Location
Situated on Spittal Street, Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Where there is a wealth of restaurants. Three of which are in the Tom Kerridge Group. There is the 2 Michelin Star The Hand and Flowers, the 1 star The Coach and the BT&G.
Style and Character
A personal service providing high quality meats, burgers, hotdogs and snacks late into the evening.
A local pub with a butcher’s counter where you can choose your cut the size you want and have it grilled to order. That is the special attraction of the Butcher’s Tap.
The man behind this concept is celebrity chef Tom Kerridge. He has installed Jamie May, former chef at his nearby two-Michelin-starred Hand & Flowers. Jamie is head of a team of knowledgeable and skilled butcher-chefs.
Choose from rib-eye, sirloin or fillet steaks, Launceston lamb chops, Blythburgh pork or a mixed grill. These are served with a selection of sides. These include loaded truffle and parmesan fries, or plump for a classic burger, turkey shawarma or American hotdog.
While it’s being cooked the way you like it, settle down in a relaxed atmosphere with a pint of ale or glass of quality wine and nibble on fried mac ‘n’ cheese bites or salted white anchovies.
Kerridge’s aim is to bring back the vibe of the local butcher, and there’s a real community feel to the Butcher’s Tap – you can even watch the footie on telly.
Food and Drink
When you arrive there is a QR code on the table which you can use to download the app. All orders are made via the app and you pay on order. If you have issues with the system staff are available to help. I went on a Monday and there was an offer of 10% off the bill. Also you could bring your own bottle of wine for a £5 corkage. These are great ways to get customers in on what is normally a quiet day when many restaurants are closed.
The app gives a very comprehensive menu to choose from. Take off what you like from the item ordered. I chose the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Caesar Burger. Very succulent and moist with a slaw topping.It comes in a wrapper diner style as top picture and when opened as above. It was absolutely gorgeous. My companion had Bacon Blue Cheese Burger.
As you pay in the app on ordering it works for both sides. The restaurant does not have no pays and the customer can leave when they want.
Verdict
What is invaluable here are the skills in cooking a piece of meat, respecting it, sourcing it, and giving advice about how to cook it at home. They want people to come into the Tap, choose some meat and see it cook and receive advice on how to cook their Sunday roast at home. There’s no butcher’s out there that has a previous head chef of a two Michelin-star giving them advice not only how to cook meat, but if they are sitting in the pub having it cooked for them.
A key element of the offering at The Butcher’s Tap & Grill is that it’s very much a pub. They have got the definition of a butcher’s, the definition of a taproom and the definition of a grill – and it’s all those three spaces in one. You can come in and buy your meat, you can come in and have a pint of local Rebellion ale and also you can sit down and have that meat cooked for you with your pint of Rebellion. Tom Kerridge is always thinking of the next idea. Everyone is really excited with this whole new chapter.
