Jutting out of the concrete plains of Stratford like some ancient ziggurat built by a mysterious civilisation of apres-ski worshippers, Haugen is a truly startling first sight.
Comprising a cafe, deli, restaurant and, for good measure, a bar on top – prime views over Westfield – it’s more of a complex than an eatery, and its looming presence feels like a fairly major gamble on the enthusiasm of Stratfordians and mall-goers for what is being described as ‘alpine cuisine’.
Having literally never been to a single alp, I can’t attest to the authenticity of the concept, but as far as I can tell the menu for the cafe – the restaurant doesn’t open until October – checks out as a kind of meat and cheese heavy mishmash of European grub, with a focus on the Teutonic side of things (a lot of the dishes have German names).
While the restaurant menu is undoubtedly fancier, you needn’t worry that the cafe is just light bites. There’s an extensive wine and cocktail list, and dishes on here that could sink a small battleship: if anything the distinction between cafe and restaurant is essentially that the former offers heartier, more rustic cuisine. Naturally fondue and sharing platters things feature, but as my companion pointed out the potential worry of getting Covid from a fondue set – something I have my doubts about – sharing was off, which ruled out the fondue and raclette.
I felt like I should have some fromage somewhere, so opted for the melted goats’ cheese starter. This was quite restrained by Haugen’s standards: two pungent dollops of cheese paired with salad, a small, tasty mound of roast beetroot, and some pleasantly punchy honey mustard dressing. My friend’s Severn & Wye smoked trout was underwhelming: three triangles of trout with a fridge-y texture, plus an admittedly decent salad (that needed more roast beetroot) felt a bit overpriced at £12.50.
Reasoning that the dishes with German names and single-inverted commas around them were probably loads more authentic, I opted for the ‘Schweinshaxe’ for my main and was rewarded with a truly awesome-sized pork knuckle accompanied by sauerkraut, a potato dumpling and intense beer jus. I have never been skiing, but perhaps people eat such things to increase their weight and therefore make them go downhill faster? If prospect of a fall-away-from-the-bone hunk of hog the size of your own head plus a heavy dumpling appeals to you – this is a very clear menu highlight. My friend’s Vienna schnitzel was also decent, but with the vibe very much being Mittel European comfort food.
The rice pudding was certainly hearty, but was still fundamentally quite a lot for a bowl of rice pudding, though I had the ‘Schwartzwälder’ – basically a Black Forest sundae – that I was in no physical or emotional state to finish after my knuckle, but probably justified its £8 price tag on scale alone.
Drinks were okay: my cognac-based Apres-Ski cocktail was nicely presented with a huge ball of ice in the middle, but the flavour was muted. My pal’s Last Race was much more like it, full of fruity flavour and, frankly, alcohol (it contains both absinthe and chartreuse, which is certainly walking on the wild side). A bottle of house red was very drinkable, but it was a bit surprising it came from Argentina – I’m not sure if an Austrian or German wine (of which there are many on the list) would have presented any great revelation, but defaulting to the new world seems like a weird detail.
In general Haugan is pretty agreeable: the staff are efficient. attentive and on-the-ball, and not excessively chatty. And though the structure as a whole looks like a mad folly as you approach it, it’s actually so huge that you lose perspective once you’re close up and forget about its intrinsic weirdness. There’s a lot of exposed wood and thick blankets on seats, but the kitsch factors are considerably lower than they could be (though check out the wallpaper in the toilets if you do want to see something truly alarming). The prices are a little high – especially when you consider this is the casual dining bit – and not every dish hits the mark. But choose wisely and Haugen offers formidably hearty central European peasant food that should see you through the winter nights ahead.
The vibe: Ski-lodge chic in the heart of Stratford. But bigger.
The food: A hefty mish-mash of alpine and central European grub: think pig, think melted cheese.
The drink: Bold cocktails and an intriguing selection of central European wines, though weird house wines are South American.
Time Out tip: Make sure you at least wander up to the rooftop: it’s great for Westfield people-watching.