The News.

Chuffed to win Harpers At Your Service Award for Best Drinks Offer!
24/05/2013

The Harpers Awards 2013 took place in London on Monday night and saw the great and the good of the trade turn out to celebrate the industry’s successes of the past year. And we were invited! The BBC’s Nigel Barden presented the various awards, which saw innovation and hard work rewarded right across the industry.

The full list of winners is as follows:

At Your Service Awards

Best Drinks Offer in a Bar – Oskar’s Bar at Dabbous

Best Drinks Offer in a Pub – The Crooked Well

Best Drinks Offer in a Hotel – The Feathers

Best Drinks Offer in a Restaurant –

Boundary Restaurant

Best Drinks Offer in a Group/Chain –

Hawksmoor

Best Launch –

Brasserie Zédel

Best Sommelier/Front of House –

Jan Konetzki, Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road

Best On-trade Personality –

Will Beckett & Huw Gott, Hawksmoor

Top Merchants Awards

Best Customer Service – The Wine Reserve

Best Wholesaler – The Oxford Wine Company

Best Top Merchant (up to three stores) – Vagabond Wines

Best Top Merchant (over three stores) – Cambridge Wine Merchants

Best Distributor/Supplier to Independents – Indigo Wine

Industry Awards

Best Digital/Social Media Strategy – Tesco

Responsible/Sustainable Retailer – Asda

Engaging the Consumer – CyT UK

Best Innovation – Vini Italiani

Best New/Emerging Drinks Business – Loki Wines

Best Overall Agent/Distributor (large) – PLB Group

Best Overall Agent/Distributor (small) – World Wine Agencies

Best Multiple/Specialist Drinks Retailer – Waitrose

Special Achievement Award – Helen McGinn, The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club
Closed for a Wedding this Saturday (20th April)
19/04/2013

Just a little note to let you know we will be closed for a wedding this Saturday. We are honoured to host Zoe and Oli’s big day, but that does mean unless you are lucky enough to be invited then you’ll have to visit us another time

We are open as usual tonight and Sunday
Camberwell Free Film Festival 2013 14th-24th March… Don’t miss it!
09/03/2013

Join us here on Monday 18th March.

The film starts at 7.30pm, so get here early to get comfy and grab your

free hotdog and popcorn.

Doors close at 7.40pm and re-open for new faces after the film at about 9pm.

For all listings for our very exciting first ever Camberwell Free Film Festival

click here
Free Live Jazz This Sunday – The Christian Brewer Quartet. Nice.
21/02/2013

We’ll be tapping our feet and clicking our fingers along to

The Christian Brewer Quartet Featuring

Christian Brewer-Alto and Soprano sax

Leon Greening-piano

Andy Cleyndert-bass

Mark Taylor-drums

From 7.30pm and free as usual

See you there peeps

> http://www.christianbrewer.com/
Set 2 course lunch for £10!
09/01/2013

Just a quick one to let you know we are now serving a 2 course set lunch menu for £10 Tuesdays to Fridays… And it’ll be super quick too so you can be back at your desk just in time to see your colleague toss their little sandwich wrapper in the bin
NYE ’12 at The Crooked Well. It couldn’t be easier…
10/12/2012

What are your plans for NYE ’12? Come for a gorgeous dinner with us.

No tickets. No gimmicks.

We’ll show the fireworks on the telly, then whack the music up and drink and dance til 2am.

All in say “Aye”
This Sunday- Live Jazz! Byron Wallen is joining us :)
21/11/2012

Sunday 25th November

7.30pm

Byron Wallen & the Organisation

Byron Wallen-trumpet

Bill Mudge-organ

Simon Fernsby-guitar

Winston Clifford-drums

Byron was raised in a musical environment and started learning his first instrument, the piano, at an early age. He then went on to study the trumpet with Jimmy Owens, Donald Byrd and Jon Faddis in New York. His early music career was forged while he was studying for a degree in Psychology, Philosophy and Maths at Sussex University (he graduated in 1992). During this period he recorded for Loose Ends and Cleveland Watkiss, and played trumpet with the likes of Mervyn Africa, The Style Council, Charles Earland, Courtney Pine and Jean Toussaint

By the late 90s his work was receiving world wide attention and his fluent trumpet, firmly rooted in the jazz tradition, could be heard performing with a myriad of artists such as David Murray, Andrew Hill, Butch Morris, Ralph Moore, Billy Higgins, Eddie Henderson, Wynton Marsalis, Herlin Riley, Freddie Hubbard, George Benson, William Orbit, Toumani Diabate, Brice Wassy, Lonnie Liston Smith, Ronnie Laws and Chaka Khan. His trumpet has also appeared alongside African pioneers such as Hugh Masekela, Manu Dibango and Amampondo. One of the most versatile and dynamic voices on the British jazz scene, he has performed with rap outfits such as The Roots, Digable Planets and Us3.
New Private Dining/Meeting Room available from Nov ’12!
19/09/2012
With the refurbishments upstairs now underway we are excited to be taking bookings for our new private dining rooms!!

