The Return of the Carnivores
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[dropcap] O [/dropcap]ne of the many pleasant surprises on my return to London last month after more than a year away was the resurgence of the meat scene in dining.
Hunting can be a polarizing subject but there is no denying that is has been a long-standing (and debated) practice in the UK. It’s as hard to ignore as the foxes you run into at night in central London.
Part of the appeal of Britain to me has long been its respect for traditions, so it was a pleasant surprise to see game return to take centerstage on many menus. I must say that this was particularly reassuring after the slightly shocking development of being informed by Paris friends that a veggie burger place was the new ‘it’ place to eat in the Marais.
The hot spot for all this activity has been Smithfields Market and the restaurants in the surrounding Farringdon and Clerkenwell area that form the new ‘Meatpacking’ district. Smithfields is the UK’s largest wholesale market. It is more than 140 years old though it was upgraded and re-opened in its current form in the 1990s. Reportedly, at the market’s original opening over 1200 guests feasted on “boars’ heads and barons of beef.”
So a big thank you to the purveyors and restauranteurs of the surrounding area for still keeping us in lamb shanks and barons of beef. On a given night, the game list at Quality Chop House (88-94 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3EA) and its butcher shop next door may include lamb, mutton, pork, venison, and pigeon. Having re-opened in 2013 after a short 140 year (!) break, this neighborhood gem is a direct reflection of today’s tastes.
Wilmington Public & Dining House (69 Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell, EC1R 4RL) up the road casually offers up guinea fowl and Hampshire pork belly. Even more casually, you can still pick up one of my favorites – a venison burger – for a quick lunch at Borough Market across town.
[pullquote type=”right”]None of us would dream of eating the squirrels we encounter in the park, of course, unless it came to a Hunger Games situation, but I’ll admit that reading some of these descriptions made me hungry for dinner.[/pullquote]As a disclaimer, I am, obviously, a meat-eater although if you’ve read Saffron & Honey, you may have noticed that it is not my go-to choice on a regular basis. I do love rabbit and venison as they are fairly self-explanatory proteins to deal with in a home kitchen.
I have never tried squirrel, which was the subject of recent outrage in the London papers when it appeared on the menu of the very upscale Cinnamon Club (The Old Westminster Library, 30-32 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BU) which serves it kebab-style, marinated with coriander, cloves, and pineapple juice.
None of us would dream of eating the squirrels we encounter in the park, of course, unless it came to a Hunger Games situation, but I’ll admit that reading some of these descriptions made me hungry for dinner. The Jugged Hare (49 Chiswell St, London EC1Y 4SA) serves up a Yorkshire grey squirrel with hazelnut mashed potatoes, sprout tops and jus. Squirrel is also on the seasonal menu at St John where it is cooked with sage and bay leaves.
One of my favorite new restaurants in London, Lyle’s (Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ), can be described as very ‘New York’ in terms of casual, friendly fine dining fare although it clearly also takes a lot of its inspiration from St John (26 St. John Street, London EC1M 4AY) which famously pioneered the genre and put offal, also known as organ meats, on the dining map.
Lyle’s set dining menu will surprise you with Highland onglet, game broth, lamb’s heart, and seasonal red deer haunch, served with pickled walnuts and black cabbage. I like to imagine that this is what our upper class ancestors may have dined on and, for once, I envy them. This does not “taste just like chicken” at all and isn’t that refreshing?
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