According to the legend, Jamie Allsopp’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Samuel invented the IPA using a teapot back in 1822.
What a great guy.
The truth’s a bit more complicated, but Samuel was certainly one of the reasons IPA exists today. His name’s on the Wikipedia page and everything. So, it feels rather appropriate that now his progeny, Jamie — the current head honcho at Allsopp’s Brewery — has just opened a pub. And he’s roped in a veritable superchef to help him do it.
That pub is called The Blue Stoops, and you’ll find it on Kensington Church Street. It’s hard to miss thanks to its striking electric blue exterior, which pops out from yards away. Inside, it’s as if you’ve stepped back in time — swing music in the background, high-top bar stools, and retro posters conspire to create something like a cosy, quintessentially British time capsule.
The bar itself leans into that nostalgia with its black-and-orange checkered tile flooring and Victorian-style bar front, complete with hand-printed designs and retro signage. It’s got low-key Devonshire vibes. And for the beer nerds out there, they’re even stocking Double Diamond, which was once the most popular ale in the country before going out of fashion with the advent of lager. And just to really smash the throwback button, they’ve gone all in on hand-pulled beer engines with elegant ‘swan necks’ for a bit of theatre. These pumps are pouring their famed IPAs, pale ales, and best bitters, with room for guest beers too.
And as for that chef? That would be none other than Lorcan Spiteri, the man behind Caravel, and child of both John Spiteri (co-founder of St John and Sessions Arts Club) and Melanie Arnold (co-founder of Rochelle Canteen), making him a chef who’s practically got béchamel running through his veins.
Here, he’s putting out a comfort-food-forward menu, with a lot going for it. The duck liver pâté is insanely rich, but those bright pink onions cut right through it. The chicken pie is stuffed to the brim with filling. The cod comes with a perfectly crisp, salty skin and sits atop a warm, hearty chickpea stew. And the puddings? Worth saving room for. That pistachio tart is the perfect balance of crunchy & chewy, paired with just-sweet-enough crème fraîche.
Now, all the place needs is a good teapot.
NOTE: The Blue Stoops is open now, seven days a week. You can find out more at the Blue Stoops website.
The Blue Stoops | 127-129 Kensington Church St, W8 7LP
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