Andi Oliver at Sugar Shack at the Jackdaw & Star – Homerton, London

Update: It seems that everyone loved the food here as much as I did.  Andi Oliver and Kelly Miles have now got their own premises in Stoke Newington High Street. Check out Brunch at Andi’s Restaurant for info on the new place!

Last night Dan and I decided to try the restaurant run by the Celebrity TV Chef Andi Oliver and her business partner Kelly.  Andi Oliver is a regular face on Saturday Kitchen.  She is also taking over from Pru Leith as the host of the Great British Menu in the next series.  I’m sure she will be a household name soon, if not already.

The restaurant is called the Sugar Shack and is hosted by the Jackdaw and Star Pub in Homerton, North London. (now closed).

We arrived on a cold, wintery night to a very warm welcome from Kelly, the General Manager.  She showed us to a lovely table reserved for us (it’s the personal touches that count!)

We ordered a glass of wine each and were handed the menus.  Before we could even take a look Andi Oliver came out of the kitchen to greet us and explain the menu to us personally.  Andi cooks her food with love and has created a menu that is wholesome and hearty with a gastronomic twist and always a little bit different.  I’m always a little bit wary when it comes to explaining all of my dietary requirements.  Andi took it all in her stride – the sign of a good chef.  She assured me that they could adapt the majority of the menu to suit me.

We started off with the Padron Peppers (one of my favourites – I love the salty spiciness).  We also had some Fried Tofu (which she’d fried in chickpea flour for me).  They came served with a spicy walnut and herb dip which was amazing.  I ended up eating it by the spoonful and it really gave a punch of flavour to the tofu dish.

For mains, I chose the Slow Roasted Lamb with a Cauliflower and Cannellini Bean mash, topped with crispy onions at £13.  Dan had the Pressed Crispy Ham Hock with Salt & Vinegar crushed new Potatoes and Pea & Parsley Liquor priced at £14.

Well, we definitely weren’t going hungry tonight, the portions were huge!  My Lamb was delicious.  Slow-cooked for what must’ve been hours so that it fell apart when you tried to cut it.  It was so tender and delicious and the cauliflower and bean mash that it went with was something I’ve never tried but will have to have a go at soon.  It made a nice change from the Cauliflower Mash that I normally make and provided the comfort food element of the dish.  Tasty and warm for a cold winter evening and the whole dish went so well with the (second!) glass of Malbec I was drinking!

Dan’s Ham Hock was great too – I tried a small piece without all the sauce and potatoes and he raved about the dish, especially the crispy potatoes (I have to admit they did look delicious.)  Despite the huge portions, we both managed to finish every bite!

The special at the Sugar Shack (which we didn’t get to taste, but looked fabulous as I peered at other people’s dinner choices around the restaurant), is the smoked meat stack.  It’s a kind of triple-decker club sandwich made with meat that has a secret spice blend added and is then smoked in-house using their own blend of wood chips.  Served in sourdough it comes with plenty of salad, avocado and garlic dressing.  They do a lamb version, a pork version and a vegetarian version using aubergine and halloumi.

We were way too full for dessert but the ones that I could see coming out of the kitchen looked fabulous.  Proper comfort food desserts like sticky toffee pudding and chocolate brownies – maybe next time!

The pub and the restaurant are definitely dog & child friendly and early on a Friday night there were lots of families eating there.  It’s a very popular spot so best to book but they’ll do their best to find you a table if you just walk-in.  And with so many other delicious things yet to try on the menu, we’ll definitely be back!

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Update: It seems that everyone loved the food here as much as I did.  Andi Oliver and Kelly Miles have now got their own premises in Stoke Newington High Street. Check out Brunch at Andi’s Restaurant for info on the new place!