WIN DINNER & DRINKS AT BURY COURT

I've got a real treat for you today.... Earlier this week I popped down to the newly refurbished Balls Brothers venue - Bury Court, next to Liverpool Street, to sample their new food and cocktail menu, and they've very kindly given me a meal and drinks for 4 people to win on my blog - just enter below using the Rafflecopter widget. You can gain up to 3 entries by following the instructions below. Let me tempt you by telling you about our visit there and the delicious cocktails and food we tried.

Bury Court is right at the foot of The Gherkin building in The City. Despite its location there was quite a mix of people in there when we went on a Tuesday evening - not just the suits you'd expect, but groups of girls drinking cocktails, couples and mates out for a bite to eat. Bury Court has a great cocktail menu so we were convinced to try a few of these. I didn't know until now that Balls Brothers was born in the 19th century and started life as the Old George Public House on Bethnal Green Road, not far from the Bury Court site. They became renowned for the quality of port, brandy and sherry they served and the business grew into speciality booze shops that were known for their top quality produce. It's with this in mind that the new cocktail menu was created. If you really want, you can have a mojito or a Bloody Mary at Bury Court, but it was these old fashioned cocktails inspired by the spirits that The Balls Brothers built their empire on that had me interested.

We started with Shaky Pete's Ginger Brew, made from Beefeater gin, London Pride, lemon and gingery syrup. I think this was my favourite of the 3 we tried - it was light but fiery from the ginger, and I don't think I've tried a cocktail made with ale before, though I definitely would again. Next up was a Sherry Cobler, made with Hidalgo Amontillado Napoleon (a fino sherry), Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 year Bourbon, Cointreau, gomme and orange bitters. It's an old drink that was said to be the most popular mixed drink of the 19th century and is apparently the reason the straw was invented, as previous mixed drinks had all been served in short glasses, whereas this is served in a long glass. It's strong and boozy, and not one for the faint hearted. While I enjoyed it, it was my least preferred of the 3 we tried. Both drinks look similar in colour, but tasted very different - Shaky Pete on the left; Sherry Cobler on the right.
 

 
Our 3rd cocktail was another winner - the Brandy Sangaree, made with Courvoisier VS Exclusive, Dows Fine Ruby Port, Marashino and gomme. It's served with a huge block of ice to keep the drink cool, tastes sweet and fruity, and dates back to the 1700s.

Bury Court also has a fine selection of whisky, gin and fortified wines, serving over 15 types of each, and accompanying the lists of them in the drinks menu with lovely drawings to illustrate where each brand sits on the taste map.

After all these cocktails it was definitely time for food. Hugo skipped the starter to save room for pudding, but I prefer savoury dishes so chose the pate of crab, chives, lemon and crème fraiche, served with a fennel and apple salad. What I was served was delicious, though not quite what I'd read on the menu. No fennel and apple, but salad leaves instead, the crab was fresh and tasty, and didn't need much else to accompany it other than the crunchy slices of toasted bread.

For mains I went for braised pig cheeks and sautéed scallops with mash, savoy cabbage and an apple cider sauce. So rich and decadent, the scallops went really well with the super tender pig cheek and the very more-ish sauce brought the whole thing together.

Hugo's main was the beef burger - always a good test of a venue's menu. The burger was juicy and delicious, topped with melted cheese and bacon, and served with crispy chips and a really punchy homemade bloody mary salsa, which I would buy in bottles to take home if it was possible!

I didn't fancy pudding but Hugo ordered the warm chocolate brownie and I tried a little bit. It tasted almost like a dense soufflé and was wonderful with the melting ice cream that was served on top of it - though neither of us are fans of red berry sauce, so worked our way around that.

I was impressed with Bury Court. It's affordable - mains range from £11-16.50 and there are more unusual dishes on the menu than just fish and chips and burgers, those these are available too. The cocktails are innovative and interesting, and being so close to Liverpool Street station it's a great after-work meeting spot. So if you want to try it out, enter the competition below to win a 3 course meal and drinks for 4 people. Just be aware that you'll need to use the prize, if you win, on a weekday, as they're not open at weekends. The prize is valid for 3 months from and you can use it for either lunch or dinner. The competition closes in one week - good luck!!


 

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