Always looking to help and support small local companies (like ours) we are delighted to be stocking this pale ale from London’s newest microbrewery ‘East London Brewing Co’.

A very good pale ale, nice and hoppy but well balanced at the same time.  A bit lighter than the London Meantime Pale Ale it replaced and slightly less alcoholic at 4%.

A very good addition to our offering and will be on rotation with Meantime over the winter months.  Enjoy!

Check out www.eastlondonbrewing.com for more information.

At The Princess we want all our customers to leave happy. So after feedback from some of our regulars, we have finally given our cheeseboard the overhaul it needed.

For 2.50 per cheese you can now ‘Build your own cheeseboard’ from our selection of artisan British cheeses.

So what have we got of cheesy delights?

This time around we have Cashel Blue, a soft Irish blue cheese from Tipperary; Lancashire Strong Bomb which is as the name suggests, a strong flavoured yet creamy cheese from Preston; an outstanding Kidderton Ash goats cheese with a delicate yet distinctive creamy flavour from Cheshire; the sticky but never disappointing Stinking Bishop from Gloucester and to complete to the range we have the delicious punchy Oak Smoked from Knockanore in the South of Ireland.

A good suggestion if you want to end your meal at this gastropub on a cheesy note.

With only a week and a half to go before the grand opening of The Lady Ottoline we have been putting the final touches to the menu and conducting cook off after cook off.

We took this opportunity to take a few pictures to give everyone a taste of what’s to come…

We source our venison from Chart Farm in kent.  It really is fantastic!  It’s so good, in fact, that it makes an appearance in both starters and mains.  Here we have our pan fried venison salad with toasted pine nuts, vegetable crisps and balsamic.

Delicious roasted Blackface lamb, root vegetable purée, candied and poached figs, salsify, crispy pancetta and juniper jus.

Pot roasted pork belly from Kilravock farm in the west highlands of Scotland.  Accompanied by braised pig cheek, black pudding croquette, crackling, carrot and anis purée and cider jus.

Below is our delicious 28 day aged sirloin.  Well worth getting up at five o’ clock and heading down to Smithfield market for……and proof that the early bird catches the worm!

While I had the camera I thought I would visit the kitchen and take some snap shots…

Chicken nuggets….!?   

…..no sorry, Mum hasn’t gone to Iceland…!  Deep fried avocado, although still not sure why!

Veal bones freshly roasted for the jus…

The last of the pearl barley risotto… Made with a whisky reduction and topped with pan fried red snapper, this starter is fantastic!

To the uninitiated, let me explain Shauns (our head chef) facial expression….

“Please stop taking pictures and get out of my kitchen….”  or words to that effect!!

Back to the tasting and below is an image of a handful of our team trying the food.

Last but certainly not least of todays tasters – black pudding, soft poached duck egg and sauce thermidore.  Simple but so very, very good!!

 The Lady Ottoline is due to open her doors to the public on Thursday 22nd September…

Now things are really beginning to take shape.

The outside has had its first layer of undercoat.

Inside, the ceiling has been brought back to its former glory and the back bar is in place. We did not think that cornicing would get us so excited, but somehow it does.

On the first floor we get greeted by a floor of new tiles….

And the main dining room to the right is truly taking shape…

As is the private dining room to the left…

An excited Maria practising her best smile where the new bar will be downstairs.

Only 2 weeks to go until the grand opening…

If you fancy being one of the first ones to come down and try all the gastronomic delights The Lady has to offer, please email us at info@theladyottoline.com.

The transformation has truly begun and we are starting to see what great space offers itself up to us!

Picture a well stocked bar (staffed with your favorite bar tender, on their best day none the least), a choice of lovely cask ales just waiting to be sampled and your best mate paying for the first round … No, really!

… pretty sure all the dust has been cleared too.

One floor up, and  here you will find the table that you booked for your Birthday, the one you didn’t mention to anyone but still felt the urge to celebrate in style. Your friends are sat waiting for you, having already ordered you a Gin and Tonic (2 limes, 3 cubes of ice) … Splendid.

Slightly hidden away from the main restaurant, is the private dining room. Dark woods, plush surroundings, crystal cut glasses and an extensive digestives list … perfect for that family reunion or the business dinner you have been put in charge of organising for the office.

