We’re very happy to have been listed in the brilliant Curious London’s guide to Victoria’s Best Pre-Theatre Restaurants.

“New kid on the block Jones Family Kitchen has just opened its second site in pretty Eccleston Yard. It’s very much tucked away, ……………..The big draw here is the menu of Ginger Pig meats, all cooked to order on a Josper grill, and the extensive list of wines available by the glass.”

Read the full guide at Curious London’s guide to Victoria’s Best Pre-Theatre Restaurants

Thrilled and honoured to be today’s Test Drive in Hot Dinners

Thank you Hot Dinners for visiting us and for your lovely words about our menu 🙂 We look forward to welcoming you again 🙂

Their full review can be read on Hot Dinner’s excellent web site.

…..”What’s on the menu?

Their big thing is the section of Josper grilled Longhorn steaks so you can share a prime rib or porterhouse if there’s a group of you, or order other cuts individually. But actually it’s one of those menus that has just loads you’d genuinely fancy eating on. Make sure, though, that you start with the cheese croquettes (£3.50) – the oxtail mayo they’re served with is just amazing.

From our starters whipped goats cheese with proscuitto and fresh peas (£70 was a super summer dish – perfect for the terrace and the seared scallops served on creamed cauliflower with a wild garlic gremolata (£9) was a generous dish. We opted for both a rib eye (£28 for 350g) which came with that wonderful sear only the Josper can give and a pork rib eye with smoked aubergine puree (£18) – you could really taste the quality of that Ginger Pig pork.

Sides were all super, but we would be remiss if we didn’t tell you to order the brown crab roast potatoes – a dish of sheer genius from chef Oliver Pollard (who comes here via SMOKESTAK, Marcus Wareing and Barrafina).

After all that we weren’t able to go big on the desserts, but the black pepper pannacotta with balsamic strawberries was perfectly wobbly and a scoop of their malted cornflake gelato made us want more.

What about if you’re veggie?

There’s an entirely separate menu for vegans who are well catered for here. The charred cauliflower dish sounds worth a try (£14) and the heritage tomato salad with sherry vinegar and basil (£4) was one of the sides we tried and was very good indeed.

And to drink?

There’s a decent section of wines by the glass – with an option of 125ml (why?), 175ml, a carafe and a full bottle. The Etna Bianco from Sicily’s Planeta vineyard was at the top end of that at £11.25 for a proper glass, but was worth it. Otherwise there are plenty of bottles in the upper 20s and early 30s or you can push the boat out and get yourself a magnum o Artesmis from the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Napa for £190.

Overall thoughts:

Just a super restaurant – and one we’d happily come back to. There’s plenty to enjoy here and although the emphasis is on the steaks, there’s so much more than that’s also worth trying on the menu. A great addition to the Victoria area.

 

We were thrilled to be mentioned in Hot Dinners’ newsletter.

What: The Jones Family Kitchen

In a nutshell: The next from the Jones Family Project

Summing it all up: Following on from their original Shoreditch opening, this is the latest from The Jones Family, this time a Kitchen more than a Project, with a big emphasis on grilled meat.

Read their full review on Hot Dinners’ fantastic website

Luke and Alejandro were interviewed about The Jones Family Kitchen earlier this month for the May edition of the excellent Harpers Wine & Spirit Magazine.

“For those who haven’t visited the Jones Family Project in east London’s hipster heartlands, it is perhaps best described as a thoroughly modern eatery, hitting all the right buttons and buzzwords, sharing a passion for well-sourced produce and drinks, in a relaxed and flexible environment that mixes up intimacy with a laid-back vibe.

“On the drinks front, along with the well-curated cocktail, spirit and beer listings, the wine list also stands out, both for the value of the deliberately low mark-up wines featured, and the structure and presentation. This list, rather originally, can be read from both sides. Enter from one side and the wines are arranged by region. Flip the same list over and what greets you is the same collection of wines but arranged by style.

“It’s a neat innovation, designed to engage both more knowledgeable customers who are more adept at threading their way through a traditional regional layout, along with those who might find it easier to make a choice based on variety and style. Either way as head wine honcho Alejandro McIntre-Vera points out, this usually acts as a great conversation opening, breaking the vinous ice and helping the wine-savvy staff engage with customers over wines

“So far so very Shoreditch. But the team behind the restaurant are about to open a second venue in Belgravia……”

Full article can be read on Harpers Wine & Spirit Magazine web site.

