If someone said to you I have found what could only be described as the holy grail of Belgium beer in London, you would brush them off with some incoherent sound and tell them to pull the other one. I have indeed found and frequented the holy grail of Belgium beer in London and NO it is not Belgo’s !!!! Please let me introduce you to Lowlander http://www.lowlander.com. Located on Drury Lane this little diamond of a venue can only be described as a fantastical beer cave. The walls are covered in various beer art and the menu of beer is like an encyclopaedia.
The staff are fantastic and their knowledge of beer is tremendous. I recommend if you are stuck at being spoilt for choice than ask your server what they recommend, after asking only a few questions in regards to what your taste is and what type of beer you normally go for, I can only describe the beer that was recommended to me to be the sweet nectar of the beer gods! I would drink any and all of the beers stocked in Lowlander, but I would highly recommend you have a go at drinking a Troubadour. If you still can’t figure out what you want, Lowlander kindly offer a tasting paddle on their menu of three or six 1/3 pints. Even without sampling the food this is where all you beer lovers need to go and just simply have a drink.
Now I can’t visit anywhere that serves food and not try the food, in my eyes that would be a crime unto myself! So browsing the menu I found that Lowlander not only offer a great menu that teams nicely with a pint (venison burger as well as many Belgic favourites) I noticed they had a beer board menu. The beer boards include 3 tasting plates matched to 3 recommend 1/3 pints of draught beer. I have been to a few beer and food matching events and although I am a wine lover at heart, I was quickly converted to how beautifully beer can compliment food (sometimes) a lot better than wine. You have two combinations to choose from a hot board or smoked board.
I went with the hot board, which arrived on my table like a little alter of beer and food deliciousness. Now if I had a completely sober head on my shoulders I would have remembered to note down which beer was with each taster. So you will only have to go and try yourself in order to know the names of the beers. If you are simply happy with a taste description of each tasting, than hold onto your seats. The Belgium beer-battered cod goujon with tartare sauce was light and crispy and not in the slightest bit greasy. The fish in the batter was cooked to perfection and melted in the mouth. The beer combined with the fish which was a blond Belgium beer, added an extra hint of citrus to the pallet which complimented the goujon and in fact highlighted the taste of the cod more.
The Lowlander-smoked chicken wings with chilli jam were finger licking good, and I did lick my fingers a vast amount in this small plate tasting. I was not prepared to waste a single drop of that chilli jam. The wings were falling off the bone and the chilli jam gave the smokiness a sweet and spicy note which when combined with the pale beer undercut the spiciness to give it a subtle heat rather than one that kills all your tastebuds and leaves you only tasting hot for the rest of your meal.
The Overnight slow-cooked pulled pork with BBQ sauce on its own without the beer tasted like barbecue sampled on a backstreet restaurant in America, with BBQ sauce dripping down your arms with every bit of dignity you ever had is thrown out of the window in order to shovel vast amounts of meat down your gullet in an attempt to savour every taste. The beer (which I believe was a dark Troubador) added caramel and smokiness to the meat which only enhanced the flavour of the pork.
Lowlander is one of those places that needs to be visited muchly and often, anyone who makes it their life mission to sample every beer that Lowlander has on it’s menu would be incredible! I would like to take the burden on myself but my waistline would suffer, and in a vain attempt to look somewhat good I must decline on the mission and only visit for small short bursts of giving into the beer craving.
Ladies if you are in charge of planning a date for you and that special man, take him here, fill him with beer and some pulled pork, and if he is not eternally grateful that you have showed him his new beer mecca and makes you his wife, than he was never meant to be!!
Happy dining xx
Stilettos, Tiaras and Beer 