Chicken kiev goes posh with hand-foraged wild garlic and a secret breadcrumb blend at this new addition to Clerkenwell's Exmouth market. It's not the only 1970s British pub staple to get a very welcome makeover: prawn cocktail, trifles and lamb faggots are just couple of other familiar faces on the menu. The drinks list will be equally retro-inspired, with grasshoppers and snowballs, as well as Soda Stream cocktails. The retro laundry-inspired hangout will also have a common room-style basement space which will host a regular programme of events including book clubs, pop-up shops and club nights.
A 250-cover bar and restaurant in a former industrial laundry, Wringer & Mangle is the latest venture from the owner of Hoxton Pony and Hoxton Gin, which, of course, means a bloody great cocktail list that's lead by gin and homemade soda infusions such as beetroot and vanilla, and lime, honey and peppermint. As for the food, chef Oisin Coyle racked up experience at Terroirs and Skylon before jumping ship to Wringer & Mangle, bringing a menu of both healthy and hearty dishes with him. We particularly like generous terrace, which drinkers and diners will be able to enjoy all year round thanks to a fire pit.
The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise has all the usual trappings of our favourite brunch spot, including the quirky addition of a laundrette. However, before you start taking your washing along to breakfast, look closely at one of the walls: it's actually a secret sliding door leading to a 1970s-style bachelor pad, with all the funky tunes, gold lamé and vintage Playboys that entails. We're particularly excited about the extensive cocktail menu – not to mention its rather racy presentation – which has everything from classics to house cocktails such as the Basil No Faulty and the Rye 'n' Gosing, and the Top Shelf: a carefully curated list of craft and small-batch spirits.
Craft beers, biodynamic wines, cocktails and charcuterie belie this humble origins of this new local hot spot, but a trip to the loo will remind quickly remind you of its past life as a dilapidated laundrette: the original washing machine covers now adorn the bathrooms. Pale ale will be provided by new Dalston brewery 40FT, while London distiller Kamm & Sons has concocted an exclusive cocktail to sit alongside the seasonal drinks list.