Might be hard to imagine now, but there is still so much more we have to do before opening Bloomsbury’s newest gastropub….

So it all started with the big clear out.

Hard to imagine that in a few of weeks time we will be sitting enjoying a Sunday Lunch, with a chilled pint of London Pale Ale or nice glass of Cotes du Rhone …

But first we may need to get rid of a few things, like 3 dart boards, 2 pool tables, 2 beds, an aquarium, some home made fixed seating, tables and chairs and a whole lot of other stuff, including a full sized bath?!

We had two hard working lads clearing everything from all the 4 floors (thanks guys!)

And so the transformation from London local to a Lady begins.

The Ground Floor, 3 skips later …

First Floor games room, soon to become dining room extraordinaire…

And sadly, some may say, the toilet doors need to go next!

Coming soon, what is left after they have torn everything down …

Contrary to popular belief, wine tasting can be a bit of a drag.

Doing a red wine tasting at 11 am on a Friday morning = Goodbye to a productive rest of the day ( Thank you Giles!). But it does make for an enjoyable start to the weekend…

You will still find most of your old favourites on the list, but we have added some interesting wines that you would not find in many other places.

We are excited to be stocking the following new wines, some originating from more interesting wine producing spots …

Malagousia from the Greek producer Domaine Gerovassiliou. Aromatic & floral on the nose followed by a complex palate of citrus fruits and herbs with pleasing weight & a long satisfying finish.

(£31.95 per bottle)

Vylvyan Pinot Noir from Hungary. As good as any Burgundy we have tried. Cassis, raspberry & white pepper on the nose followed by a fresh & intense palate.

(£39.50 a bottle)

Perez Cruz Limited Edition Cot. Our new Malbec, classicaly from Chile. Rich, smoky & spicy with smooth tannins.

(£39.95 per bottle)

And finally for those tireless Chablis lovers out there, the Chablis Domaine Millet. Mineral & round on the palate with hints of honey & lemon.

An elegant wine with a delightful finish.

(£39.95 per bottle)

Let us know what you think! And if you have got any new favourites?

LET THERE BE MUSIC AND DANCE!

In 1576 part of the former Holywell Priory, situated near what we now call Shoreditch High Street, was leased to a Richard Burbage, an ambitious head of the Earl of Leicester’s acting company, who was then living in a house on Holywell Street.

Burbage built The Theatre on a site that would currently coincide with the junction between Curtain Road and New Inn Yard, seeking refuge from the City of London, who had just banned all play acting due to the spreading of the Bubonic Plague and the rowdiness and crime that followed artistic representations in those days.

This wooden octagonal building was to see 22 years service and it was only in 1597, when the landlord refused to renew the lease, that Burbage’s son, Cuthbert, was forced to leave. However, cunningly, he took the materials from the Theatre with him … and the wood was re-used to build the Globe on Bankside.

The Shakespeare connections with Shoreditch do not finish there. In the 1590s, Shakespeare lived in a house in nearby Bishopsgate and some of his plays were first performed in Shoreditch, including the world renowned Romeo and Juliet.

The area is still a haven for culture and counter-culture many hundreds of years later, so come down and explore for yourselves! We would obviously be delighted to hear about your escapades over a glass of wine … or two … (we won’t be insisting on the Elizabethan minimal daily gallon though)

Check out Time Out’s guide to Things to do in Shoreditch to see what else the area has to offer – after having had the Gastropub experience with us….

We are in very good company in the latest editions of both Madame Figaro  and Crea Traveller.

Featuring the best places to eat, stay and enjoy everything British, we are proud to be listed amongst London’s best gastropubs and top end restaurants in the summer editions of the magazines.

Listed amongst greats such as The Bull & Last, St John & The Modern Pantry, we are looking forward to welcoming new guests to try our famous Sunday Roast or as pictured, the delicious chocolate fondant – a classic.

We like the ‘Best Smile Guarantee’ bit! We are up for that.

Thank you for checking out our new blog.

Here you will find updates on our new products, dishes, suppliers and all the other things we get excited about here at The Princess of Shoreditch.

We love fresh seasonal food, great wine and a good story, so read on for the latest from Shoreditch and beyond….