Glass: Rocks glass
Method: Build all ingredients over ice in a mixing glass and stir thoroughly
Ingredients:
35ml Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth
25ml Beefeater 24
25ml Campari
2 dashes Angostura bitter
2 dashes orange bitter
Garnish:
Orange wedge
Friday, 30 July 2010
Cocktail of the week - Negroni
It's Friday afternoon, which means...it's cocktail time. We've chosen the Negroni as it has quite the burn to it. Give it a go this weekend. As of next month, we'll have a special cocktail of the month video, so keep a look out for that.
Glass: Rocks glass
Method: Build all ingredients over ice in a mixing glass and stir thoroughly
Ingredients:
35ml Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth
25ml Beefeater 24
25ml Campari
2 dashes Angostura bitter
2 dashes orange bitter
Garnish:
Orange wedge
Glass: Rocks glass
Method: Build all ingredients over ice in a mixing glass and stir thoroughly
Ingredients:
35ml Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth
25ml Beefeater 24
25ml Campari
2 dashes Angostura bitter
2 dashes orange bitter
Garnish:
Orange wedge
Monday, 26 July 2010
Our Head Chef Jason Wallis...
We had a chat with our Head Chef, Jason Wallis about his love of food and his love of The Lonsdale. Have a read to see where he gets his cooking inspiration from, what his favourite dish is and his revealing cocktail of choice.
Lonsdale - Could you give us a brief history of your career?
Jason Wallis - I’ve worked at quite a few notable restaurants in my day – The Great Eastern Hotel, Lewis and Clarke, Hawksmoor, and most recently The Lonsdale. I am really passionate about using quality steaks, so it’s really great to be working in a restaurant such as The Lonsdale that has encouraged me to use excellent British sourced dry aged beef.
L - Why did you choose Allens of Mayfair as your meat supplier?
JW - I was trawling the internet for rare breed beef when Allens of Mayfair kept popping up so I investigated further. They are one of the oldest butchers in the UK and the most renowned Master butchers. I had to visit them and take some samples of steak home to cook for my family. The dishes got rave reviews from the family, so if it’s good enough for my family, it’s good enough for my customers! Our rare breed Cairngorm steak is served with homemade sauces, triple cooked chips, and is a culinary delight.
L - What about your vegetables, where do you source them and why?
JW - It’s very important to me to source my ingredients from local businesses and help support the community during this very difficult financial climate. At The Lonsdale we really make an effort to use vegetables from the local grocers.
L - What is your favourite dish that you’ve ever created?
JW - I’m very proud of my red onion and goat’s cheese tart, which has already made an appearance on The Lonsdale menu. The way the sweet red onion cuts against the goat’s cheese is a pleasurable treat. Everything is held together by this crisp puff pastry.
L - What is your favourite dish on offer at The Lonsdale?
JW - The pan seared scallops and chorizo and butternut squash puree tastes amazing and is a dish that never fails to leave me salivating!
L - What can we look forward to for the Autumn/Winter menu?
JW - The dish I’m most proud of is a tossup between the braised lamb shanks or a slow cooked ox tail. They’re both my pièce de résistance.
L - What do you feel are the most important factors when creating a menu?
JW - I’m very much influenced by what’s happening in that season and balancing that with the taste.
L - What is your favourite cocktail?
JW - The Godfather, which is a dangerously delicious concoction of one shot of whisky, one shot of amaretto, a dash of orange bitters, a dash of angostura bitters, and a twist of orange peel. Everything is then poured over ice and stirred.
L - What would be your last supper – where, with whom, and what dish?
JW - I asked my son this question and told him to answer it for me to see if he got it right, and I’m proud to say he did! He said, “It would be at home with my family, eating a nice home cooked curry.” We often do this and I deliberately cook too much so that we end up eating it for days!
Lonsdale - Could you give us a brief history of your career?
Jason Wallis - I’ve worked at quite a few notable restaurants in my day – The Great Eastern Hotel, Lewis and Clarke, Hawksmoor, and most recently The Lonsdale. I am really passionate about using quality steaks, so it’s really great to be working in a restaurant such as The Lonsdale that has encouraged me to use excellent British sourced dry aged beef.
L - Why did you choose Allens of Mayfair as your meat supplier?
