Hatchet Hall

[thechez5]

So this is in the old Waterloo & City space. Lots of vintage-y looking furniture and taxidermy everywhere. There are two bars; the main one and a “hidden” one called the Old Man Bar which is open until 2am.

They have an oyster happy hour from 5:30-6:30, so we got a half-dozen Malpeques which came with a lemony horseradish vinegar.

Their New East Side (Miller’s Gin, lime juice, cucumber-elderflower foam) cocktail was refreshing and perfect for this hot weather.

My fiancé had the In Fashioned (country ham, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Miracle Mile redeye and pecan bitters), and he really liked it.

The wood grilled octopus (runner beans, treviso, lemon aioli, salsa verde) was perfectly tender with a nice char, and I loved the lemon aioli with it.

The beef fat potatoes (roasted garlic aioli, salsa verde) were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside and went nicely with the aioli.

The wood grilled Peads & Barnett pork chop (brown butter maple jus, Asian pear) was juicy with a nice crust, and was perfect with the sweetness of the sauce and the pear.

The roasted game hen (polenta, house goat ricotta, hen of the woods) dish was rich and would be great comfort food, I thought. The chicken was nice and juicy, but I wish the skin was crispier. The pan sauce mixed with the polenta and the mushrooms was oh so good, though. Especially when you squeeze some of the lemon on it.

We had the caramelized banana cream panna cotta with cardamom and espresso cookies for dessert, but I didn’t get a picture of it because it was too dark by then. I thought it was delicious, but I love anything with cardamom.

Overall, we thought it was a great meal. It was pretty pricey, but the portions were quite generous. Service was very good! I want to go back and try the stone crab which wasn’t on the menu this time, unfortunately.

[J_L]

Thanks for the review! Great pics. I’ve been meaning to stop by that space. The chicken looks so tender.

[Chowseeker1999]

Beautiful pics!

Sounds great.

[Jase]

Thanks for the report. That octopus looks great.

[Ashibi]

Nice report. I just made a reservation for this Friday. Looking forward!

[Chowseeker1999]

Finally got to try Hatchet Hall.

(sorry in advance for the crappy pics; super dark in their dining room at night! LOL)

Started with a Moscow Mule, hearing that it was highly recommended:

This had to be one of the WORST cocktails I’ve ever had in my life. I thought my taste buds were shot, but I let my friends sip it also… yup. They all frowned and felt the same. Overbearing alcohol taste, couldn’t taste anything else that was supposed to make it a real Moscow Mule. Terrible.

Winter Citrus, House Ricotta, Mizuna, Pomegranate, Deglet Dates, Almonds:

This was OK. It tasted like the individual ingredients; didn’t really come together.

Red Deer Tartare, Green Peppercorn, Pine Nut, Pine Mushroom:

Was really excited to try this! Red Deer Tartare sounded exotic enough, and I was imagining just how much better this could be compared to a typical Beef Tartare. Sadly, this was our least favorite dish of the evening! It had an off-tasting aftertaste with every bite. One of my friends just stopped eating after taking 1 bite.

Wood Grilled Octopus, Runner Beans, Treviso, Lemon Aioli, Salsa Verde:

Couldn’t wait to try this based on @thechez5’s rec. And it was excellent! Really tender Octopus, worked great with the Runner Beans and Aioli.

Wood Grilled Peads & Barnett Pork Chop, Brown Butter Jus, Roasted Pumpkin:

Wasn’t sure about this, until I saw @Aesthete wax poetic about it being the greatest pork chop ever! LOL. And?

Seriously, @Aesthete wasn’t kidding: This is really the BEST Pork Chop I’ve ever had in a restaurant. It’s got this FANTASTIC, deep porkiness, juicy, great balance of lean pork and some fat (but not overwhelming). I could not stop thinking about it after!

Moroccan Chickpeas, Harissa, Creme Fraiche:

Pretty good, but a bit too salty.

Beef Fat Potatoes, Roasted Garlic Aioli, Salsa Verde:

Another dish @Aesthete raved about, and it was excellent! It is indeed slightly crisped, but tender and just fantastic pseudo “fries” but so much more.

While the Pork Chop and Potatoes were great, the rest of the meal was rather mixed. By the end, we all felt the meal came across as overly heavy and had too many misses.

There might be more to try that might be great, but with so many misses for us, the only thing I’d come back for is the Pork Chop and Potatoes.