Groups of 8 – 40 can be accommodated, no “do” too small, with no room hire at all for 2012…

Also, Mon – Sun all day meeting space availability

Meeting Room & Refreshments:

£5.00/head
- Use of projector & screen
- Private space
- Free Wi-fi
- Tea/Coffee
- Water
- Biscuits & Fruit
Any additional refreshment requests can of course be accommodated and charged accordingly

Need to refuel? Choose on the day

Our Meeting Deal of £7.50/head for the group: selection of sandwiches/soup/salt & pepper squid salad (other options can be discussed)

Or

Dine straight from our a la carte menu. Choose to eat in the function room, next door or downstairs. Wherever you feel most comfortable. Order at the start of the day, tell us what time you want to break, and leave it to us.

Bar space can also be reserved to unwind with post-meeting drinks

For more info on using our new space for any occasion please contact me directly on jen@thecrookedwell.com
We are proud to donate to Chance UK
27/06/2012

At our first birthday bash (thank you so much to all that came) we donated the first year’s collection for Chance UK. Their mission: To improve the lives of primary school children with behavioural difficulties who are at risk of developing anti-social or criminal behaviour in the future. From every Cocktail of the Day sold, we donate £1 so we were chuffed to bits to be able to give the guys this comedy sized cheque I’m a volunteer mentor for Chance UK and it’s something I feel very passionately about – if you’d like to learn more then take a look here. Perhaps you could volunteer too…?
Shortlisted for GastroPub of the Year Award – We need your votes!
14/06/2012

Pints & Pistachios Gastropub of the Year

Pub fare has come a long way since the days of soggy, lukewarm chips and greasy battered fish, which is why we’re asking you to vote for your favourite gastropub …. for us preferably…

Not only will we be chuffed to bits but you will be entered into a draw to win a three-night stay at the Conservatorium in Amsterdam, with Eurostar tickets and a spa voucher. And you can show your love and dedication to your local by voting for us every day, until it closes on July 11 (although you will only be entered into the prize draw once).

Much love, and hopefully see you on Thursday…

x
Baby experts here each Friday morning
12/06/2012

Calling all Babies! …parents also welcome

This Friday morning we will joined by Jayne Russell – baby/child nutritionist, who also does pregnancy and baby massage and Kristin Hayward – hypnotherapist and hypnobirthing expert who will both be very happy to answer any questions or give any tips.

So head over from 10.30am til 12pm

Each week we are hoping to have 1 or 2 experts in different baby/child related fields in, so watch this space. Also, if you have any requests, please let me know.
Mat Collishaw with us for The Camberwell Arts Festival 2012
08/06/2012

We will be featured in this year’s Camberwell Arts Festival in the piece called

“Pub Crawl”

Pubs across Camberwell are given a collection box and assigned an artist. The artist then has to create a piece of work with Camberwell in mind using the total sum raised. The work will be exhibited on site from 16th – 24th June 2012 and we are delighted to say that Mat Collishaw has been allocated to The Crooked Well.

Come by and donate some pennies and be part of commissioning a unique creation for us, for Camberwell.

I saw this piece at the Haunch of Venison in 2008. I was mesmerised.

About Collishaw

Collishaw typically takes imagery which is at once shocking yet strangely beautiful in order to examine the beguiling nature of photography and the seduction of visual imagery.

Collishaw uses contemporary images alongside techniques and styles which are reminiscent of much older art, for example he often utilises a mosaic effect which, while alluding to religious art and Ancient Rome, is also now associated with pixelated digital imagery.

In this way Collishaw brings together a variety of connotations in one piece that is both traditional and contemporary; dichotomies of life and death and attraction and repulsion are central to Collishaw’s art which tests our natural responses to disquieting imagery when dressed as sacred, slick or stunning.