We and Flying Fish who supply our fish are deeply concerned about the levels of Sea Bass currently in UK waters. Like Cod, which was under threat but happily has now returned to sustainable levels, Sea Bass is a long-lived and slow growing species of fish. Capable of living up 30 years the male Sea Bass matures between 3-6 years old and female at 5-8 years of age. Since the 1970s they’ve been fished commercially at a rate which has been putting Wild Sea Bass into danger. Thus you will not be seeing Wild Sea Bass on our menu.

However, the good news is that it’s currently about to be the best season to catch Turbot. In spring and early Summer Turbot come into shallower water and become easier for shore anglers and Day Boats to catch. Turbot are very similar looking to brill but have an almost completely circular body and rougher skin. Though excellent Turbot can be found throughout the UK, one of its favourite habitats is the South West where our wonderful supplier Flying Fish is based.

I’m already been working on some tasty recipes for this delicious firm white fish.

Photo of Dawn in Newlyn Harbour by Oliver Pollard

Duncan and I have always believed in having an extensive and varied list of wines by the glass. It not only allows guests who do not wish to drink a carafe of bottle the option of a single glass but also allows guests to play with different pairings throughout their meal and explore wines that they may not know. We are very excited to be adding Orin Swift’s Papillion to our by the glass and bottle list at The Jones Family Kitchen.

Compared to many other producers with long lineages the rebel with an artistic bent, Dave Phinney, and his company Orin Swift, are new giants in the pantheon of established lauded wine estates. Robert Parker called Dave Phinney “one of the most talented winemakers of our time,” and I concur. He’s been doing some very exciting things and I believe he and his wines fully merit the recognition they’ve been getting.

Dave Phinney Orin Swift

The history of Orin Swift Cellars dates back to 1995 when Dave Phinney visited Florence on a whim to spend a semester “studying”. It was in Italy that he was introduced to wine and how it was made. He was immediately hooked. He ditched his ideas of becoming a lawyer. Four days after leaving university he moved from Arizona to Napa and he took a job with Robert Mondavi Winery as a temporary harvest worker. Deciding that if he was going to work hard he was going to do so for himself, one year out of university, in 1998, he founded Orin Swift Cellars (named from his father’s middle name, Orin, and his mother’ maiden name, Swift.) Over the next decade he explored and experimented while he made wine both for himself and others. His wines met with considerable success and have meant that he now owns vineyards not only in Napa but also in Chile, France and Spain.

What’s so different and special about Dave Phinney’s wines? He has a restless and inquisitive mind which pushes established wine rules and has turned some of the assumed wine making wisdoms upside down. In his own vineyards, he lets his grapes hang on their vines longer than most vineyard owners to get greater flavour concentration and viscosity. He tops up grapes from his own vineyards, by buying and blending grapes from a huge array of vineyards around the world. If he has one immutable rule to his wine making it’s that he’s committed to only creating wine from the best possible vines he can find, making sure that they are farmed properly, and being fastidious about when the grapes are picked. The demand for Orin Swift wines is huge and it’s not easy to grab a bottle as because of his insistence that he’ll only make the quantity of wine that he has the right quality of fruit for.

The Papillon 2015 we’ve listed is a Bordeaux-styled blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc (15.1% alcohol). It’s a stunning rich, full-bodied, unctuously textured wine with notes of cherry and blackberry. which is delicious now and will last for many years. It has a stunning and instantly recognisable label. Another of Dave Phinney’s many passions is photography. The labels for his wines are always unique and thought-provoking. For Papillion he has chosen the soil and grape stained hands of Vince Tofanelli, an old school vintner in Napa Valley, taken by celebrity photographer (turned wine maker too) Greg Gorman.

Robert Parker’s consistently given Papillion 94 and 95 points in his highly regarded reviews. It’s a fabulous wine alone but also pairs perfectly with our Josper grilled Ginger Pig steak which is why I’m delighted to be including it to our list. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do by the glass, carafe or bottle.

To celebrate Belgravia in Bloom which is taking place as we open and the soon to open Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up exhibition at the V&A, we have created a special cocktail and dish, inspired by the energetic and vivacious Mexican artist.

The Head Full of Flowers cocktail, available throughout the summer, has taken inspiration from the traditional Mexican hairstyle which became one of the most iconic images associated with Kahlo: a head adorned with flowers. It celebrates Frida’s strong, independent, colourful and proud Mexican heritage that became an integral part of her identity. Made with 1800 Silver Reserva, mezcal, St Germain elderflower liqueur, pink grapefruit juice, lime juice with a salt chilli rim, the cocktail celebrates Frida’s much loved Mexican tequila and mezcal spirits that results in a strong, thoughtful, open and honest drink with a colourful and spicy kick on your lips.


