gone for dessert but because of our snacking it just wasn't meant to be but the starters and the main courses were incredible stuff. If the pictures below don't get your taste buds singing, I honestly don't know what will. You got to be crazy or a fool not to be impressed with the food.

Sugar cured prawns, avocado, radishes, pea shoots, grapefruit
 

Because I was having meat for main, I went for the prawns to start with and it had a variety of balanced flavours. The sweetness from the prawns, sharpness from the grapefruit and the dashing of rock salt just lifted that dish on to another level.

Heritage beetroot salad, yogurt, cracked wheat

Crispy duck egg, dukkah, Vitelotte potatoes, truffle, radish cress

Dexter ribeye, chips, roasted red onion, smoked garlic and horseradish butter

 

 

 

 

It was a difficult choice to choose what dishes to eat but when it came down to it, I really couldn't overlook the steak. I know in the past I've had Hawksmoor steak and in all honesty nothing can beat that but the steak at the Pig & Goose would be up there. The portion size was unbelievable, a nice fat, juicy, succulent steak, with a mountain of triple cooked chips and a sweet roasted onion thrown into the party. It was incredible and cooked just the way I like it. The smoked butter and horseradish butter  just melted everywhere giving me the chance to mop it up with every bit of the steak. I wasn't messing around, I was going to town on it.

 

 

 

 



Buratta, courgette, spinach, asparagus, oyster mushrooms

 

 



Devonshire lamb, peas, baby gem, broad beans, Jersey royals



 

 

 

 

Both Sian and Alex enjoyed their dishes and couldn't fault it either and to be honest if you agree with what I said about it being hard to pick what dishes to have, you can see why. The lamb looked really inviting and was cooked to perfection and if you're not feeling a heavy dish such as the steak I had, then the lamb would be the perfect lighter option.

I've got to say though the beetroot starter that Sian had could easily be a main meal. It was HUGE!!!!! not that I'm moaning because obviously you don't want to be left short.

 

 

 

 

The Pig & Goose was a great find and a place that everyone should check out. Even if you're not up for having a three course meal, then the George is the perfect alternative and has plenty of great bar snacks to choose from and an impressive selection of boos. I'm already planning my next trip there :) I need to try out the other dishes they have to offer as well. The Pig & Goose, I'm coming back for seconds.

 

FoodPunk over and out.

The Ribman Hangs Out With The Galvin Brothers

 

 

 

Before I expand on my next food visit, I would like to apologise for the lack of blogging recently. I have just come back from holiday needing a well earned break getting away from the city and to recharge my batteries. Also I've recently just finished filming my second FoodPunk YouTube video which should be edited and finished in a few weeks time.

 

 

 

 

Anyways back to this gig and if you're a real foodie/chef then you've more than likely have come across the Galvin Brothers. They are without a doubt one of the most notable chefs within the industry and their Michelin star background has led them to a number of award winning restaurants, in particular Galvin at Windows.

 

 

 

Just a little over a few weeks back myself and my partner in crime Courtney Gwatkin took a swift visit to one of Galvin's restaurants near Spitalfield , East London. And yes like I've said time and time again East London is where its at people and here's one of the reasons why.

 

 

 

 

The Galvin brothers hosted a small food festival just outside their restaurant Café A Vin inviting everyone walking by to chow down on some good honest food.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not only did they show off their amazing assortment of street food, they also had the ever popular Rib Man selling and enticing punters with his delicious, juicy pulled pork sandwiches. To be honest at the time I had never heard of him and there's a simple reason for that before some of you slap me around the face. Im a Spurs fan and he is a massive West ham supporter and he treats the fans to his funky ribs just outside Upton Park. But don't fear football fans, he also sets up his stall in Brick Lane every Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

After a few drinks, Courtney and I set off to eat a truck load of food, stuffing our faces with what the Galvin brothers and the Rib Man had to offer.

 

 

 

First stop was the Rib Man and with his charm and swagger, this was one cool dude and by meeting him you could see how much passion he has serving the best ribs in London. Because we wanted to taste what the boys next door were cooking, we decided to share a pulled pork burger and what a decision that was. He didnt hold back on the meat, he kept loading and loading and loading....................... and LOADING that succulent, tender mean ramming it in between the bread. It looked insane and Courtney and I couldn't wait to rip into that monster of a sandwich.

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Ok so not only is he famous for his ribs, but he has also made a name for himself with his "Holy Trinity" of hot sauces. You gotta love the names of these beauties. (WARNING: PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT CONTENT) ;)

 

 
1. Holy Fuck
2. Christ on a bike
3. Holy Mother of God

 

 

 

 

 

 Of course I had to buy all three!!! I love my spice and I can handle hot. So far I have only tried Holy Fuck and it made me sweat but not to the point where I was dripping. That's the mildest one of the lot so yeah I really need to prepare my body mentally and physically (Rocky IV style) for the Holy Mother of God. Maybe a FoodPunk video is in order?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next door, Galvin's team of talented chefs were cooking up a storm with their take on some Asian and Middle Eastern dishes.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was no way I was going to pass up on seeing a bundle of chicken deep fried and coated in a sticky sweet soy marinade. Oh man were they good!!!! It was just like home. The chicken was crispy and the sauce just had an explosion of flavours from saltiness to sweetness. It was absolutely banging.