JW - I was trawling the internet for rare breed beef when Allens of Mayfair kept popping up so I investigated further. They are one of the oldest butchers in the UK and the most renowned Master butchers. I had to visit them and take some samples of steak home to cook for my family. The dishes got rave reviews from the family, so if it’s good enough for my family, it’s good enough for my customers! Our rare breed Cairngorm steak is served with homemade sauces, triple cooked chips, and is a culinary delight.
L - What about your vegetables, where do you source them and why?
JW - It’s very important to me to source my ingredients from local businesses and help support the community during this very difficult financial climate. At The Lonsdale we really make an effort to use vegetables from the local grocers.
L - What is your favourite dish that you’ve ever created?
JW - I’m very proud of my red onion and goat’s cheese tart, which has already made an appearance on The Lonsdale menu. The way the sweet red onion cuts against the goat’s cheese is a pleasurable treat. Everything is held together by this crisp puff pastry.
L - What is your favourite dish on offer at The Lonsdale?
JW - The pan seared scallops and chorizo and butternut squash puree tastes amazing and is a dish that never fails to leave me salivating!
L - What can we look forward to for the Autumn/Winter menu?
JW - The dish I’m most proud of is a tossup between the braised lamb shanks or a slow cooked ox tail. They’re both my pièce de résistance.
L - What do you feel are the most important factors when creating a menu?
JW - I’m very much influenced by what’s happening in that season and balancing that with the taste.
L - What is your favourite cocktail?
JW - The Godfather, which is a dangerously delicious concoction of one shot of whisky, one shot of amaretto, a dash of orange bitters, a dash of angostura bitters, and a twist of orange peel. Everything is then poured over ice and stirred.
L - What would be your last supper – where, with whom, and what dish?
JW - I asked my son this question and told him to answer it for me to see if he got it right, and I’m proud to say he did! He said, “It would be at home with my family, eating a nice home cooked curry.” We often do this and I deliberately cook too much so that we end up eating it for days!
Friday, 23 July 2010
Cocktail of the week - Drake's Mojito
We’re going all skull and crossbone-esque. Our cocktail of the week is a take on Ernest Hemmingway’s favorite tipple, a Drake’s Mojito.
Our version of this popular cocktail is named after its historical creator, Richard Drake. He was a British pirate and a subordinate of the famous Captain Francis Drake. Richard Drake was in Havana in 1586 when he used Aguardiente, a primitive version of rum, to create the ancestor of the drink we all know today. This light and refreshing drink is perfect for a hot summer’s day.
GLASS : HI-BALL
METHOD : BUILD & MUDDLE INTO THE GLASS, SERVED OVER CUBED ICE
INGREDIENTS :
2/3 MINT STALK
3 BAR SPOONS OF SUGAR SYRUP
25 ML FRESHLY SQUEEZED LIME
25 ML ABELHA 3 YEARS GOLD CACHACA
25 ML HAVANA ANEJO ESPECIAL RUM
TOP UP WITH STILL WATER
GARNISH : WOODEN SPOON
Our version of this popular cocktail is named after its historical creator, Richard Drake. He was a British pirate and a subordinate of the famous Captain Francis Drake. Richard Drake was in Havana in 1586 when he used Aguardiente, a primitive version of rum, to create the ancestor of the drink we all know today. This light and refreshing drink is perfect for a hot summer’s day.
GLASS : HI-BALLMETHOD : BUILD & MUDDLE INTO THE GLASS, SERVED OVER CUBED ICE
INGREDIENTS :
2/3 MINT STALK
3 BAR SPOONS OF SUGAR SYRUP
25 ML FRESHLY SQUEEZED LIME
25 ML ABELHA 3 YEARS GOLD CACHACA
25 ML HAVANA ANEJO ESPECIAL RUM
TOP UP WITH STILL WATER
GARNISH : WOODEN SPOON
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Making the most of Notting Hill this summer
Notting Hill has an abundance of hidden gems and is a hive of activity throughout the summer. We have endeavoured to discover a few favourites, so let loose the Notting Hillbilly in you and explore:
Portobello Art & Design Market (24th July) : This weekend you will find young and established artists gathering under the Westway Flyover at Acklam Square. A newly established market of 20-30 stalls has been set up in this area, already renowned for its street art.
Sugarlesque Burlesque Craft Parlour (1st August) : For all you retro leaning gals who love your lingerie, head over to What Katie Did, (26 Portobello Green), to take advantage of their 10% discount. For the more adventurous, join the burlesque pastie and nipple tassel workshop, run by an ex performer.
Tickets cost £30, email sugar@sugarlesque.com for more information.