Known most widely for his photographs and videos, Collishaw’s work also includes installation, drawing and painting. After some years of Jungian Psychotherapy Collishaw’s work has recently returned to some of his earliest influences. In the montage ‘Orinoco & the ghost’ he attempts to reference yet distance himself from the judgement ‘Make Good Use of Bad Rubbish’ and attempts to draw the viewer in with quotes, trivial and random observation that liberate yet also return to the ideology to ‘remember you’re a womble’.
Jubilee Opening Times
23/05/2012

Sat 2nd – Mon 4th *all day* 12.30pm – 1am
Tues 5th 12.30pm – 4pm

We will be serving a special Jubilee Menu all weekend
as well as our usual menus all day.
Also we will have our delicious cocktails crafted with the Best of British in mind.

Now let’s all have a right royal knees-up!
Got the day to yourself next Thursday? Fancy spending it foraging? “But we live in a city! I hear you cry” Yes, this is Urban Foraging…
16/05/2012

…and you can learn how to tell your thyme from your twig (well, somewhat more advanced than that. Even I can tell the difference between those)

We have teamed up with Nick Weston, forager and founder of Hunter:Gather:Cook School in Sussex, to offer guests a unique culinary experience on Thursday 24th May from 10am.

Nick Weston, real-life hunter gatherer, is the perfect partner for this urban foraging event after spending six months literally living off of the land, which is documented in his debut book The Treehouse Diaries: How to Live Wild in the Woods.

Nick will guide the guests in recognising and collecting edible items such as chickweed, wild garlic, yarrow, beech, sorrel, elderflower, nettles and pine needles in the wilds of the local area. Foragers will then head back to the restaurant to enjoy a meal showcasing the fantastic seasonal ingredients sourced throughout the day, prepared by our fantastic team at The Crooked Well kitchen.

The food will be paired with a selection of specially designed cocktails, fruit infusions and syrups using foraged ingredients, such as elderflower, pine needles and primrose.

The Crooked Well is already a champion of seasonal British produce with popular dishes including Rabbit & Bacon Pie, Stonebass with Mussel Linguine, Warm Pig’s Head Terrine with Caramelised Apple & Scratchings and Roast Venison with Braised Red Cabbage, Celeriac Puree, White Pudding & Jus. These favourites will be updated to incorporate the ingredients collected on the 24th as well as a selection of brand new dishes which will be masterminded by our very own Matt Green-Armytage.

Spaces are very limited so if you are keen to join us then email me jen@thecrookedwell.com

Tickets are £55 each including foraging, travel between Richmond and Camberwell, and the Forgaged Lunch.
“Well”-loved up…Or not, depending on what you’re looking for…
14/02/2012

Yes, we are fully booked in the restaurant BUT we do have all that lovely space in the lounge and communal table. And relax, there will be NO red balloons, feathers, glittery fairy wings, or cute puppies around the place, just the same crew serving you great food and drinks. So please, people of coupledom or not, head over for another good excuse to come out.

For those romantic diners out there we will be offering some delicious menu choices to make you purr, and for those of you that are hard… drinkers out there, we have a fab cocktail for 2 to share – Cupid’s Tonic with aphrodisiac candied ginger…
Now serving food all day!! Including… Burgers!
05/01/2012

Oh yes, now, from 12.30 (excl Mondays when we open at 5pm) we will be serving food all day.

Our a la carte will be from 12.30 – 14.30 only but for the rest of the day we have a selection of starters and mains, and a BURGER. Yes. We finally succumbed to your pleas for a burger and are now making our very own in house.

Also, not forgetting our On Toast section!

It does what it says on the tin. Tasty stuff on toast. Perfect teatime fodder along with our DIY crumpets and spreads for only £2.50/2

So now we can feed you whenever you need us
Kicking off 2012 with a great review in Metro! “Camberwell’s restaurant scene grows up” :)
04/01/2012

Firstly, Happy New Year, you lovely lot!!

It’s been a hard few years and is forcast to keep tough but we hope 2012 brings you, and our fair city, happiness and prosperity. Here’s to trying!

We woke up this morning to texts from our pals slogging into town on the commuter run telling us we were in The Metro, and a blimmin’ good review at that. So after a cracking good New Year’s Eve do, with some very drunken shape-throwing happening (you know who you are…), we are now into 2012 on a high.

Thankyou to you all for your continued support and kind words.

We feel very lucky to be part of such a fine crowd.

And just incase you don’t see it in the paper:

Camberwell suffers from a case of split personality: on the one hand, inner-city grunge in downtrodden thoroughfares; on the other, elegant Georgian terraces.

There’s no doubt who The Crooked Well is aimed at: the nice young owners touting their delectable sourdough bread know there’s money in them thar Farrow and Ball-ed homesteads.

This old drinking den has been poshed-up till it’s unrecognisable. The plummy, chatty website sets the tone: four chums get together to open pub of dreams.