 

 

 

The monkfish flatbread was an incredible bit of food. If you don't like monkfish, then shame on you. Its chunky, meaty, juicy and has bags of flavour especially when the chefs coat it and grill it in various spices, smothering it in smoked aubergine puree with some shredded wild garlic to give it that extra punch. 

 

 

 





 

 

 

I'm so glad I joined Courtney in doing this little adventure. Besides she's one of my close friends at work and outside.
It was great to see the Galvin Brothers use one of their restaurants, a place viewed in such high regard to offer the people of East London and share their culinary offerings as well as having the Rib Man to come and join in on the fun. This Is what makes food great and why more and more people get so involved. Fine dining, street food, brasserie style, gastro, it doesn't matter what it is, food is food and days like this just goes to show that as long as its delicious and looks great everyone will get stuck in. Its all love baby!!!!

Friday Night Burgers, Beers and Cocktails at Hotbox

A few weeks was pay day and equally important was the start of the bank holiday weekend. For me that meant only one thing having a few beers and finally chilling out.
And that's exactly what I just did especially after the week and my work posse had, having just done a tasting menu for the spring/summer period for the client at work.


My original plan was to only have a few beers before going home and waiting for the Mrs to arrive. But as usual like everyone that knows me one pint lead to another and as time went on I thought I might as well hang around and meet  her at Liverpool Street station and go home that way. Before I knew it I was downing more alcohol than I intended but I was having such a great time with my executive chef and general manager that it turned out to be a great evening.

They kindly invited me to hang out with them and their girlfriends for something to eat and both knew a ton of cool, funky places to visit. There was no way I was going to turn down an opportunity like that.

I love working in East London and one of the main reasons why that is, is that it has an amazing buzz, full of  life and character. I love the scene, pubs, bars, and restaurants around the area and it was to no surprise that my exec chef knew of an awesome place that would do the job and leave us more than satisfied for the rest of the night.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Hotbox along Commercial street. This place is a permanent fixture there after making a name for itself from pop up restaurants to festivals. It delivers tasty meat packed dishes from Smokey beef rib tacos to pulled pork to hot link sausage sliders. Its a great place go to with friends and enjoy an abundance of refreshing cocktails and packing away a whole load of meat.
Hotbox epitomises what East London is all about right now. The staff and the diners are young, trendy, down to earth and give a feel good factor about the place. On top of that the food and drink is damn tasty.

The menu is very straightforward, simple and concise. For me its got the perfect amount of mains, sides and desserts to choose from and every single item on the menu looked and sounded appetising.
The great thing about dining in a small group is that everyone picks a main and a few sides and shares the wealth. Its definitely a great way of sampling the food from any restaurant.

Everyone went in with beers and wine but I went straight in with a cocktail named Bruce Springsteam. Just because of the name I ordered it without even reading what it consisted of.

This cocktail seriously means business and is probably the most refreshing cocktail's I have ever had. It contains a mix of  Kamm &Sons (British aperitif), Whiskey, Lemon and Steam beer. What a great way to start the evening of eating.

The food came out of the kitchen quickly which was great for us as we were all starving and needed to soak up the alcohol.

The smokey bandit (Aged patty, smoked short rib, jalapeño, red cheddar) , Beets and roquefort

Hotbox smoked selection ( Beef short rib, pork rib, chicken thigh, hot link sausage, pulled pork)

Sweet potato fries, ham hock & pinto beans, grilled elote, smoked mac & cheese

The mains and sides were incredible, packed with so much flavour and it most definitely put a smile on everyone's faces.
My burger was to die for and like a bad man I had it rare and bloody just the way I like it. It was messy but in true FoodPunk style I devoured it in no time at all. The meat just crumbled every time I bit into it and  better yet it was juicy and packed a good punch from the spicy jalapenos.

The sides were a great accompaniment to the mains that we had and surprisingly my favourite was the beetroot with the Roquefort. The combination of the two was like a marriage made in heaven. The saltiness from the cheese, the sweetness from the apple and the sharpness from the pickling of the beetroot balanced really well with no component outdoing the other.




Recently I've come to the conclusion that the older I get (yeah, yeah I know im only 26) the less of a sweet tooth I have but there was no way I could not order this bad boy. Check this pic out!!!!

Deep fried Oreos

That's right!!!! DEEP FRIED OREOS BABY!!!!!. What a creation. If you, no hang on, when you visit Hotbox you have to order this and like me just smother those beauties in the rich dark chocolate sauce and scoop it all up with the ice cream.
There is no other way. Just go to town and who cares if you get chocolate all over your face, its worth it. I did hold myself back though, even though it was tempting, I made sure I didn't pick up the plate and lick it.

After an evening of boos and a meat fest what better way than to be sophisticated., drinking a nice hot pot of Earl Grey Tea. Like I say on a regular basis, "Ohhhhhhhhhhh Matron".

 I had plenty of banging food and drink that evening and lets just say my cholesterol levels and guts took a battering but who cares right? PARTY HARD!!!

 

 


I had such a brilliant night. Being spontaneous led to me having a great time with my work mates and eating at Hotbox which I feel is one of the coolest places in the East End. Everyone get your asses down to this place and enjoy their smoked meats and cocktails. You certainly wont be disappointed.