Hammer and Tongs launch their first South African festive menu

INSPIRED by the South African tradition of braai, Clerkenwell-based restaurant Hammer and Tongs are launching their first Christmas menu. Braai is a kind of barbecue and all of the dishes at Hammer and Tongs are slow-cooked over a fire made from Sicklewood and Blackthone wood imported from South Africa.

Private dining room at Hammer and Tongs

On arrival guests receive a glass of sparkling wine, and then can choose whether they want two or three course of Hammer and Tongs’ South African Christmas menu. The set menu starts with Braai’d butternut soup where the sweetness of the butternut squash is perfectly complemented by the smoky cooking method. Guests can then choose between the Cape Malay port chop accompanied by the Christmas classic Brussel sprouts and dry roast chips or a spinach, mushroom and cheese braai pie. Cooking the sprouts on the South African wood fire spruces up the relatively uninspiring flavours of Brussel sprouts. The menu is completed with a Cape Brandy pudding which is steamed on the grill for three hours.

Hammer and tongs Christmas menu – Braai’d Butternut soup, Cape Malay marinated Barnsley chop,
Brussels sprouts and dry roast chips and Cape Brandy pudding

To complement the delicious South African cuisine, Hammer and Tongs have an extensive quality wine list that, unsurprisingly, features primarily South African grapes, as well as a large cocktail menu.

The wine selection at Hammer and Tongs

Tequila fig cobbler

by Allie Nawrat 

Hammer and Tongs’ festive menu costs £22 for two courses and £25 for three courses

The restaurant can accommodate groups up to 80

Hammer and Tongs, 171 Farringdon Rd, Clerkenwell, London, EC1R 3AL