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A Yank Eating London


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Well, I admit I'm twenty five years out of date and that I'd be a fool to recommend any specific restaurant. But in my youth bread was the great basic British food and often great. Bread and cheese, toasted cheese and bread, toasted cheese on bread (wonderful cheddars of course), sandwiches of all kinds, always made with butter not mayo and always thin (no need for a huge mouth big enough to gobble up Little Red Riding Hood. Favorites included cold scrambled egg with cress on bridge rolls, thinly sliced ham or roast beef and proper sharp mustard on regular bread, cheese and onion, potted shrimp for the up market, even just good bread and butter and fresh watercress, celery or green pepper on the side with salt. Not bread but in the same tradition are sausage rolls and cornish pasties, both quite unbeatable if well made. Problem is, as always, this was largely home food though some bakeries made up such things. Recent trips show that in small rural towns they still do though you have to pick and chose.

Rachel Caroline Laudan

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Holly, you're fortunate. I was there in 1991 and keep reading how much the food has improved since then. (Heck, I started reading that in 1993, special Bon Appetit edition. Good cheddar/cumin/scallion bread in that one.) My experience was the typical everything boiled to a uniform shade of grey. And although I had heard of baked beans with breakfast, I wasn't expecting them to be cold. Being educated on the language definitely helps -- my travelling companion learned the hard way that steak and kidney pie didn't mean kidney beans and couldn't afford to go back and get something else. I still eat mushy peas (Canadian mother) but was a bit horrified when I ordered a side of them at a fish & chips place (thinking I should get a veg) and they scooped a ladel-full right atop my already-filled newspaper cone. Not so much as a fork. Finally, the sight I will never forget is the can of beef stew with the proud, prominent banner "New! Improved! No large chunks of fat or gristle!'

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Fish and Chips:  Fryers Delight on Theobalds Road has been the best ive tried so far, and certainly fits the bill for greasy and a dive.  Always a pack of taxis outside with their drivers munching away.  Im glad Ive never gotten into the taxi of a driver who had just visited though, that fish fried in beef lard scent can get rancid pretty quickly.

I've mentioned before that for a while I lived close by this establishment and the smell of rancid beef fat emanating from its ventilation outlets literally cast a dreadful pall over my life. I wanted to bomb it. I can barely go near the place let alone eat its food.

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Caroline, - You were lucky if you managed to get decent bread, you can get it in Britain, but it is hard to find now. We are the land of the 20p saver loaf.

Thomas, I love the idea of a 'Pie Room'! I might have to check that out on my next visit to the big smoke.

I love animals.

They are delicious.

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I have no problem finidng good bread...

Baker and Spice

Harrods, Harvey Nicks, Selfridges food halls

Poilane

And now that Delice de France delivers to most Europa Foods and many corner shops, it's even easier...

Also there are several neighbourhood places that do bread quite well...

And even Waitrose is managing to pull off some decent bread...

www.nutropical.com

~Borojo~

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Caroline, - You were lucky if you managed to get decent bread, you can get it in Britain, but it is hard to find now. We are the land of the 20p saver loaf.

Thomas, I love the idea of a 'Pie Room'! I might have to check that out on my next visit to the big smoke.

Errant nonsense

as one who travels regularly between London and the US, I can say with hand on heart that the quality of bread available in London both in restaurants and from retail is in every way the superior to that on offer in NY or elswhere in the US.

I have just returned from LA and found the bread on offer there to be risible.

Of course there are huge numbers of crappy loaves for those who want them ( be it Mother's pride in London or Wonder Loaf in the US ) but I can think of at least 8 quality bakeries within striking distance of my office

S

P.S - I can't believe that Tony is still going on about rancid beef fat.

Edited by Simon Majumdar (log)
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Burgers:  the best Ive had are: Sophies Steakhouse (on the Kings Road, or Fulham Road, can never remember) which is not a downmarket place;

Sophie's Steakhouse is 311 - 313 Fulham Rd, SW10.

