Platform Bar

Food Menu

Andy — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:38:01 +0000

Unusually for a restaurant, we have a cross-shareholding with a farm. This farm is run by a chap, Barny Butterfield, who earns his keep supplying organic produce to the big supermarkets.

We’re into sustainability and organic food, but we’re not over zealous or precious about it. Our main thing is that you have a really enjoyable meal. With a stake in each other’s businesses, we’re joined at the hip and that means we can do things differently. Most restaurants decide the menu then order in the cuts, ignoring whatever is left. We don’t do that. We take the whole beast directly from Barny.

Barny’s breeds are chosen for their flavour, not for ease of production. He feeds his cattle and pigs natural foods and allows them to grow slowly to an age that gives the meat the juiciest taste. They are bred and kept in a genuinely free-range way. His farm also supplies us with apple juices, cider and ginger beer.

We’re into sustainability and organic food, but we’re not over zealous or precious about it. Our main thing is that you have a really enjoyable meal.

Drinks Menu

Ryan — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:32:36 +0000

At Platform we want our wine list to be accessible and appealing. Past all the tasting notes, rare vintages, point scales and adjectives dredged from the thesaurus is a very simple thing: wine. Our food, sourced straight from the farm, is as real as it gets. It only makes sense that the bottle is too. It’s true we source a lot of organic and biodynamic wines, but those descriptions only surfaced after we decided how delicious they were. Flavour comes first and everything else is a bonus.

Much like the food menu, we look forward to regularly cracking open some unusual bottles here and there and offering them by the glass.

Classic styles and varietials pepper our wine list throughout, but we’re hoping it’s the oddball wines, the quirky ones that arouse the curiosity.

Restaurant & Farm

Ryan — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:18:47 +0000

The way we’re doing this is agreeing to a cross-shareholding with a farm, unusual for a restaurant. This farm is run by a chap, Barny Butterfield, who earns his keep supplying organic produce to the big supermarkets. He’s not complaining (much), but he’d like to loosen the collar a bit. He farms in the pre-war, proper way. He gets most of his techniques from talking to old farmers down the pub who can remember how things used to be done. Breeds are chosen for their flavour, not for ease of production. He feeds his cattle and pigs natural foods and allows them to grow slowly to an age that gives the meat the juiciest taste. They are bred and kept in a genuinely free range way. We’re talking rolling muddy fields and exposure to the sun and (mostly) rain. ‘If you pick a fruit before it’s ready, it won’t taste any good’, says Barny. ‘It’s the same with animals’. His farm also supplies us with apple juices, cider and ginger beer

Business Sense

Ryan — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:18:19 +0000

With a stake in each other’s businesses, we’re joined at the hip and that means we can do things differently. Most restaurants decide the menu then order in the cuts, ignoring whatever is left. We don’t do that. We take the whole beast directly from Barny. There’s no need for a wholesaler and we have our own butcher. In return, Platform gets a dedicated, guaranteed supply of some of the best traditionally farmed meat in England. Our chefs and customers are happier with the product because we know all about it – the feed, the breed, how it has lived and so on. As Barny says, ‘If you want a great tasting animal, give it a happy life.’ Once you get him talking about proper old school farming it’s hard to get him to stop.

Space Saving

Ryan — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:17:50 +0000

Rent on floorspace is the other big factor behind the trend for restaurants to order pre-portioned meats from the butcher. We’ve got ‘round this problem by investing in a larder kitchen down the road in Druid Street. We make all our own stocks and stews here and do all the other time-consuming traditional things – like braising beef, roasting and curing – that make for delicious, varied menus.

London’s Larder

Ryan — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:17:30 +0000

Being smack in the middle of the district known as ‘London’s Larder’ gives us lots of inspiration and easy access to lots of suppliers of good food. Borough Market’s just ‘round the corner, after all. We’re into sustainability and organic food, but we’re not over zealous or precious about it. Our main thing is that you have a really enjoyable meal.

Ingredients are just part of the story. To make great meals, you need a great chef. ‘There are only a couple of other restaurants I know of in London where the chef can work from a whole carcass,’ says Jake Tutill, our Head Chef. ‘It gives you real choice over the cuts you can use and that makes for varied and exciting menus.’ Favorites include his breast of Dorset lamb, green lentils, salsa verde for a starter and his braised Devon Red beef scone cobbler with purple sprouting broccoli and lardons for a main.

Members of the Family

Ryan — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:16:46 +0000

Jake is a wonderful find. After a career working with some of London’s leading chefs, including Richard Neat at OXO Tower and Zac El Hamdou at Belair in Dulwich, he became Head Chef at The Gun. It was awarded the Good Food Guide’s Gastro Pub of the Year in 2009. ‘Some of the tastiest cuts are from the forequarter, but you rarely see dishes that use them,’ says Jake ‘You will at Platform.’ Good management is crucial too. Jake worked at The Gun with our manager Joanne Parker, who has since spent some time at Paternoster Chop House.

Interior

Ryan — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:16:05 +0000

Like we said, we try to be sustainable in everything we do without getting too obsessive about it. To be honest, we just hate waste! Most of our furniture is recycled as is most of the kitchen equipment. (We picked it up at auction from a chain that went bust.) We don’t think your time should be wasted either. We provide table service in the downstairs bar so there’s no need to queue for drinks. Our staff provide great service and we don’t want any of their hard earned tips to go to waste. All your tips are passed on to them. Our staff are proud of the food we serve and know about it too. If you’re ever curious about a dish, just ask.

Our Building

Ryan — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:15:37 +0000

The building… that’s recycled too. It used to be a lap dancing club. We like the way it allows us to have a bar and restaurant that don’t interfere with each other too much. We also wanted a nice tall ceiling to hang a big chandelier from.

Our aim was to create a relaxed, living room atmosphere with plenty of table space so you can enjoy your meal. We’ve designed the restaurant layout so it’s easy to adapt for reserved areas and private parties of different sizes. So when you’re next planning a gathering, just get in touch.

Summary

Ryan — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:21:44 +0000

Tasty, unusual cuts as well as the old favourites so you never get tired of the menu. Good service in a relaxed, spacious atmosphere. It all comes together at Platform, underneath London Bridge’s platform one on Tooley Street.