The furniture isn’t scuffed but artfully distressed; the wooden floors glow with a warm patina; there’s arty wallpaper clashing with bare brick. I’ve even seen artworks by Peter Blake on the walls: we sure ain’t in Peckham any more, Dorothy.

I’ve been here repeatedly, taken by local pals, enchanted to have it land in their manor, and I’m yet to meet a bad dish.

Some are less assured than others but I’ve loved pork belly – properly slow-cooked, melting meat with crisp crackling – served with an unusual tuna crème fraîche, a weirdly successful riff on vitello tonnato. Or rich, pungent chicken liver pâté, or good-quality smoked salmon.

There are generous pies and roasts. Puddings are restaurant quality: bitter chocolate tart is rich and beautifully presented.

Staff, who I suspect are the owners, couldn’t be more solicitous of your wellbeing. The Crooked Well’s site has seen off a number of contenders in recent times; this time, I reckon it’s been pitched just right.

Keep your eyes peeled for news on Burn’s Night and Valentines….
Welcoming Maxime to the team
18/11/2011

Brrmmm Brrm Brrm Brrrm Brrrmmmm!!

(that’s a trumpet for those of you that are unsure…)

We are very pleased to welcome Maxime Deriot to the team as Matt’s Sous Chef

Now as some of you may be aware poor Matt, not without great support from his hardworking team of course, has not had a night off in yonks! Apart from OxJam and a Monday where the kitchen needed works he has worked every single day and night to ensure you guys get the best we can give you. So we have been looking for a suitable wing man for him and now we have found him

With a bevvy of starred restaurants under his belt, time spent with the great Marc Vuyrat to name but a few and from Cheffing stock, Maxime has worked all over: from NYC to Norway, France, Geneva then here to Camberwell. We welcome him warmly to the team, and hope you will too.

So here’s to the new addition and to the future
Shortlisted for Best Newcomer by The Publican’s Morning Advertiser!!
18/11/2011

We are very chuffed to say we have been shortlisted to the last 4 in a nationwide award from The Publican’s Morning Advertiser. Best Newcomer in the Top 50 Gastropub Awards

We have been asked to cast our own vote, (obviously we couldn’t say ourselves!) and now must wait until February to find out…. so fingers crossed…. eeek…

We will of course keep you posted
New Years Eve 2011!
08/11/2011

With Halloween and Guy Fawkes behind us now, we are looking forward to Christmas and New Years Eve and New Years Day AND the Bank Holiday Monday! Yikes!

We are taking bookings for all your Christmas parties, and getting very excited about Matt’s fab whole turkeys he will be serving up. And as for New Years Eve… we can’t wait! Seeing in 2012 in our own place! FYI, we will NOT be charging on the door, doing an expensive set menu, or any other rubbish like that. Just the same great food, service and atmosphere as usual (with the music up a bit louder later! )

We want to say thankyou for all your support so will be flinging our doors wide for you all to join us for New Years Eve 2011 And we will be serving lunch on both New Years Day AND the Bank Holiday Monday, so come nurse your hangovers with us and look forward to 2012.

Get booking though, as we are filling up already!
Whhoooooo!!! (that’s a ghost sound by the way…)
28/10/2011

It’s Halloween at The Crooked Hell!!!!

So head on over here tomorrow night, Saturday 29th, for ghoulish goings-on:

Cocktail Club ALL night. Special Halloween shots and Matt has even created a special menu. Are you brave enough to try his delicacies?? (please do else thats staff food sorted for the next 2 weeks… gulp… )

And be sure to dress for the occasion.

Or feel my wrath… Oh yes. I can be preeety terrifying when the moon is fat and tis the eve of Hallo… or something like that.

Just get your scary selves down ‘ere!

Cocktail Club 3 for 2:

Camberwell devil

English bishop, Lair’s straight apple bandy, apfelkorn apple liquor

peychaud’s bitters

Blood sour

Four roses yellow label bourbon, sour mix

sugar syrup, barman’s blood

Dark angel martini

Wyborowa vodka, noilly prat vermouth

black olives, onions

Camber Hell

Gordon’s gin, green chartreuse, caldron froth, lemon juice

orange blossom water, sugar syrup, soda

plus

GHOULISH SHOTS £2.50

OxJam @ The Crooked Well – Line Up Announced!

