Jimmy's Pop Up

In a Clapham Country Garden

Clapham - July 2015

In the summer months, there is no finer way to spend an evening than grilling some meats over open coals (or gas, if you swing such a way) with good friends. One of the issues with this in London is the pure unpredictability of the summer weather – or more accurately, the sheer predictability of it being gloriously hot all week, then pissing with rain when you actually have the time to prepare a delicious feast.

So, serial pop-up organisers Jimmy’s Pop Up have hit on a simple solution; a BBQ Supper club, where all the preparation is taken off your hands, and you just grill the meat. Bring the booze and a few friends to a beautiful back garden in Clapham, and cook everything up on a little table-top barbie.

You don’t do all the cooking – starters, sides and desserts all come from the kitchen team, and they’re tasty, summery delights. Canapés; a playful cream cone packed with blue cheese; beautiful cured beef blinis; and a sweet potato falafel, that’s crunchy on the outside, creamy on in the inside, and delicately spiced.

The starter is an unexpected treat:  a burger patty made with duck. It’s sweet and unctuous, and there’s a lovely sharp tomato salsa to cut through the fattiness. It’s a different way to serve duck, and it’s delicious.

Unfortunately, the main event doesn't live up to the strength of the concept.  There are some well-made sauces (cola and soy being the most intriguing, adding an excellent sweet counterpoint to the beef). But the BBQ-ing of the meats disappoints. 

We have a few technical hitches with our table-top grill not being hot enough (although to their credit, the ultra-friendly and enthusiastic servers help with that). 

It is also far too small a surface to cook enough for the four of us to eat at once. With half the group enjoying their meal at any time, everything takes ages whilst the others look on, waiting and salivating.

The meat is tasty, but we are just talking un-marinated, unseasoned, cheap cuts (wings, bavette, lamb neck), not quite enough to escape the idea that we've paid someone to let us cook our own dinner. 

Dessert included a scoop of vanilla ice cream, with various topping choices laid out on the table (marshmallows, jelly babies, choc chips), after the grill had been cleared away. No skill or cooking required to end the meal.

That said, we all had a fun night (BYOB helped a lot here, tbf), and didn’t have to wash up, which goes some way to justifying the £35pp.

We wouldn't do the BBQ club again, but the quality of the(ir) cooking was enough to warrant keeping an eye on where Jimmy pops up next.

Jimmy's Pop Up

http://www.jimmyspopup.com/#home