This is my third visit to House of Tippler (HoT) on Lordship Lane. My first was on opening night in 2012, and then I attended one of their spirits classes hosted by El Dorado rum back in May this year. After hearing that they had recently launched a new bar menu, I decided to head on down there with a friend to see what’s new.
Tim (Tippler) Oakley and long-time friend Tim Maddams (of River Cottage and Green Sauce) have developed an eclectic menu which is superior to similar establishments. We took our seats in the window on a warm, sunny evening and while reading through the menu we enjoyed some bread, olive oil and dukka (a fragrant and tasty mix of nuts, spices, fennel and chilli) – much more interesting than your usual oil and vinegar. Tim T was behind the bar and playing host to a group of enthusiastic and animated guests who were enjoying their evening. I’d checked out the menu prior to my visit and already had my heart set on the pickled herring. My friend ordered his favourite of brisket on sourdough bread and some twice-cooked chips. Our fellow patrons then suggested we try the courgette and goat’s cheese salad and the haddock rarebit.
Unfortunately, HoT were out of haddock, but were able to substitute with mackerel, sourced from a local supplier. This dish had a real home-cooked feel about it – the fish and the cheese oozed into the bread and we both thoroughly enjoyed this dish.
Next up came the pickled herring, complete with sour cream and chopped red onion. This didn’t fail to disappoint me. The dish looked beautiful, with the herring skin shimmering in the evening sunlight. It was delicious and full of flavour.
We enjoyed the herring with the courgette and goat’s cheese salad. This was delightful and the perfect summer dish. The salad had been sprinkled with dukka adding a deeper, north African, flavour to the dish. I’ll be trying to re-create this at home this weekend!
Next up come the big boys – slow-cooked beef brisket on a sour dough toast with the twice-cooked chips. The beef was so rich and full of flavour it knocked your socks off. This was a generously-sized portion, but was so tasty we were able to polish it off in no time! The chunky chips were perfectly cooked – golden brown and crispy on the outside and white and fluffy inside. These were served with a home-made ketchup with a subtle paprika flavour.
To accompany our food I opted for a House Manhattan – made with bourbon, zucca, picon bitters and cardamom. This was delivered to our table in a small martini glass with the remainder of the drink kept in a miniature jug in an ice bucket to keep it nicely chilled and pour at my own leisure. This drink had a real kick to it and was one to sit back with and enjoy the night.
My friend chose a Lordship Mule. This was a long drink with well-balanced measures of golden rum, pink champagne, rhubarb, ginger, chilli and ginger beer. It had the right amount of kick to it from the chilli and ginger, but without those flavours overpowering the taste of the rum.
The House of Tippler is a great neighbourhood bar, with a real home-from-home feel with a relaxing atmosphere. I didn’t have time (or any more space in my stomach!) to try some of the other tempting dishes such as the potted shrimp, wild boar salami with gremolata and cinnamon churros so I’ll definitely be heading back for those! And with an average plate price of £4.50-£5 it’s a good night for your wallet too.
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