18/10/2011

17.15-17.35	Danielle Ward	Comedy
18.00-18.30	Soneni and the Soul	Music
19.15-19.45	Tamara Stein	Music
20.00-20.45	Ruby White	Music
21.00-21.45	Daisy Kelly Granger	Music
22.00-22.45	Ruby and the Vines	Music
23.00-11.15	Fred Bear – Bearlesque	Bearlesque
23.30-23.45	Major Suttle Tease	Comedy/Song
23.55-00.15	Lucy Long Legs	Burlesque

Hosted by Daisy Kelly Granger and myself, Jen

Halloween at The Crooked Well – check this out…
12/10/2011
OxJam Camberwell Takeover Crooked Well Style
11/10/2011

Oxjam is Oxfam’s month-long music festival. It runs throughout October with hundreds of events around the UK, all organised by people who know and love their local music scene.

And for the first time, it’s happening in Camberwell.

Final line up at The Crooked Well TBC

Watch this space. It’s gonna be awesome…
Bringing Cocktail Club to Saturday Nights!
27/09/2011

From now on, Cocktail Clubbers,
we will be doing Thursdays Cocktail Club on both Thursday and Saturday pm (11pm til 1am on Sat)…

so come try a new tipple or revisit an old favourite all shaken, stirred and lovingly served by our fabulous boys Hector, Nick and Jake

See you then!
Back to the classics – Voddy Cocktail Club
22/09/2011

blood orange cosmopolitan

Stolichnaya orange vodka, fresh lime juice, grand marnier

Blood orange juice, cranberry juice

moscow mule

Smirnoff red label vodka, domaine de canton ginger Liquor

fresh lime, fentiman’s ginger beer

elderflower collins

grey goose vodka, chase elderflower liquor

fresh lemon juice, soda

classic vodka martini

selection of british vodka, chase or sipsmith, orange bitter

noilly prat vermouth, garnish with lemon twist

how it works: £7 a cocktail. buy 2 different ones and enjoy a third free
Mystery Diners needed… apply here!
17/09/2011

So guys, we are going to be offering a mystery dining opportunity. Those of you that are interested drop me a line on the website contact form with your contact info and in a month or so I will contact the chosen person with details of your mission.

psssssst…free dinner for 2 included in said mission!

By the way, it will literally be picking name out of a hat. Nothing more advanced than that. Effective though.
For those who missed it… Jay Rayner at The Crooked Well
17/09/2011

Knowingly – defiantly – casual…

(apparently *excited hand rubbing*)

As some of you may remember I wrote about a visit from the somewhat scary Jay Rayner in July and that we were waiting with baited breath to see if he was going to sink us in one foul swoop of an Observer page… But he didn’t. In fact he was pretty blinkin’ nice about us. So here is the review in full:

“The whizzy bells-and-whistles website for the Crooked Well, a smart new food pub in south London’s Camberwell, which was previously a French gaff and before that an old boozer, tells you an awful lot about the place. Beneath each of the entries on the index is a single verb. Beneath “Menu”, for example, it says “Eating”. Beneath “Contact” it says “Talking”. Beneath “About Us” it says “Knowing”.

They couldn’t be more right on the last one. There is something very knowing indeed about the Crooked Well, a sense that they have targeted their product with laser-guided precision. I am accused, pace my recent words about Scarborough, of being rude only about places outside London while ignoring the complexities of districts right under my nose. Well, few pubs could be closer to my nasal hairs than this joint, which is a mile from my house and sums up perfectly the bitter contradictions of village London. A hundred or so metres from the front door is full-on Camberwell with its vibrant, sometimes brutal, down-at-heel street scene. It is scuffed, inner-city London. Sometimes it is fabulous; sometimes it is intimidating and a right old pain in the arse.

The Crooked Well, just round the corner, is middle-class Boho London, as if what was nearby didn’t exist. The night we were there a vividly painted double-decker bus, part of a project involving the great old man of British pop art Peter Blake, was parked outside. Eventually Blake himself came to sit at a group table beneath a couple of his own works recently donated to the pub. Being impeccably Boho middle class we all made a point of not noticing. The management were careful to flag this event in advance on their website, as they are their jazz nights, their bring-your-own-wine nights, their fish-and-chip Fridays, their coffee mornings and their commitment to British food. The staff met and/or worked variously at Babylon, Petrus, Le Gavroche and the Hotel and Bistro du Vin group. This, then, is all that gloss and polish distilled down to something defiantly – knowingly – casual.

For the most part it works. Some of the pricing is very keen indeed. A changing dish listed as soup and bread costs just £4.50. The night we were there it was a big bowl of gazpacho – British schmitish – with, on the side, a hunk of sourdough toast spread with carefully picked white crab. The soup could have done with a little more of a kick, but even so it was a butch bit of summer in a tureen. Even £7.50 for a plate of very good smoked salmon, scattered with rounds of sweet, crunchy pickled cucumber and halved soft-boiled quail eggs, doesn’t seem extortionate.