Edited by olly s (log)
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P.S - I can't believe that Tony is still going on about rancid beef fat.

Well as long as people keep recommending The Fryer's Delight I will keep going on about rancid beef fat.

Believe me you had to be there.............

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Of course there are huge numbers of crappy loaves for those who want them ( be it Mother's pride in London or Wonder Loaf in the US ) but I can think of at least 8 quality bakeries within striking distance of my office

Must be yet another drawback from living in the provinces.

Mmmmm Beef fat!

I love animals.

They are delicious.

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as one who travels regularly between  London and the US, I can say with hand on heart that the quality of bread available in London both in restaurants and from retail is in every way the superior to that on offer in NY or elswhere in the US.

It has been a couple of years since I have been back in London and things have probably changed alot, but while living there from 89-98 it was nearly impossible to find anything resembling decent rye bread (Russian preferably). I had taken to filling a duffle bag and stuffing my puny little European freezer to sustain myself between trips home.

Get your bitch ass back in the kitchen and make me some pie!!!

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Mmmm... Manchester.

Should you ever find yourself in glorious Mancunia with a hankering for good bread then by all means try Selfridges (which is fine in a Selfridgey sort of way), or visit the Jewish bakeries and delis of North Manchester, the patisseries of South Manchester, or bow down at the shrine of breadmaking, the incomparable Barbakan Polish bakers/deli in Chorlton which produces about thirty different breads daily (www.barbakan-deli.co.uk, but I think the site is down at the moment).

Barbakan is well worth the trip to Chorlton all by itself, but there is also the Unicorn organic market neraby, as well as numerous other deli's, some great bars and the very good Palmiro Italian restaurant.

Cheers

Thom

It's all true... I admit to being the MD of Holden Media, organisers of the Northern Restaurant and Bar exhibition, the Northern Hospitality Awards and other Northern based events too numerous to mention.

I don't post here as frequently as I once did, but to hear me regularly rambling on about bollocks - much of it food and restaurant-related - in a bite-size fashion then add me on twitter as "thomhetheringto".

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can't believe no one has mentioned the "bacon sandwich" - in my opinion the best english food has to offer. with that, i am certainly not the most qualified person to direct you in the right place. now open only on sunday's the "market coffee house" in front of spitalfields market used to serve an excellent sandwich.

as for the comments on bread - both here and in NY - why does it go stale faster than anywhere else in the world? is it a environmental ocurrance or just a sign of the quality or lack thereof? it seems world metropolis and quality ingredients are oxymorons.

-che

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But of course the bacon sandwich (Along with the Chip Butty - yes, the caps were intentional!) is one of the few cases where cheap plasticky bread is perfectly acceptable.

I love animals.

They are delicious.

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Borough Cafe is still there and still busy (at least it was on Saturday).

Best Bacon Sandwich is from the little stall in Kingston Market (which is much more of a proper English market than that at Borough - full of useless tat for the most part) - they also do very fine sausage sandwiches, according to my non-bacon-eating other half.

In the same area, Christy's of Long Ditton has the best fish n chips I've tasted outside the East Coast of Scotland (properly skinned fish in really crisp batter, let down only by the lack of chip soss).

And my vote for best kebab (assuming that you haven't time to go to the Turkish Doner Inn at Tollcross in Edinburgh) is for the restaurant on the North End Rd just down from West Ken tube station.

Stewie

PS - I don't *only* eat crap... is the set lunch at Le Gavroche still a good deal ?

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Best Bacon Sandwich is from the little stall in Kingston Market (which is much more of a proper English market than that at Borough - full of useless tat for the most part) - they also do very fine sausage sandwiches, according to my non-bacon-eating other half.

i will have to try this bacon sandwich - while we're on the subject, what is the recommended sauce? is ketchup for the uninitiated?

