Bob's & Co, London

Bob's & Co is a pop up based upstairs the Rising Sun pub on Carter Lane near St Paul's Cathedral. The pub stands at the very site that Guy Fawkes was said to have met his co-conspirators. We first met the owner Bob during his residency at Borough Market with the Bob's Lobster van which has been very well received this year serving up delicious lobster rolls and lobster mac n cheese. Being big fans of the delightful lobster treats we have followed the van in its travels across the London street food scene at Feast and more recently Street Feast at Hawker House. When we found out about the pop up serving up a wider range of seafood and other treats I was eager to visit.

I started with a mix of grilled and fried oysters. The grilled version with Parmesan cheese were the winners here with the shiso wrapped fried oysters losing some of the fresh oyster sea taste. 

Next up were scallops with caramelised onion, chanterelle mushrooms and lardons. The scallops were beautifully cooked and soft in the middle. The onions added some sweetness which brought the dish together.

Craving lobster mac n cheese I requested a half portion but Bob insisted that I have a full portion. This was packed full of lobster pieces which was nearly a whole lobsters worth! As good as I remember it being.

I was dreading the last dish of shrimp and grits after the mac n cheese but I finished it all eventually. Served with pork belly and polenta puree it was my least favourite dish of the night but it may have been due to me nearing bursting already! The shrimps and pork belly were pleasant but the polenta I wasn't too fond of.

Other dishes I would like to return and try from the menu include confit rabbit and pig cheek tacos. During this service I found out from the front of house team that Bob was running the show in the kitchen single handedly as all the chefs were down. However Bob still found time to make an appearance and talk to everyone to make sure things were ok and generally get to know his customers. The lobster van is one of our favourite street food vendors and Bob's & Co is serving up an interesting menu different in the London dining scene. 

Camp & Furnace - Food Slam Fridays, Liverpool

Camp & Furnace are undoubtedly one of the current pioneers of the Liverpool food and drink scene. Making best use of the large warehouse premises they hold numerous events catering for all sorts of diner. We have previously posted about one of its Social nights, where small plates and sharing are the order of the day.  One of the mainstays introduced in the summer was Food Slam Fridays, a chilled out Friday evening event offering casual food and drink coupled with entertainment.  It has proved to be roaring success evidenced by the fact by the crowds it attracts and that it is still going strong now as we head into Winter.

The main attraction to us is the constant change and innovation in the food offerings; no two weeks are the same.  Sometimes dishes for forthcoming Social nights and supper clubs are tested at the Food Slams.  There is a constant stream of guest stalls, most notably Bakchich before they opened up shop in Bold Street. Over the last few months we have been at numerous Food Slam Fridays, below are a sample of some of the dishes.

A no knives and forks stand served suckling pig with buttered pork gravy and chunky apple chutney (£5), the pork was melt in the mouth and as good as it looked. Apparently the whole suckling pig with head and all sparked some controversy but where do these people think meat comes from! We also chomped away on a cheese fondue (£4) with carrot sticks, gherkins and brioche.

The chippy tea stand served up beer battered sausage hotdogs with chip shop curry sauce (£5). This was rather heavy and salty leaving me feeling uncomfortable and full for hours afterwards!

We first sampled Bakchich at a Food Slam event. We ordered the Chicken shawarma and falafel platter (£6). It was a great platter with an explosion of wonderful flavours.

Sticky chicken with thyme potatoes (£4), a great snack with a pint or two!

At one of the larger Food Slams, I guess they differ in size due to weather and how close it to payday and other commitments etc, the Grand Garden menu was one of our favourite Food Slams.  Some of the dishes were a test run for one of the Social nights.  The highlight being a Sirloin Wellington with mild mushrooms (£7). Displayed as a gorgeous gigantic slab of sirloin encased a golden pasty we were worried the Wellington would be a little dry; but past the first few slices the meat was wonderfully moist and pink and well matched with the wild mushrooms.

Red Mullet with olives, tomatoes and basil (£6), this was a light summer dish, flaky fish with a range of tomatoes; it was a shame the skin was slightly burnt. Always wanting to try green tomatoes it was a bonus to see them presented with the mullet.

A ham hock terrine with pineapple relish and a crispy egg caught our eye, the dish was atractively presented. We particularly enjoyed the pineapple relish and the crispy egg which was lightly fried with a runny yolk. It was a very moreish dish, something worth reordering when it reappears!

Having a break from the food we went on to sample the cocktails at Slam Wars, a competition between Camp & Furnace and Berry and Rye. Mr Nom picked a Clover Club - Bombay Gin shaken with Noilly Prat, fresh lemon juice and raspberry jam. I chose the Aromatic Cherry Aviation -Tanqueray gin shaken with Maraschino liqueur, lemon juice and spiced black cherry syrup. The cocktails were beautiful and the added extras of the chocolate coffee beans were lovely little nibbles.  I’m sorry but I think Berry and Rye just edged the cocktail wars this time. 

We had been eyeing up the Wood Fire pizzas from Maltidas from the beginning. We settled upon the courgette, spinach and goats cheese pizza (£6), the toppings were different to our usual choices. We added a touch of garlic oil to the pizza which definitely lifted the flavours. The pizza was lovely, not heavy on the stomach with just the right dough depth and the toppings were fresh. Mr Nom loved the goat’s cheese and I guess I rather like it too! Normally I don’t like to eat the crust on pizzas but I had no problem with devouring them.

