What To Drink At Noord: Mustard Beer


Before he opened Noord, Joncarl Lachman shared a draft of his menu with a chef friend in New York to get an outside opinion. The feedback he received wasn’t exactly a huge surprise. “She told me I needed to take some of the mustard off,” he told me back in July, laughing.

Hard as it may be to imagine—considering an opening menu packed with dishes like mustard-laced pork balls, scallops in mustard soup, and trout with mustard three ways—Lachman actually followed her advice. Noord is actually less mustardy than he originally envisioned.

Now it’s my turn to give a little advice. Not to Lachman, who’s got a good groove going, but to his customers: Restore a little of that lost mustard to your next meal there with a BYO choice that’s a match made in heaven for this restaurant—Wostyntje Torhouts Mustard Ale, from Smisje Brewery in Flanders.

Now I know that sounds weird. It is weird. But if you have any affection for mustard seeds, which impart a heady but in no way domineering aroma to this slightly tangy, copper-colored oddball ale, then it’s worth looking around for. It certainly won’t be the easiest thing to find, but I can vouch for its availability at Fiume in West Philly. You could try to buy a carry-out bottle. Or do as I did and drink it on the premises, where it might rekindle your memories of Lachman’s cooking all over again, at a distance.

Noord [Philly Mag Review]