The mains – a rib-eye with Café de Paris butter, duck confit with chorizo and chickpeas, sole with broad beans, anchovies and capers – have a familiar urban-rustic feel. They broadcast their hearty, ingredient-led, cosmopolitan world view with every dot and comma. This is food for Londoners who have been places. More thrilling are the dishes for two: a whole poached sea bass with fennel and samphire, for example or – the one we chose – a rabbit and bacon pie.

It arrived in a fiercely hot dish, the puff-pastry lid inflated and golden. It looked right, and was. Inside, the bunny had been stewed until all muscle-memory had collapsed and it was just thick strands of meat spun through with hunks of salty bacon and soft pearl-like silverskin onions. A smear of Dijon mustard and the job was done. This is one of those dishes that the part-work method of restaurant cookery serves very well. Make the rabbit mix long ahead of time and then just whack on the pastry shell when the order comes in.

The same system worked less well with desserts, which were all a bunch of things sitting around just waiting to be plated, like party guests who didn’t know each other. A nice enough flourless almond cake, a pleasant elderberry panna cotta, and a pile of gooseberries sat on a plate, as if assembled from a buffet at random. Likewise a serviceable white-chocolate parfait was vaguely introduced to a strawberry compote. Then again they served this to us under the gun when our babysitter called us home because our youngest was playing up. (Dan, if you ever do that again…) The fact is that, while I may be pointing up the essential comedy of London’s inner-suburban hipsters, anybody living within striking distance of such a food pub would be very pleased indeed to have it. Which is exactly what I am.”

You have here some very happy Crooked Wellians. And thankyou, as ever, for your continued support.

Also, watch this space for a wicked Halloween plan…
Fancy one last smooch? Tonight’s Cocktail Club…
08/09/2011

… last kiss of summer… mwah!

mediterra

stolichnaya vodka, honey syrup, homemade fig puree

fresh lemon juice

pomiranian

stolichnaya orange & citron vodka, fresh mint leaves, fresh lime juice

spiced pomegranate juice, sugar syrup

waterloo

gordon’s gin, fresh watermelon, fresh lemon juice

campari, sugar syrup

cucumber martini

hendricks gin, fresh cucumber, elderflower cordial

fresh mint

how it works: £7 a cocktail. buy 2 different ones and enjoy a third free
Kitchen Closed Monday 5th Sept pm…
30/08/2011

Hello all, we hope you had a splendid final bank holiday, despite the temperamental weather.

Just a quick note to say that the kitchen is shut for works next Monday 5th. The bar will still be open but the kitchen out of bounds so please stillswing by and say hello…
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, you walk into ours, for Cocktail Club tonight
25/08/2011

    revisiting our old favourite, gin

         how it works: £7 a cocktail. buy 2 different ones and enjoy a third free

gin on gin julep

plymouth and bols genever gins,

muddled mint, homemade mint syrp, soda dash

bramble

bombay sapphire,

lemon juice, muddled blackberries, chambord

classic gin martini

bermondsey gin,

noilly prat, orange bitters, lemon zest

old tom collins

haymans old tom gin,

lemon juice, maraschino liquor, maraschino cherries, soda water
Fish n Chips to eat in or take away tonight… bad jokes free of charge
19/08/2011

Right you lovely lot. End of the working week. Yes.

What do you call a fish with no eyes?

Fsh

Why did the fish cross the road?

To get to the other tide

Which fish can perform operations?
A Sturgeon

Where do little fishes go every morning?
To plaice school

What fish goes up the river at 100mph?
A motor pike

How could the fish afford to buy a house?
He prawned everything

1st kipper: ‘Smoking’s bad for you’
2nd kipper: ‘It’s OK, I’ve been cured’

*long groan*

Sorry about that guys…

Now head over to us from 5pm for gorgeous fish n chips with mushy peas, to eat in or take away.

