Food

In a very agreeable turn of events, I'm eating lunch at Quality Chophouse and supper at Foxlow on Friday. This may be the wrong thread, but does anybody know of a particularly good bar in Farringdon area? The plan was to head to Zetter Townhouse but they are fully booked.

God where to start.

The slaughtered lamb for kooky ales
Portal
The Well
The Jerusalem (my favorite in London)
The three kings

When people roast skin on shoulder - to get perfect crackling, do you stick the heat up high first, or at the end? Or another method?

At the end... I've become fond of the remove skin during (or even before!) cooking method, gives you a lot more control...

Stud it with loads of garlic, chilli and rosemary, lay it on a bed of roughly chopped onions, season the shit out of the outside...

Does it have a good covering of fat? Personally, I'd remove the skin and cook that separately...

Big slab of it, I figured that would render down but that's just a guess

Sainsburys do a frozen soffrito mix of finely chopped carrot/onion/celery that I always have a bag of for chucking in the slow cooker. As they are going to get nuked and discarded I'm not bothered about fresh.

Did some brisket with that mix, garlic, red wine and chipotle chili on Sunday night.

Discard?!? What about the gravy bits?!?

I don't have a slow cooker, does it burn the crap out of the bottom of the pan?

He's already buying pre-chopped veg. I'm not sure he cares about the gravy, as he can always use Bisto.

what's wrong with bisto?

ruddy poshos. i bet you have square plates as well.

Anyway - mirepoix or soffritto? Which sounds wankier?

At the end... I've become fond of the remove skin during (or even before!) cooking method, gives you a lot more control...

and then just blasting it in a hot oven? I worry about moisture content. Talk more to me about this. I hate the flaccid crackle.

Anyway - mirepoix or soffritto? Which sounds wankier?

If in doubt, check Waitrose

After 8 or 9 hours the veg is just mush so I just put the sauce through a strainer and reduce it.

In a very agreeable turn of events, I'm eating lunch at Quality Chophouse and supper at Foxlow on Friday. This may be the wrong thread, but does anybody know of a particularly good bar in Farringdon area? The plan was to head to Zetter Townhouse but they are fully booked.

Slaughtered Lamb is an interesting bar

Workshop Coffee have a small selection but I like the place

Both of these are pubs but nice ones:

The Three Kings
The Crown Tavern

Bonus that they're on Clerkenwell Green so nice location

Standard for me in that area used to be Fluid until that shut down.

and then just blasting it in a hot oven? I worry about moisture content. Talk more to me about this. I hate the flaccid crackle.

Yup...

Cook with the skin on a low heat, the fat beneath the skin softens making it very easy to cut away...

Place on baking sheet and put to one side 'til the rest of your meat is done... Chuck it back in the oven when you're ready...

Keep a close eye on it, it can burn very easily...

Bar near Farringdon;

Craft Beer Co on Leather Lane

If in doubt, check Waitrose

FFS - they're not even evenly cut. And they're diced. Brunoise, or gtfo.

Guys!

I've got a 1.8kg hunk of pork shoulder and a Breville slow-cooker.

What do?

Beer, Maple syrup, chipotle, tomatoes, star anise, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, garlic, paprika, pork rind/knuckles/fat.

Remove the skin carefully and crisp seperately

what's wrong with bisto?

ruddy poshos. i bet you have square plates as well.

head explodes from extreme class anxiety cognitive dissonance

If in doubt, check Waitrose

am lazy enough that I have some of this at home waiting to go in a bolognese for Emma's lunches for work.

thank you all for the recommendations. Think I'll head up and do a recce..

pre-chopped vegetables in a packet?

it's the future.

The Duke, just west of Grays Inn Road

Slaughtered Lamb is an interesting bar

Workshop Coffee have a small selection but I like the place

Both of these are pubs but nice ones:

The Three Kings
The Crown Tavern

Bonus that they're on Clerkenwell Green so nice location

Standard for me in that area used to be Fluid until that shut down.

Bar near Farringdon;

Craft Beer Co on Leather Lane

The Duke, just west of Grays Inn Road

Jerusalem Tavern
Giant Robot
http://www.theartisanofclerkenwell.com/

Also The Gunmakers, The Coach & Horses, and The Eagle.

Bar Kick is just round the corner from QCH