It’s been oh-so-quiet on the blog for a couple of months: apologies for that, fans. We’ve been spending our time writing the copy for our brand, spanking-new website, which will be hitting your screens in a matter of weeks.
Oh and we’ve been busy with you know, actual WORK, and as such haven’t been swanning around quite as much as we usually do.
Last night I got invited down to a v. trendy new pop-up at TripSpace Projects in Haggerston, so there was no way I was staying in. My friend knows a friend who was involved in the opening and so invited me along to sample Jones & Sons latest venture.
A big fan of the original restaurant, I arrived to the cosily lit railway arch and was welcomed with a simple, classy cocktail list. My friend and I both chose to try the Grey Lady and it was bang on: a perfect balance of sweet and sour, perfumey from the tea and a lively, creamy froth from the egg white. Top marks so far.
We were shown to our table and quickly decided what we were going to share: Pig’s cheek starter, confit lamb belly and steak for mains, with sides of macaroni cheese and triple cooked chips. Now, it was only their third night opening so I’m going to cut them a little slack, but we had to wait for about 20 minutes to grab a waiter’s attention to order, and to ask for a wine list. So I was pretty hungry by the time we placed our order and a little disappointed that we didn’t get a bread basket. Maybe that’s just me, but the bread at the main restaurant has always been a highlight so I was sad to miss out.
The wine list is short but well thought out – there’s three white, three red, two rose and a few sparkling options. We settled for a bottle of the house red, which was a very reasonable £17 and a lovely drop at that. Out came the pig’s cheek and I am glad we took photos of it before we tasted it, because it didn’t last long.
This was easily the highlight of the meal for me – absolutely delicious, perfectly balanced between the rich pork and the sweet parsnip puree with little caramelised bay leaves sprinkled on top. I wish it came as a main because I would eat it for hours.
Next came the steak (cooked medium rare obvs) and the lamb belly. The steak was served sliced, with béarnaise sauce and watercress.
Cooked perfectly, it was melt in the mouth texture, and I could easily have eaten more. A lot more. It was pretty tiny – four mouthfuls at best, which for a main course, that doesn’t come with any sides, is frankly on the small side in my opinion. The lamb belly was more generous – my dining companion enjoyed it, but as a non-beetroot eater I can’t say too much about the taste, but thought the mint and goats curd worked well with the earthy flavours of the lentils and fatty cut of meat.
On the side we got the chips and the macaroni cheese. I make it a point to try the mac and cheese any time it’s on the menu so consider this a carefully considered review: it lacked seasoning, but it more than made up for it with the heapings of gooey, crispy deliciously melted cheese covering the top, like a pie crust. Additionally, it won points for the sheer size – at a mere £3.50 it was practically a main dish in itself. Chips were great too: crispy, fluffy, salty and large, they were just what we needed to fill us up.
While we finished off our wine, we had a nice chat with one of the owners, Andy. He explained that they were trying to produce similar dishes to the main restaurant, but with a more homely, down-to-earth feel. So the menu is shorter; the pricing is simply structured; and the cuts of meat are cheaper, but no less tasty for it. It suits the space, and it suits the clientele. Good job all round.
We couldn’t leave without a pudding, and just like mac and cheese, if there’s sticky toffee pudding on the menu, there’s sticky toffee pudding on my table. Interestingly, it’s served with ice cream and not custard. Personally that’s a win for me as I like the whole cold/hot combination and think it works better as long there’s plenty of sauce. And sauce there was.
The sticky toffee pudding was up there with the best I’ve ever had. It’s massive and it comes with more toffee than we could finish, even when sharing one between myself and my sweet-toothed friend. Don’t miss it. In fact, go just for pudding if it’s on your way home.
The verdict
A lot about Jones at Trip was excellent. The cocktails were faultless; the wine was lovely; the pig’s cheek out of this world; the steak cooked to perfection; and the sticky toffee pudding was spot on. My complaints were few: they could do with offering some free bread and service was slow – but it is (very!) early days. My main gripe was the portion size of the steak. It’s just not big enough. Coming in at £11, with no sides at all, and barely taking four mouthfuls to eat, you’re not really getting bang for your buck on that one.
A cosy, beautifully lit space with cracking drinks, delicious food and a great atmosphere will have the punters flocking in I’m sure. I’ll definitely be going back – even if it’s just for a Grey Lady and two portions of the pig’s cheek.
Jones & Sons at TripSpace
TripSpace Projects
Arches 339-340
Acton Mews
London E8 4EA
Kitchen Opening Hours:
Monday 18:00-22:00
Tuesday 12:00-15:00 & 18:00-22:00
Wednesday 12:00-15:00 & 18:00-22:00
Thursday 12:00-15:00 & 18:00-22:00
Friday 12:00-15:00 & 18:00-22:00
Saturday 10:00-16:00 & 18:00-22:00
Sunday 11:00-18:00
You can check out the menu here: http://www.tripspace.co.uk/static/menu/dinner.pdf
#jonesattrip
Living London 