Food pop-ups in pubs. They could have been called pub-ups. Or even pubber clubs. But 'residencies' is the term that has stuck. Here are seven that you shouldn’t miss this month, from Highgate to Nunhead and Filipino to Austrian. Via the odd burger and burrito, obviously.
The Bell & Brisket @ The Duke’s Head
Salt beef and pickles. Match made in heaven. Well that’s the idea here, where salt beef sandwiches are combined with homemade examples of salty, tangy goodness in the form of pickled cabbage, beetroot, horseradish and more. The Kerb trader has now swapped the streets for this beer-led pub in leafy Highgate, meaning you can get comfy as you tuck into an offering of salt beef, kimchi and melted cheddar, or a black rye bun filled with salt beef, salsa verde and gherkins. Wash it down with an ale, too.
The Duke’s Head, 16 Highgate High Street, N6 5JG, Thurs-Fri 6-10pm, Sat 12-10pm, Sun 12-6pm
B.O.B’s & Co @ The Rising Sun
St Paul’s pub The Rising Sun is the latest destination for the increasingly notorious B.O.B, famed for their lobster rolls. It’s mostly the same food you might recall from their previous stint at Borough Market, though the menu has expanded slightly: try lobster mac ‘n’ cheese anointed with crispy fried onions, spicy tuna tacos or confit pork with pickled celeriac, among other dishes. They know how to cook their crustaceans, so look forward to tender, moist flesh that’s full of flavour. If you happen to work nearby, then knowing that they also do takeaways will no doubt improve your lunch life.
The Rising Sun, 61 Carter Lane, EC4V 5DY, Tues-Fri 12-3pm and 5.30-10pm
Burger Bear @ The Old Nun’s Head
Patty-tossing Burger Bear made his name at Old Street’s Red Market, and he’s now bringing the same line-up of no-fuss-but-loads-of-flavour burgers to this Nunhead boozer. Included is the Grizzly Bear, with bacon, cheese and Burger Bear Tom’s special bacon jam, and the Angry Bear, topped with hot sauces courtesy of The Rib Man. The patty mustn’t be forgotten either: meaty, medium-rare goodness that’s up there with London’s very best. At least we think so.
The Old Nun’s Head, 15 Nunhead Green, SE15 3QQ, Tues (6-9pm) and Sat (12-10pm) only
Kimchinary @ Catch
A regular on London’s street food scene, founder Hanna Söderlund’s unique dishes of burritos and tacos with a Korean twist are now available out of the cold, with a three month residency at Kingsland Road’s Catch bar (where Death by Burrito used to be). Modern and experimental ferment-heavy dishes include: Gochujang belly pork with pickled garlic, mustard seed coleslaw, crackling and kimchi; beer-braised ox cheek with cavolo nero, radish kimchi and pickled walnuts; and smoked tongue with Korean hot pickles and blackened leeks. They taste as exciting as they sound, too.
Catch, 22 Kingsland Road, E2 8DA, Mon-Sat from 5pm until midnight (until 2am on Fri and Sat)
Pepe’s Kitchen @ The Sun & 13 Cantons
Promising a taste of authentic Filipino cuisine, supperclub Pepe’s Kitchen has bedded down in this Soho pub for the month. Traditional dishes such as ukoy (prawn and beansprout fritters), kare-kare (a kind of deep-flavoured oxtail stew), bicol express (chill and coconut-laced fish stew) and lumpia (Filipino spring rolls) are all on the menu, along with equally authentic puds such as glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk and served wrapped in palm leaves. It’s the real deal made all the more intriguing by the relative lack of Filipino food in London.
The Sun & 13 Cantons, 21 Great Pulteney Street, W1F 9NG, Mon-Fri 12-4pm and Tue-Fri 6-9pm
Smoke N Roll @ The Black Heart
Taking the spot vacated by Kimchi Cult, smoked food and BBQ specialists Smoke N Roll are moving into the kitchen of this Camden pub and live music venue. From epic ribs to smoked brisket, chicken wings and chips, it’s unashamedly uncouth dude food all the way, but as those who frequent the busy stall at Camden Lock Market obviously agree, there’s nothing wrong with that at all.
The Black Heart, 2-3 Greenland Place, NW1 0AP, Mon-Fri from 3pm until midnight (from Noon Sat and Sun)
Speck Mobile @ The Star of Kings
You may have tried the wares of this popular Austrian street food outfit at varying Kerb markets, but there’s no need to chase them around town now, as they’ve settled in this King’s Cross pub for three whole months. Among the dishes Franz and Marco will be serving are schnitzels, schnitzel sliders, speckknödels (Austrian speck dumplings), sausages with sauerkraut, savoury and sweet donuts, and — of course — apple strudel. It’s the kind of food that suits well to being washed down by a good beer, too.
The Star of Kings, 126 York Way, N1 OAX, Mon-Sat 12-6pm
Off you go, then. What are you waiting for?