For the love of Cod*, you know it makes sense

* fyi, it’s haddock actually. We aren’t naughty here.
Cocktail Club gets personal – It’s Boys vs Girls ;)
18/08/2011

BOYS

nigroni

gordons gin, campari, martini rosso, orange zest

sazerac

rittenhouse 100-proof rye whiskey, la fee absinthe parisienne, sugar cube, peychauds & orange bitters

NOT TOO SURE

very cosmopolitan

stolichnaya orange vodka, fresh lime juice, grand marnier

Blood orange juice, cranberry juice

GIRLS

waterloo

Plymouth gin, campari, lemon juice, watermelon, sugar syrup

french martini

stolichnia vodka, lemon juice, pinapple jus, raspberry

how it works: £7 a cocktail. buy 2 different ones and enjoy a third free
It’s gonna be a fruity one this week ;)
10/08/2011

So for this week’s cocktail club we are going to try something a little more exciting…

hold on to your taste buds…

mediterra

stolichnaya vodka, honey syrup, homemade fig puree

freshly squeezed lemon juice

pomiranian

stolicnaya orange vodka, fresh mint leaves, lime juice

spiced pomegranate juice, sugar syrup

camberwell sour

rittenhouse 100-proof rye whiskey, lemon juice

sugar syrup, merlot wine

how it works: £7 a cocktail. buy 2 different ones and enjoy a third free

nuclear daiquiri

havana club rum 3yr, green chartreuse, lime juice

velvet falernum lime liquor

how it works: £7 a cocktail. buy 2 different ones and enjoy a third free
What they are saying…
07/08/2011

Well, it’s been 7 weeks since we opened and we are loving being here and meeting you all. Already we have a few leaving and birthday parties under our belts and have more planned. Not to mention the continued support from everyone, meaning we have had some wonderful evenings serving our favourite food and watching the cocktails and wine flow.

Anyway, apart from the lovely twitter action @crookedwell and constant facebook traffic we have been mentioned here and there throughout the press, with an Observer review on the cards… eek… Here is a taster of what’s being said…

Living South – “it simply looks effortlessly stylish. But the food is the star of this show.”

Square Meal, Grumbling Gourmet “Stuffed and struggling after finishing the braised bunny, the atmosphere’s enough to keep us for a coffee, though neither of us have enough room for puds. I could possibly have had a go on their cheeseboard, £2 a lump with some really interesting suggestions. Next time though, and there will be a next time. I think this place is a stayer.”

Dulwich on View - “The verdict: new places are exciting to try, and this one is worth the stop in for dinner or drinks or both.”

London Eating – “The Crooked Well was an utter delight!”

Plus lots of great EDF comments including “I just wanted to say what a fantastic meal we had at The Crooked Well on Friday. The staff were all friendly and incredibly professional, the atmosphere buzzing and the food was as good as we have eaten in Michelin star restaurants.”

As well as Jay Rayner’s we are awaiting a review from Time Out, and have been featured in The Caterer too so hopefully you will be hearing a lot more of us…

If you have any feedback or suggestions, please do drop us a line at jen@thecrookedwell.com and follow us on @crookedwell for updates and offers.Once again, thankyou everyone x
Cocktail Club – simply the…
04/08/2011

…best of the clubs

mint julep

buffalo trace bourbon, fresh mint leaves, angostura bitter

homemade mint syrup, club soda

classic gin martini

bermondsey gin,

noilly prat, orange bitters, lemon zest

dark & stormy

goslings’ black seal rum, velvet falernum, ginger liquor,

fresh lime, “ossie drink” and ginger beer

margarita

arette blanco tequila ,fresh lime juice, grand marnier

aguava syrup, cointreau and salt rim

cosmopolitan

Stolichnaya orange vodka, fresh lime juice,

cointreau, cranberry juice

how it works: £7 a cocktail. buy 2 different ones and enjoy a third free
The weekend isn’t over yet…live jazz…
23/07/2011

…every sunday from 7pm

Sunday 24th July

The Kate Williams/ Alison Neale Quartet.

Paul Desmond influenced Alto sax and Flautist Alison Neale and pianist Kate Williams (www.kate-williams-quartet.com) play standards, originals, and “cool school” Modern jazz.

Alison Neale-Alto saxaphone

Kate Williams -piano

Ryan Trebilock-bass

Josh Williams

Alison Josh

Kate Ryan
15th July – Sir Peter Blake and his Art Bus are coming to The Crooked Well
14/07/2011

Tomorrow, Friday 15th July, we are so proud to welcome (the very iconic!) Sir Peter Blake for his artists dinner after the launch of his fabulous exhibition at the neighbouring GX Gallery. We are also rather chuffed to say the least to have 3 of Sir Blake’s works donated to us. I used to look after Peter a lot in his local restaurant Sam’s Brasserie in Chiswick, where some of his work is also permanently displayed, so am very pleased to welcoming him again, but this time to our own place

We will also be the home for the Art Bus for the latter part of the evening, and I’ll be sure to get some pics for those of you who can’t join us.

