Charlie McVeigh launches The Draft House

Following the success of his Westbridge and Northcote locations, Charlie McVeigh, owner of Le Café Anglais, is launching The Draft House Tower Bridge (206-208 Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UP) on 14th September.

It is the first Draft House pub to open outside of SW11 and is situated on the south side of Tower Bridge.

The Draft House is a small group of public houses which aim to do for beer what our culture has done for food and wine over the past twenty years; namely, to showcase beer by taking its provenance, cellaring and serving seriously.The Draft House ethos is simple, says McVeigh: “I wanted to provide a place that recaptured my idea of the perfect public house”.

Draft House Master of Brews Adam Simmons is planning an extraordinary and unique beer list, both bottled and on tap –the highlight of which will be a twenty-five-strong selection of draft beer. The Draft House Tower Bridge will be the first in the UK to serve Stiegl Paracelsus “Zwickl”, a fresh and unfiltered lager which still contains the brewer’s yeast, and the first pub in London to offer Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA on draft.

Also available, from the city of Bamberg in Germany, is a distinctive Rauchbier, or ‘smoked beer’, which has been brewed at the city’s famed Schlenkerla Tavern beneath the cathedral since 1405. Its remarkable flavour is achieved by exposing the malt to the intense, aromatic smoke of burning beechwood logs at the Schlenkerla Malthouse. In addition, The Draft House already has an established relationship with Dublin’s Porterhouse Brewery, and it will be adding Plain Porter to its existing range, which includes Porterhouse Red and Porterhouse Oyster Stout.

McVeigh is delighted to have secured Blair Macann as head chef. On arriving in the UK from his native New Zealand, Macann spent considerable time studying classic Italian and French cuisine under Marco Pierre White. More recently, he spent four years as the head chef of The Garrison in London Bridge.  Macann’s menu, with a focus on seasonal and locally sourced produce, will spotlight traditional British favourites. Dishes include Cotswold Watercress and Nettle Soup; Soused Devon Herrings, Radish and Watercress for starters, and main courses of Beer-Battered East Coast Hake, Minted Peas, Chips and Tartar Sauce or Lincolnshire Belly Pork, Black Pudding Hash, Apple Sauce and Marjoram Gravy. To finish, choose from Treacle Tart with Heather Honey Ice Cream or Late Summer Fruits, Elderflower Sabayon and Sorbet.

The menu also offers a selection of Pots (such as Brown Shrimp and Smoked Ham Hock), Bagels and Burgers in addition to legendary Sunday roasts. The menu recommends complementary beers to accompany each of the delicious dishes on offer. The Draft House Tower Bridge also features a special tasting room where guests will be able to try a vast array of brews paired to a special five-course menu.

Alex Mole moves from Draft House Westbridge to Tower Bridge as General Manager. Alex started his career with the openings of Little Havana and Sugar Reef with Mark Fuller before moving to Dusk, winner of Time Out Bar of the Year 2006. In 2007 he joined Draft House as a manager and became GM in 2009.

McVeigh worked with architect Richard Blandy, of Stiff and Trevillion, and graphic designer Frith Kerr, of Studio Frith, to achieve the same eclectic, informal aesthetic as the Northcote and Westbridge outposts. The décor fosters a relaxed environment and in McVeigh’s words, “a charming place where you can – alone or with others – experience great beer, good food, interesting people and great conversation.  It's a refuge for the soul”.

For more information, visit: drafthouse.co.uk