Innis and Gunn Chef’s Table with Mark Hix
Many people might just walk past Tramshed. I did. Storming along Rivington Street to get there on time, I of course walked straight past it. Then when I came out on Curtain Road and knew if I kept on I’d land on Shoreditch High Street, Google maps had to intervene. When you get back to the frontage of this restaurant, listed due to being a (no prizes) tramshed since 1905, you do wonder how you could miss it.
The first time I think it’s down to the distracting uniforms of East London hipsters, spilling out onto boozy corners, a pint in one hand, pushing up their thick black rimmed glasses to the bridge of their nose with the other, bright socked ankles waving in colour to grab your attention and vintage cycles wobbling by. A trip out east is a night out in itself, let alone an exclusive Chef’s Table with Mark Hix himself, and his buddy Dougal Gunn Sharp, the present half of the brotherhood behind successful Scottish brewery Innis and Gunn.
Mark Hix, a well known chef, food writer and restaurateur has eight of his own restaurants, various columns in mainstream publications and is top of his field in provenance and where to source magnificent ingredients.
Greeted by Damien Hirst’s infamous large cow and chicken structure in the centre of this steak and chicken restaurant (alongside many tongue-in-cheek doodles on the wall by various intriguing artists) we were ushered through chirpy clientele into the staff quarters, confusing considering we were about to meet London chef royalty. Out through the kitchens, toilets, showers and up a narrow staircase; we poked our heads out into a loft style conversion, decked out as a library. Ceiling to floor in culinary books, adjacent to a ‘Sunday Brunch’ style open kitchen that was laid up for our privileged twelve’s five course dinner.
An Innis and Gunn representative poured me a complicated cocktail called the Bells of St Clements, the first beer-based cocktail I’ve genuinely liked. Then I was introduced to various industry bods, who like me, were eager to see what Mr Hix had in store for us. Still in the reception area we made casual introductions and general chit chat accompanied by beer battered Dublin Bay prawns and marinated whiting with cucumber and Mottra osertra caviar.
As we took our stools at the open plan kitchen top, it turned out it was Kevin, Hix’s right-hand man, who did the cooking in front of us, however closely watched and nudged in places by Mr Hix himself. Kevin was acutely dressed, enviable to most chefs for detail, a polite and chatty man, and instantly likeable.
Following a brief introduction from Mark, we were introduced to Dougal and the first of our paired Edinburgh beers; Innis and Gunn lager. This was the first lager I have ever cooed over, a refreshing flavour, and one I could definitely finish the bottle. This was paired with a delicious De Beauvoir salmon ‘Hix cure’ and Severn and Wye smoked eel with Aura potatoes and horseradish. The thought of smoked eel (and the evil eels in the little mermaid) tarnished this dish for me, and I can’t lie it didn’t go down easily. In contrast the salmon did, with refreshing citrusy potatoes.
The next course was beautiful and I cleared the plate instantly. Announcing the arrival of autumn we had Pock Stones Estate grouse and elderberry salad with Yorkshire croutons (basically deep-fried bread pudding) and this dish was accompanied with the Innis and Gunn Original, the beer that began the Innis and Gunn story through its accidental discovery.
With more anecdotes from their past, Dougal and Mark bantered their way up to the next dish, a braised Glenarm Estate ox cheek in Innis and Gunn with late season Wye Valley Asparagus. The meat was so tender it melted on the tongue, and any doubt of not completing this course became non-existent, as this had to be the piece-de-resistance. This last savoury course was paired with Innis and Gunn Toasted Oak IPA, a beer finished specifically over toasted oak to give it a rich, rounded character of apparently authentic IPAs from the 1800s.
By now, I had quite an enviable selection of beers on the go and the final beer was not to disappoint. A clever beer; the Innis and Gunn Rum Finish. This beer was originally released as a limited edition, but through sheer popularity became part of the core range. It’s a rich, full bodied beer, that’s matured over American Dark Heartwood and infused with a blend of selected rums. This was perfectly paired with a rather lustful dessert; a rum crème brulèe, burnt with a blow torch before our eyes, with delicious doughnuts and blackberries. I was so full by now it was a struggle to finish, however the rest of the room’s plates looked like they had licked them clean! With Dougal still talking, his dessert was very nearly shamelessly thieved.
As the volume in the room, and alcohol intake, increased; a rather happy Mark decided to let the group into his liquor cabinet for a nightcap. We were urged to try various vintages of cider brandy, before my eyes lit up at the sight of the Ardbec. I made a swift getaway after pleasant conversation with various guests, as tequila was threatening the nightcap checklist.
We were spoilt rotten and it didn’t end there, a beautiful limited edition boxed ‘Smokin’ Gunn’ had made it into my bag, a smoked Scottish beer matured in Bourbon barrels and finished with maple syrup. The idea had come from head bartender from Heston’s Heinz Head in Bray, who had seen off 300 other bartenders in an exclusive opportunity to make a beer with Innis and Gunn.
I really enjoyed learning about this brand, the genuine endorsement from Mark Hix, and his pairings that were such high quality thoughtful dishes. If you would like to learn a little more about either, have a look at http://www.innisandgunn.com and http://www.hixrestaurants.co.uk
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