So, if you are around and fancy some culture as well as seriously lovely food with smashing cocktails, then I think we could very well be the answer…

The Concept and History of the Art Bus:

In March 2008 CCA opened an exhibition of work by Sir Peter Blake in Brighton. Sir Peter and Lady Blake along with the Gallery owners and Directors of CCA discussed the idea of a travelling show that would have the ethos of a Rock n’ Roll tour, and so the concept of the Art Bus was born. Primarily this facility would enable smaller galleries to benefit from the extra hanging space the bus would provide.

By May of the same year Lance Trevellyan MD of CCA, had bought a 20-year-old double decker, which had in a previous life toured the streets of Liverpool. The dream was to convert the old bus into something very special. The bus has been designed so that the top deck is a gallery space and the lower seating and entertainment area. The roof had to be raised by six inches to accommodate taller people and ensure that the artwork could be viewed properly, a balcony was also created to give the gallery a feeling of greater space. Sir Peter designed the exterior of the bus in a rock n’ roll pop art style, ensuring that its appearance is flamboyant, beautiful and of course groovy.

As the Art Bus evolved it became apparent that it could serve more functions than simply being a mobile gallery; it would also be used as an educational tool, providing an exciting platform from which to introduce school children into the world of visual arts and would be taken to schools, art colleges and public venues.
Cocktail Club tonight. Don’t be shy…
14/07/2011

this week: tequila

margarita

arette blanco tequila ,fresh lime juice, grand marnier

aguava syrup, cointreau and salt rim

tequila sunrise

el jimador blanco tequila, fresh orange juice,

homemade grenadine

yellow jacket

el jimador reposado tequila, elderflower liquor, yellow chartreuse

orange bitter and lemon zest

the dude in mexico

patron xo cafe, kahlua, double cream

how it works: £7 a cocktail. buy 2 different ones and enjoy a third free
Monday nights B.Y.O wine for dinner…
03/07/2011

So, if you come to us for dinner on a monday night and fancy bringing your own bottle of plonk, that’s ok by us

Just bring it along and drink to your hearts content whilst enjoying our delicious food too. Everyone wins!
Open Hours Update! Open from 10am for coffee and biscuits. Tues – Fri
03/07/2011

Having seen so many of you poking your heads whilst we set up in the mornings we have decided to welcome you all in a little earlier. So Tuesday – Friday we will be open from 10am for teas and coffees, with some biscuits and bakes too if you fancy something extra.

With our free wifi, open space, and relaxed atmosphere you can use us as home from home, office from office.

However you see fit.

And if you are still here at 12pm you can try our tasty lunch menu.
Cocktail Club on Thursdays… too tasty to miss… 3 for 2
30/06/2011

Every thursday from 5pm…

How it works:
Each week we pick a base spirit and create 4 delicious cocktails, £7 a cocktail, buy 2 different ones and enjoy a third free… easy

This week: Gin

Gin on gin Julep

Plymouth and Bols genever gins, muddled mint, homemade mint syrup, soda dash

Bramble

Bombay sapphire, lemon juice, muddled blackberries, chambord

Classic Gin Martini

Bermondsey gin, noilly prat, orange bitters, lemon zest

Old tom collins

Haymans old tom gin, lemon juice, maraschino liquor, maraschino cherries, soda water

Let us know any requests/suggestions for next week.
Follow @CrookedWell for offers and updates
25/06/2011

For all you tweeters out there (some we have already exchanged tweets and even met in the flesh!) follow us @CrookedWell

We will be doing shout-outs, offers and general tit bits. Some of great interest, some not so much

Follow us and see…
Wellcome to our new gaff…
20/06/2011

Tuesday 21^st June from 7pm

Join us for fizz, nibbles and some live music…

A chance for us to meet you all properly.

We hope you love The Crooked Well as much as we do.

See you then!

Hector, Matt, Jen, Frenchie and the team

x
And here we are…
16/06/2011

Well, it’s been a long journey thus far, and the last few weeks have been particularly full on but we are finally opening our doors to the good folk of Camberwell.

We have had lots of friendly faces popping in to say hello and have a look and we are excited to welcome you all back and be able to offer you something this time! Those of you we haven’t yet met, we look forward to meeting you soon.

So from 6pm tonight we are open for business. Full bar and food menu ready to go (though limited numbers to start with), and a fab new team eager to get going.

Thankyou for all the good wishes and support over the last few weeks, we can’t wait to do this!

From Hector, Matt and Jen, we bid you anon (with slightly sweaty palms, and racing hearts!)
Our website is live!
15/06/2011

Designed by the nice guys at Abstraktion, we’ll be adding lot’s of updates and news over the next few months.