I know it is a bit early, but this year has been a bit of a stinker and if Christmas (yes, I went there) brings you joy then so be it. I am one of those people who puts up their decorations in November, but I always get away with it because I spend a lot of December in Tenerife with my parents. That said, I love Christmas and was thrilled to experience Christmas early with Hatch!
I’d recommend kicking off your evening by getting warm with drinks. You can forget the overpriced, mass produced mulled wine of the Christmas Markets. At Hatch you can go sweet with the buttered rum or hot cider, or a bit more tart with their version of mulled wine. All three just scream Christmas and I tried them all to make sure. The rum was my favourite, but that probably isn’t a surprise. A touch of festive spice and a creamy top, it was delicious.
We kicked off the evening in a delightful way, with Sicilian street food from T’arricrii. The arancini is delicious with the Burro (ham and cheese) being my favourite. We also tried the Spinaci (spinach and mozzarella) and they’re huge! The burro has an oozy cheesy centre mixed with ham, the spinaci similar yet without the meat. I was surprised by how light they were considered the amount of filling. It was my first time trying Pane e Panelle, but definitely not my last. These Sicilian chickpea fritters remind me of a deep fried potato cake, yet smothered with salt and vinegar. Just gorgeous, I could have eaten so many more.
Next was Parmaggedon’s festive offering. Yes, under that cheesy layer topped with pigs in blankets and stuffing, is a buttermilk fried chicken breast. You cannot make it up, nor can it be replicated. This is a pure taste sensation with the thick gravy finishing it off perfectly. The seasoned fries are delightful dunked in that chicken and bacon gravy too. It is one of those dishes that you keep picking at despite being full.
There are exceptional vegan options as well from Herbivorous. The ‘Turkey’ Burger with a sage and onion seitan patty really delivers in the ‘tastes of stuffing’ department and the topped fries are good too. That cashew cheese is gooey and salty, just the way I like it.
Pre dessert cocktails should be a thing whenever dining if you ask me, and I would heartily recommend the Biscoff Espresso Martini from Miami Ice. It’s not as sweet as you would first expect and you absolutely must dunk the biscuit in the drink before sipping. Dunking biscoff into a generic coffee will never have the same impact again. The Clementine Cosmopolitan from 12Ten was also good, made with Diablesse clementine spiced rum it has a little spice, a lot of citrus and a touch of Christmas magic.
Dessert from Biscuit and Brew was a Milkybar Blondie served with Mince Pie Ice Cream. Have you ever seen a more colourful and fun dessert? The blondie, soft and gooey in the centre is deliciously sweet and the decorations are just so cute. That ice cream is the best thing I have put in my mouth in a long time. What you can’t see from the picture is the chunks of sweet pastry and swirls of mincemeat. Seriously good and the perfect way to end a festive feast at Hatch.
You can expect live music sets, a ton of pretty Christmas decorations and lots of festive goodies on sale from the independent retailers around the venue. It is a lovely cosy space to spend some time with your friends or work colleagues to celebrate Christmas together. I’ll be hovering around Biscuit and Brew for more of that insane ice cream.