Frida’s Mexican Flower Garden Plate salad, which will be available during our soft opening throughout Belgravia in Bloom (19th – 26th May), is a combination of crispy raw summer vegetables and flowers, smoked plantain, chipotle aubergine yoghurt and lime zest served with a sharp, spiced agave vinaigrette and pumpkin seeds. The dish pays homage to Kahlo’s love of plants and nature, both themes that were present throughout the entire span of her career but most intensive during the 1940s and ‘50’s when she was increasingly confined to her home, The Blue House. The garden within The Blue House held a deep connection for Kahlo and this colourful and vibrant dish reminds us of this.

We were very excited to see The Jones Family Kitchen and Eccleston Yards in the latest issue of Victoria Magazine 🙂 (Page 24 & 25)

Fabulous interview with Lindsey Harper about Eccleston Yards in the latest issue of Belgravia magazine. We’re very excited to be moving in soon and alongside the brilliant TART London Tailor Made London SMUK London Re:Mind Studio Central Working and Barry’s Bootcamp London

 

Without wanting to run the risk of sounding like some sort of lush I have to admit to loving wine, cocktails and the two combined. For many years Kir Royals, Sangrias, Spritzs and Belini have been popular but I believe we’re about to see a new resurgence and greater choice in wine based cocktails.

At best your first thoughts of mixing wine with spirit might make you think of the already mentioned Sangrias and Spritzs, nice but not anything new. At worst it is suppressed memories of the bad hangovers you had when you raided your parents’ drinks cabinet, drinking from half empty bottles of whatever was left over. If however you are a bartender with a sense of adventure and willing to experiment then you can add all sorts of wonderful, flavours and aromas to your cocktail list. When wine is used as a cocktail ingredient and not just the base then your options really start to open up. The huge variety of wines available means that you are only limited by the pairing that you can come up with. Wine can enhance and complement almost any flavour that you are looking for. Are you looking to add a jammy fruit, may be some oaky smokiness, or wanting to add depth in terms of tannin; well then, like with many things in life, wine is the answer.

Summer drinking is all about sipping something cool while enjoying a few happy rays. Sitting with on a terrace outside a restaurant with a wine cocktail and a good meal accompanied by great friends is one of life’s great pleasures. Wine cocktails are often lighter and more refreshing than many traditional alcoholic drinks, which makes them ideal for long leisurely sunny summer afternoons. They are also often easier to pair with food and a great way to start a meal.

Most wine cocktails use a chilled base of perhaps rosé, Champagne or Prosecco, but this is not always the case and in our new cocktail list we’ve a new mini menu of special wine cocktails. La Vie En Rose is perhaps our most traditional combining the lovely scent and fresh vivacious tangy flavour of rosé wine with our own house infused rose vodka. It pairs beautifully with Oliver’s fabulous seafood, salads and charcuterie. Our Sangria Sunshine is a twist on Sangria with our own house made Sangria Shrub and a classic Italian Soave by Bertani. We’ve taken inspiration from Greece with our Pining For Attica using Retsina combined with fabulous organic juniper, angelica, fresh lime peel, bay laurel, cardamom, red raspberry leaf and honey notes from the Battersea-based fabulous Dodd’s gin. This drink has sweetness, but with a slightly bitter a finish. It’s what I like to call a proper drink, with a bit of a kick that will keep you happy. With Little Old Lisbon, as you’d expect we’ve travelled to the Douro River in Portugal where we’ve chosen port from one of the oldest Quinta’s, Quinta Do Crasto. We have added some of our own wine syrup made using Pinot Noir and red grape juice and then perhaps not to be expected paired it with a trip to Kentucky using Wild Turkey Rye whiskey to create a twist on the Old Fashioned.

Our bar team are very picky when it comes to choosing cocktails for our featured lists and the last one to make the cut is Blanc Canvas, a tall summer drink characterised by the sweetness of the mango, the brightness and evergreen notes of the Lillet Blanc and the refreshing acidity and minerality of the Chenin blanc.

Why limit yourself to pouring wine straight from the bottle. Join us and share a few of our bar team’s wine cocktails on our terrace this summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Simon Burrell