1 day Ago
Call me a booze hound, but Bank Holiday weekends are made for drinking. Whatever the weather, you can either commiserate about the rain indoors or bask in the sun with a pint in a beer garden somewhere. And if you overindulge, you have an extra day (or two) to lie in bed and ponder your life choices.
READ MORE: A new restaurant in a beautiful village that's already full of community spirit A weekend away with a friend in a country cottage was a cure for the rat run Or should I say in the case of this impending weekend, celebrate the rebirth of our Lord and Saviour. Plenty of bars and restaurants are trying to entice us in for a Bank Holiday spending spree. But Permit Room has a more showstopping offering than most, which I was invited down to try.
Peggy Mitchell had nothing on me (Image: NQ) Cue the Kingfisher beer tower: £33 for three litres, the impressive red dispenser certainly turned a couple of heads as it was brought to our table. Our friendly host apologised for the slight wait, as the beer keg had to be changed over especially for our order. It was worth it: cool and refreshing, the Indian lager managed to stay chilled throughout the course of the evening.
Unfortunately for my dinner companion, the tower was positioned in the window next to where I was sitting (there wasn't enough room for it on the table along with food) so I had to be bartender. The first beer was more foam than liquid but I soon got in the swing and was a regular Peggy Mitchell by the end. To accompany the beer, we tried a selection of sundries: the peanut masala, crispy spinach chaat, chicken pick-me-ups and aunty's masala eggs.
A cornucopia of starters (Image: NQ) Normally, the type of peanut I'm familiar with when having a beer comes from a bag and is either dry roasted or salted. But these were "wet": lightly roasted and then coated in tomato, onion, coriander, chilli and lime juice. Pushing my own prejudices aside, they were incredibly moreish; it's a shame this isn't one of those 'viral' food trends that has caught on in more gastro-minded pubs.
The same topping was put on the devilled eggs, which I found slightly underwhelming given the devil (the whipped creamy yolk) wasn't immediately apparent. The pick-me-ups, an Indo-Chinese dish, were battered and fried chicken drumsticks, which went down a treat dipped in a red chutney - and also the delicious dressing on the spinach chaat. The latter was recommended to us by our host as one of Permit Room's most popular dishes, and I could see why.
So well balanced between the crispy, salty spinach and the sweet yoghurt dressing, I could have eaten two bowls. The spread of mains was delicious (Image: NQ) Instead I found solace in yet more food - some naans, curries (creamy prawn moilee, a south Indian specialty, and a smoky lamb number) and the charred yet juicy tandoori chicken. Beer and curry is a well-tested partnership, so the cool Kingfisher helped wash this down a treat.
My train beckoning, it was last orders on our personal bar as we polished off the last remnants of our beer tower - feeling full and a little bit tipsy. If you're on the lookout for some drinking activities this Bank Holiday Weekend, this is something a bit different - and let's face it, the "bar snacks" are going to be infinitely better..