As we still felt peckish, we headed back to Grand Garden for Serano ham, honey and feta (£4) which was a good snack, and the lovely addition of mint leaves adding another flavour to the plate. We ended the evening with a white chocolate and pecan tart (£3). The tart was loaded with pecans, a fabulous dessert and the white chocolate was mellow and not too sweet, perfect!

Our favourite Food Slam to date which was epic given the choice and variety on offer.  We also met Steven Burgess, the food director for the first time and watched him in action as he prepared the most of the dishes.

Another Food Slam saw a Peruvian theme with flamed salmon, fresh lime, chopped tomatoes and passion fruit. It was the first time for me pairing fish with passion fruit; I found it created fresh and interesting flavours. The salmon was just cooked ever so slightly using a blow torch and very zesty lime juice was squeezed onto the fish. 

Chicken wings, spiced salt, tamarind and pomegranate salsa. The pomegranate salsa was great, one I might actually try to make at home.

Salt cold, pickled red onions and toast, it was lovely and not too salty. I have had salt cod before but this was balanced perfectly. I like the addition of pickled onions the acidity to cut through the dish.

A recent trip to the supermarket was side tracked due to a quick excursion to Food Slam. We stopped at the Chippy Tea stand where they were serving scallop & scallop, accompanied with malt vinegar, pea puree and pea shoots. The dish was even presented in one of the polystyrene plates reminiscent of chip shops. The potato scallop would of been better if it deep fried a little more and the scallop was just about seared on both sides. Mr Nom liked the malt vinegar gel as it was set and didn’t run all over the other parts of the dish.

We look forward to seeing what new dishes will be unveiled at future Food Slam Fridays. There is always a good range of dishes which cater for all including vegetarians. So if you’re looking for somewhere to chill after a long week then look no further to Camp & Furnace on a Friday night.

Bob's Lobster, London

Mr Nom and I am a huge fans of lobster, we read about a lobster van called Bob’s Lobster doing the rounds in London and were instantly tempted to track it down.  Stalking them on Twitter we found out that they were popped up at Borough market.  Surrounding the van is a seating area with deck chairs and blankets for those that were feeling chilly.  We noticed all the staff were dressed smartly for an outdoor casual pop up and the creator and owner Rob would tell us why later.

The menu was short and to the point, we ordered the lobster roll, tuna tacos and lobster mac n cheese.  The tuna tacos were very moreish and they were rather spicy for me, I did not expect them to be so hot but they were delicious I just had to bear the heat and indulge on each bite.

The lobster mac and cheese was addictive, I could not stop myself from taking bite after bite from the lovely pot and Mr Nom was complaining that he wasn’t left with much. The chunks of lobster were generous and every mouthful was full of the meaty crustacean, the essence of the lobster was evident in the taste.

The lobster roll was Mr Nom’s favourite out of the three.   The bun was made from brioche, slightly toasted so it was crisp, light and buttery. I love brioche because the bread isn’t heavy unlike usual hotdog buns. The sweetness of the brioche was lovely with the chunks of lobster. The amount of lobster meat was surprising and there must have been nearly a whole lobster in the roll, including a whole claw which I liked.  Along with the mac n cheese it certainly fulfilled our lobster cravings.  The only thing we didn’t order was the lobster bisque but I am craving it now!

On finding out that we were from the Manchester and Liverpool the owner Rob came over for a lovely chat.  He told us that back in Canada and the US that lobster was accessible to all and that it was still seen as snobbish (hence the play on the shirts and bow ties) in the UK and that Bob’s Lobster aimed to introduce lobster to more people to dispel the perception over here.  We think the concept is great and unique in the street food scene.  We were given one of the famous polystyrene lobster claws which I was happily wearing back to the hotel which got a few funny looks!  Hopefully sometime in the future Bob’s Lobster will go on tour and visit us in the North West, here's hoping! 

To find out where Bob's Lobster van can be located see the link below:

http://bobslobster.com/

Asparagus Patch Pop Up, Liverpool

Having been strawberry picking before at Claremont Farm our interest was spiked by the news of them opening a pop up asparagus eatery within Liverpool One.  It is situated in the space previously taken by Harvey Nichols temporary food and drink shop.

We selected nearly everything on the blackboard menu with the exception of the soup.  First up was the bacon and asparagus bap consisting of a thick slice of bacon and 5 spears of fresh asparagus. This definitely required some sauce due to the dry combination of the bacon and bap. Luckily we also ordered the asparagus spears with tarragon hollandaise and a sliver of balsamic glaze. The excess hollandaise was put to good use and avoided wastage! So far so good, this was the healthiest (if you discount the bacon) and most simple lunch we had had in a while.  The third dish was asparagus rolled and goat’s cheese wrapped in ham garnished with watercress and a balsamic glaze.  Not my choice as I’m not a fan of goat’s cheese but Mr Nom polished the whole lot off.

There were two cakes at the counter that I had eyed up when ordering our asparagus dishes, red velvet cake and a chocolate and beetroot cake.  I was set on the red velvet and it proved to be scrumptious!  It was light, extremely moist and most importantly, not too sweet.  Would certainly like to know who supplied these if they were outsourced.

Set to run for six weeks in conjunction with the British asparagus season any fan of the green vegetable would be satisfied by the simple dishes designed to showcase the best of this great British produce.  There is also an opportunity to buy fresh asparagus along with rhubarb and other greenery that I can’t recall right now for home cooking.  So get yourself down there before it closes for the season or you will have to make do with the Peruvian variety with impaired flavour due to vast travel before it hits our shores.