Napolitana
Wenlock And Essex

Wenlock And Essex

Essex Road, London N1 2SF, United Kingdom

Pubs • Pizza • British • Burgers


"Chef James Morgan is somewhat of an unsung hero of mine, his attention to detail in all matters burger related is impeccable. His braised fore rib burger catapulted into my list of Top 10 best burgers in London after sampling it several times, so when I heard he 'd put on a Sloppy Joe burger as a special, I was gutted I wasn 't around to sample it. The good news, however, is that with massive amounts of positive feedback, he has finally put it on the menu full time so I popped up on a Friday lunchtime to see what the fuss was about... Price: Sloppy Joe burger with 'skinny ' fries £12 Presentation: The Sloppy Joe is presented lid on in the same fashion as the Wenlock 's other burgers, together with a bowl of skinny fries and a pot of mustard mayo, patty glistening under the weight of melted cheese and Sloppy Joe topping. I can 't wait to get stuck in. Toppings: Classically, the Sloppy Joe has a base of ground beef, but Chef James Morgan has whipped up his own take on the popular American recipe and come up with a topping that includes pulled pork, braised fore rib, red wine, brasied carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and chopped tomato and is reduced so far that it virtually sits up on the spoon. It 's has rich, savoury flavour that melts in the mouth and makes you want to shovel piles of it into your mouth at once. The Montgomery cheddar is melted over the Sloppy Joe topping, sealing it in, which itself is topped with oven roasted tomato and sliced dill pickles. Underneath the patty, the bun is smothered with a wild garlic mayonnaise. There are some big flavours here and yet they all combine for a filthy, dirty, stunning climax. Meat: The Wenlock burger patty is the same 100% chuck as on the braised fore rib burger, cooked med rare and it 's as good as ever in this combination. Bun: The Wenlock bun is a special creation from Harvey Rinkoff bakery and is perfectly suited to the mass of joyful mess that it wraps itself around. Accessories: Skinny chips with mustard mayo sauce read more about these in my first Wenlock Essex burger review. Overall rating: 9.5/10 This is the second burger from the Wenlock Essex that 's crashed straight into my Top 10 list of best burgers in London and it 's well deserved. The range of carefully prepared ingredients that have then potential to punch significantly below their weight when combined, work in a harmony that 's greater than the sum of their parts. The basics are spot on. The bun. The beef patty. The cheese. The chips. And the Sloppy Joe tops it all off."

The Bear on the Barge

The Bear on the Barge

Moorhall Road Denham, Buckinghamshire UB9 6PE, Uxbridge, United Kingdom

Pubs • Pizza • Steak • Coffee


"My wife and I had lunch on Sunday. Disconcerting to find a gate half across the car park and with a Private car park notice. Welcome to the Bear on the Barge car park would be friendlier. The front door is shut and we had...to go round the side. There is no indication of this anywhere, however having been before, we knew there was a side entrance in the garden. Very small menu, mainly Greek Souvlakis, some skewer dishes and pizza. We had expected some sort of Sunday roast. It's a pub (or at least, it used to be) but the only beer was lager and only a choice of three at that. After the mains (one lamb and one halloumi skewer, and very tasty they were too), we asked about desserts. We're not doing those Something to do with covid.. How about a coffee. What would we like Filter A blank look. I asked Have you a machine Yes, they had a machine. OK, two cappucinos. Waitress came back ten minutes later to say they had no milk. Add to that we were sitting in an almost empty room on a cold, wet day with the door to the garden permanently open. The place can hold a huge number the large garden is full of tables and there is a big marquee at the side but they don't seem geared to cope. The waitress sympathised and said it was due to covid. Well, yes, but other places have bounced back. She also said they were going to close in September for refurbishment. I think that maybe a complete rethink of their core business would be useful. So no complaints about the food but it was not the pleasant Sunday lunch in a warm pub atmosphere that we had looked forward to."