[Aesthete]

Well, shit, I’m glad you liked the pork chop and the potatoes at least! lol (Whew boy, I was sweating bullets when you said you ordered it because of my post lol)

I’ve never ordered any of the salads personally haha

If you do go back, may I suggest at least giving the game hen a whirl though? =P (Also the red peas and rice possibly, although they may suffer from a bit of the “tastes of its components” thing, as each ingredient has a distinctive flavor from their unique heritage, so maybe not for everyone).

[Chowseeker1999]

Hi @Aesthete,

Definitely major thanks on the Pork Chop! That thing is definitely a major highlight. Really far better than any other Pork Chop I’ve had.

I think the heaviness came from all of the other dishes combined rather than because of the Pork Chop.

With careful ordering (and hopefully a few more standout dishes), I think Hatchet Hall would be great to revisit in a regular rotation. I’ll give the game hen a try next time. Thanks.

[Aesthete]

Well, at least I have someone else who can confirm that leaving that pork chop off he 11 best pork chop’s in LA list was a travesty =P

How did you get such (relatively) clear photos of the food in their uber dark dining room without flash btw?

[Chowseeker1999]

Hi Aesthete,

Photos? I don’t know, just a steady hand? LOL. It was super dark though, most of the pics I took were useless (deleted).

[Bigmouth]

Hatchet Hall, GODDAMN!

This was, quite simply, one of the best meals I’ve had in recent memory.

The setting, service, drinks, and food were just superb. In fact, I have to give a special shout out to the service, which was friendly and attentive without being intrusive. And I’m not just talking about our waitress, who steered us well. This was a team effort. Plates were cleared at precisely the right time and I don’t think my water glass was less than half full all night.

Okay, onto the food. I’d like to blame the dim lighting for my trademark bad pictures but the truth is I was just too excited to get my nom on to do the food justice.

We started with the yeast rolls, and I have to admit, I was skeptical. How good could rolls be? As it turns out, better than I imagined possible. Warm and yeasty, with just the right amount of crunch. The salt from the rolls paired perfectly with the sweet honey butter. These are a must order.

The rolls went well with our next dish, the endive salad with cheddar dressing. I was worried the dressing would be too heavy but it was surprisingly light (and perfect for sopping up with the rolls). And the fresh crunch from the bitter endive and sour apples made for a well balanced dish.

Next up was the pork chop, which was exquisite. Simple and delicious porky essence. The fat in the cap was rendered perfectly.

We ordered the carrots for one of our sides. While tasty, this was probably my least favorite dish of the evening. The flavors were on point but the carrots were a teensy bit undercooked. They also suffered by comparison with our other side, the much vaunted beef fat potatoes (visible in the background of the game hen pic below).

The potatoes were perfection. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Like some kind of savory Cadbury Creme Egg from the gods.

But the star of the show was undoubtedly the game hen. The meat was juicy and flavorful. And the grilled bread… my goodness, the grilled bread. Saturated with pan drippings, with a spike of acidity from the lemon, each bite elicited a mouthgasm that would make even Harry and Sally blush.

As I said, this is one of the best meals I’ve had recently. Better even than the special dinner I enjoyed earlier this month at Benu in SF. It took me a while to try Hatchet Hall. But now that I have, I can say with confidence, I’ll be back.

[Aesthete]

@Bigmouth

Better even than the special dinner I enjoyed earlier this month at Benu in SF. It took me a while to try Hatchet Hall.

Congratulations on becoming a member of a very exclusive and lonely club =)

Here’s a little better lit shot of the pork chop I took recently, the mushroom powder and smoked lard they brush it with makes it totally obscene.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLPFyIYjO6a/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete

Also, they make the best red peas and rice I have ever had in my life. They take such care with the heirloom ingredients and incorporate special sausage from Kentucky… it feels like with the quality of ingredients and the labor involved they should charge 2x as much for the perfection:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLPGXBOjdWc/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete

[tailbacku]

that pork chop looks ridiculous

[Ns1]

mushroom powder and smoked lard?

[Aesthete]

Indeed, it is.

I have a hard time enjoying pork chops anywhere else now.

[Aesthete]

@Ns1

mushroom powder and smoked lard?

Correct.

[CiaoBob]

Awesome - and funny - fucking report.

[CiaoBob]

I had a large format Pork Porterhouse a few months ago that about 100 bucks and superb. I guess I forgot to write about it here. It was ginormous and so delicious.

[Aesthete]

They have a lamb porterhouse on that I really need to rustle up some people to go eat.

I am blanking on the name, but it’s the same lambs from up north that I had at the Sir and Star, and it was the best lamb I’ve ever tasted, so I expect exceptional things.

[CiaoBob]

I knew pork wasn’t ringing true to me - you are correct - it WAS lamb.
I’ll never forget it.