The Fields by Casper Scarth (until 26th August) : experimental art gallery Kester + Bles have launched their Backroom, with a special solo show from Casper Scarth. The exhibition explores themes of freedom and autonomy through surrealist paintings and drawings which will leave you slightly disconcerted.
If these leave you gasping for a cocktail, then head over to The Lonsdale for our refreshing cocktail of the week, the Russian Spring Punch.
Portobello Art & Design Market (24th July) : This weekend you will find young and established artists gathering under the Westway Flyover at Acklam Square. A newly established market of 20-30 stalls has been set up in this area, already renowned for its street art.
Sugarlesque Burlesque Craft Parlour (1st August) : For all you retro leaning gals who love your lingerie, head over to What Katie Did, (26 Portobello Green), to take advantage of their 10% discount. For the more adventurous, join the burlesque pastie and nipple tassel workshop, run by an ex performer.
Tickets cost £30, email sugar@sugarlesque.com for more information.
The Fields by Casper Scarth (until 26th August) : experimental art gallery Kester + Bles have launched their Backroom, with a special solo show from Casper Scarth. The exhibition explores themes of freedom and autonomy through surrealist paintings and drawings which will leave you slightly disconcerted.
If these leave you gasping for a cocktail, then head over to The Lonsdale for our refreshing cocktail of the week, the Russian Spring Punch.
Monday, 19 July 2010
Get to know Dtwo Design
We caught up with Dave Knight from Dtwo, the team behind the redesign of The Lonsdale, who filled us in on a little bit about himself and the project.
Lonsdale - What was your brief with the Lonsdale?
DK - Simply to redesign an already great night spot, making the venue slicker and tailoring The Lonsdale for an increasingly discerning bunch of West London sophisticats not content with an ailing interior decor and also to impact, through good design, the day to day (or night to night) operational side of the business.
Lonsdale - What did you set out to achieve with the space?
DK - The trick at The Lonsdale was tweaking the Operational side and really making the bar and dining room functional. Once that is concrete you’re half way there and before you know it your deep down and dirty with the finishes.
DK - Being no stranger to The Lonsdale’s late night antics I was already familiar with the space and had for years thought about ‘what could be’ whilst waiting for drinks service in the ‘narrow squeeze’ that was a Friday and Saturday night.
Lonsdale - What was your inspiration behind the design?
DK - The design side of things come naturally. We are constantly playing with materials and have a good angle on how things should look and be constructed. We’re inspired by just about everything that surrounds us.
DK - It was imperative we focused our attentions on the operational side as mentioned firstly. The interior fit by Dtwo is usually a more technical affair, choosing to shun wall paper in favour of a mechanically textured finish in whatever form it may take. We feel commercial fits shouldn’t utilise products you could buy for your home, they should be different, challenging and individual. Bar and dining experiences are about theatre, drama and about the actual experience. It should be about a sensory experience that one wouldn’t get by staying home! It’s about going for it and getting involved!
Lonsdale - What has been your favourite project and why?
DK - It’s got to be the first project we ever took on - back in the 90s! It was our first foray in to the dark and sometimes rather murky world of the London bar scene. A project that cost the best part of £900,000, which back in the day was not unheard of...In fact it was almost the norm. It enabled us to work solely on the one project, from inception to completion. It was a blast from start to finish. Great friendships were formed, and a great bar was delivered!
Lonsdale - What do you enjoy most about your job?
DK - I love tinkering and being inquisitive. Formally trained at Central in Product and Industrial design says it all really. I ride everywhere on motorbikes, most of which we build and race. I love wearing a suit one day and overalls the next. I love dealing with old white lab coat manufacturers with handlebar moustaches (you know who you guys are) and have a penchant for the British Industrial Age.
Lonsdale - And finally, if you could only give one piece of advice to someone who is looking to re-design a bar/restaurant, what would it be?
DK - Get involved, get excited, get passionate and don’t accept no for an answer. Go full on, go all out and have a blast whilst you do it.
Friday, 16 July 2010
Cocktail of the Week
The RUSSIAN SPRING PUNCH is the perfect start to the weekend...
INGREDIENTS:
50ml Stolichnaya
25ml Lemon Juice
15ml Sugar syrup
Top with Champagne
15 ML Cassis Float
Simply build the ingredients into a catalina glass over cubed ice and finish with lemon and redcurrants.
Monday, 12 July 2010
The Word on the Street...
Have a read over what people have been saying about us since our re-launch.
