Striving for Bur(ger)fection

Following years of abuse/mis-management (think horse meat, BSE, cardboardesque patties to name a few) it is not surprising that the burger is generally viewed as a poverty stricken relation of the steak. Look no further than the knighted Sir Loin as an example of the recognition the great cuts of meat are bestowed. 

However, with the likes of Meat Liquor, Pitt Cue Co. and many others creating waves in London and beyond with their indulgent burgers, times are a changing. The much-derided cousin of the revered steak is enjoying a similar rise to prominence as craft beers have of late. There are even specialist burger blogs such as hamburger-me.com (well worth a visit).

So, when we decided to add a burger to our menu, it was never going to be “just another burger”. We wanted to create the absolute most fabulous possible burger that money could buy (well £9.95 to be precise). And so the quest began… 

Fast forward 8 months, 4 chefs (not including 2 very interfering owners), 5 different recipes and many different buns and we think (touch wood) that we’re pretty much there. The lion’s share of credit must go to our head Chef Chris “The Duke” Wellington for it was he that stripped apart the prototype and elevated it beyond recognition focusing on the 3 core elements:

1. The Beef Patty: High quality steak mince combined with paprika, cumin & parsley - offering a hint of Spanish you might expect from a bar serving Tapas

2. The Garnishes: Red onion jam, garlic aioli, beef tomato (from Bob) and baby gem lettuce - giving it a delightful mix of textures and flavours.

3. The Bun: A sesame seed bun from our aptly named local baker, Burger’s - after all, a work of art deserves to be framed in style.

Et voila, one outrageously good burger! It’s no wonder so many Burger King’s have closed down and McDonald’s seems to be focusing on coffee. 

Every Tuesday here is “PIMP your burger Tuesday” which means… buy a Clayton’s burger and get 2 extra toppings for free.

Hello is it tapas you’re looking for?

With One Direction being in the news so much, albeit mostly focused on the latest girl to be hanging off Harry Styles’ arm, it seems apt to talk about our direction and in particular, our culinary direction.

Here in Marlow, we’re pretty spoilt for choice on Michelin starred restaurants with the Fat Duck, The Hand & Flowers and Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House, all within a hop, skip or a jump away. Then there’s the endless list of quaint country pubs scattered around the numerous surrounding villages such as Marlow’s Little Secret and The Hind’s Head.

We may not be a fine dining restaurant or a quaint country pub. We may not lay out the tables and call everyone sir or madam, that just wouldn’t be us however, with new chef Chris Wellington on the case, we are most definitely a bar and poignantly, a bar that takes great pride in its food. People come to our bar for a variety of reasons from relaxing with friends during the week or partying with them at the weekend, watching a film or even listening to a bit of live music. We’re a ‘social bar’ and this gives us the direction for our food. We offer ‘social food’ otherwise known in the trade as… Tapas. Food that’s ‘great to chew, even better to share’ (Wrigley’s, 1990).

So, next time you’re thinking of meeting up with some friends for a spot of food and cocktails and you like the sound of crispy salt and pepper squid, garlic king prawns or even chorizo in a red wine sauce, drop in and say hello because I think may well be Tapas you’re looking for.

The Heat is On… and off… and on but mostly off (with plenty of rain too)

Mungo Jerry (In the Summertime), Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince (Summertime) even John Travolta & Olivia Newton John (Summer Nights), they all sang about what should be our favourite season of the year. Songs no doubt inspired by the long hot summers we have been craving/anticipating since we had a burst of sunshine in March. The kind where you’d have barbecues every day driving fancy cars (DR Dre, 1999).

Where’s our summer? Maybe it just wasn’t to be. Even as I write, it’s gone from bright sunshine to being overcast with dark clouds forming. Although it is a struggle to find them in this case, there are positives to be found in everything, even the wettest summer we have ever seen. We use our brand new barbecue as storage and the garden gets a thorough and regular watering however, there is one major disappointment we cannot get over, we’ve only been able to use our fantastic garden bar about 3 times.

Not being the kind of people to get hung up on these set-backs we’ve embarked on a very exciting project to bring a taste of the Caribbean to Marlow that can be enjoyed all year round, whatever the weather. We’re converting the garden bar into a Mount Gay Rum Shack! You may think it’s a little late but we want to bring you a taste of the Caribbean every time you come and pay us a visit and not just wait for summer because as you’ve probably realised, you could be waiting quite a while.

We’ll be celebrating the opening of the Mount Gay Rum Shack with ‘Bar-Bados’, our Carnival Party and Caribbean BBQ on Sunday 26^th August complete with a live steel band, DJS in the garden and a rum punch that’ll knock your cotton socks off. See you at the shack?

Who is DJ Joelus?

In our last post we talked about the importance of music in the bar and waxed lyrical about our DJs.

Last Saturday DJ Joelus stepped into our Secret Bookshelf so we took the opportunity to ask him a few questions to give you a little insight into the man behind the music.

How would you describe the music you play?

Balearic - A little bit of everything good.

Give me 5 – name five tracks that you recommend we should listen to…

1.  Never Gonna Reach Me (Hot Toddy Mix) - Crazy P
2.  Baltimore - Nina Simone
3.  You Stepped Into My Life - The Bee Gees
4.  Reckless With Your Love (Tensnake Remix) - Azari & III
5.  Knee Deepen (Salt City Orchestra Mix) - Moloko

What inspired you to DJ?

Year 2000, Ministry of Sound, Jazzy M playing “Salsoul Nugget” by M&S (the original non-vocal version) - THAT’s what made me wanna be a DJ!

Most memorable DJing memory?

Too many amazing memories to select a single one.

What do you like about DJing here at Clayton’s Marlow?

Playing a mixed bag of music to suit all kinds of people.

What’s your Vinyl Confession? (a track that you shouldn’t really like but secretly love)

Diana Ross “My Old Piano”

Anything else we should know about you???

I love miniature things….yeh yeh i know what everyones gonna say!

If you’d like to hear DJ Joelus play, he’ll be back in our Secret Bookshelf on Saturday 23rd June but if you can’t wait until then, have a listen to the tracks he’s recommended, there are some real gems there.

It’s a gorgeous day in Marlow, the sun is shining, and people are enjoying our beautiful garden. It may only be March but it’s already starting to feel like summer

Come down and have a cool glass of wine, something to eat, and relax. That’s what sunny Friday afternoons are for.

As 5.46pm marks the official beginning to the weekend in Clayton’s Marlow, it’s the perfect time to come in for a cocktail, before partying on to the early hours with DJ Tony Smith playing in our secret bookshelf, spinning sounds to remind you why you look forward to the weekend…

See you at the bar later?

At Clayton’s Marlow 5.46pm marks the official start to the weekend.

That means it’s time to come down and have a well deserved cocktail, beer, or a glass of wine at the bar…

Relax in one of our comfy sofas, listen to some chilled out sounds, have a bite to eat, and get ready for the evening party, when DJ Antosh will be playing music to remind you why you look forward to the weekend.

We’re open till 1am tonight, and from 12pm until 1am tomorrow when DJ Joelus will be turning up the tempo to keep you dancing until the early hours of Sunday morning.