-che

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Holly, just a thought:

Obviously in response to this thread people have rightfully mentioned such culinary delights as the Great British fry up, bacon butties, pies, fish and chips etc; but some of the actual venues recommended have been a bit high-brow and out of keeping with the culture and heritage of the food.

The environment and atmosphere of classic British cafe food is almost as important as the food itself (to be honest some people would argue that the food was seldom top of the agenda in these places). I think eating the dishes in their traditional surroundings will tell you more about cheap British cuisine than a full breakfast with rare breed bacon and poncey sausages at a 5 star hotel.

I suppose an analogy would be that if I wanted to experience classic burgers or hotdogs in NY I could thoretically get a better (better ingredients, better taste, better prep) post-modern version in a trendy restaurant (DB or Kobe beef burger anyone?), but I would rather have someone recommend to me the best place you can buy them off the street or in some back street joint for a couple of dollars.

For this reason I urge you to have a look at www.classiccafes.co.uk, a wonderfully photographed guide to London's finest greasy spoons and transport cafes. Pick a couple and drop in for a giant mug of super-strong tea and some animal products in cholestrol on a plate.

Makes me quite wistful for my childhood meals at the Border Cafe; braised steak and chips, jam rolly-poly and day-glow green Barr's cream soda.

Cheers

Thom

It's all true... I admit to being the MD of Holden Media, organisers of the Northern Restaurant and Bar exhibition, the Northern Hospitality Awards and other Northern based events too numerous to mention.

I don't post here as frequently as I once did, but to hear me regularly rambling on about bollocks - much of it food and restaurant-related - in a bite-size fashion then add me on twitter as "thomhetheringto".

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Makes me quite wistful for my childhood meals at the Border Cafe; braised steak and chips, jam rolly-poly and day-glow green Barr's cream soda.

And me for The Walworth Road Cafe during my college days

Fry up consisting of Eggs, bacon, sausages, black pudding, mushrooms, fried bread, tomatoes, beans and chips & a mug of tea- yours for £2.95

Abiding memory that the whole plate seemed to have a sort of blackish tint from frying everything in the same pan

The also had the teaspoons chained to each table as " some f**ker keeps nicking them"

happy days

S

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Thank you all.

I just printed this out (24 pages) and will be working my way through it on the flight over, tomorrow.

If additional inspiration strikes, keep on posting. I'll be checking in between meals.

Holly Moore

"I eat, therefore I am."

HollyEats.Com

Twitter

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Holly --

Fish n' Chips -- Seashell NW1

Fry-up -- Any of the morning pubs in Smithfield -- the Fox & Anchor is the most famous.

Steak & Kidney Pie -- the Guinea in Mayfair -- I prefer lunch at the pub (get there early!), but their restaurant behind has the same pie.

Burger -- off menu at Joe Allen (ok NY-style) -- I prefer the burger at Lot's Road Dining Room SW10 (near Chelsea Harbour) -- excellent burger and they make the best sticky toffee pudding in town.

Pizza -- Made In Italy in the Kings Road SW3

Sunday Roast (roast beef and Yorkshire pud) -- Anglesea Arms SW7

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Sausage and Mash!

Cant get more english than that

You MUST go to the wonderful Sausage and Mash cafe, preferably the Islington branch (there is another in Portobello Road under the overpass). This place is doubly interesting because it used to be a true greasy spoon called Alfredos (I think) which was established in about 1927. It only changed hands very recently. As a diner it was really quite famous. Fortunately they sold to S&M (sausage and mash) who retained all or most of the period features. Red vinyl banquettes, zinc/steel surfaces, little formica tables.

The food is excellent and cheap. Don't know where they get their sausages from but they have different specials every day.

Very simple you just choose 2 or 3 different sausages, 1 of 4 different kinds of mash and 1 of 4 different kinds of gravy...

mmm... I am feeling hungry already..

Here is a link to the location...

http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?X=5....y=8&scale=5000

its on essex road, a little down from the junction with upper street. nearest tube is Angel

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