Guest writer Mario Stojanac explains why a regular meal (read: not a five star resto) in London still lacks lustre (and salt)! You be the judge...
English food. These two simple words conjure up some pretty powerful images for many of us, whether it is as memories of childhood comfort meals or as something best left forgotten. The latter statement is quite possibly an unfair generalization, and there have been some fantastic English chefs – Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver to name a few. However, my focus in this particular instance was not about reaching for those heady heights, but rather a look at what your English regular fare has to offer.
Not too long ago, my wife and I found ourselves in London, England and, as per usual, before long we were looking around for something to fill the growling gap in our bellies. But first, a little bit of background on the way in which we generally approach our meals on our travels abroad. As much as possible, we try to eat local where the locals would themselves eat (unless, of course, the locals are in the habit of hanging out at American fast food chains – in which case we act like food snobs and eat where we think the locals should eat. Right then, ‘nuff said.)
So, when in the land of all things pub, where better to go than ‘down the local’ for a pint and some grub. Which is exactly what we did. Seeing as we were relatively close to plush Oxford Street, finding a regular pub wasn’t as easy as it should have been, but we persevered until we came across a bustling watering hole bursting at the seams with Londoners – at least they definitely sounded local. The locals behaved as if the food was “brilliant, smashing, smashingly brilliant etc…” We literally saw one woman licking her fingers clean after she mopped up the bit of sauce left on her plate. This, my friends, was the place for us. I ordered a local ale, and we sat and waited for the nosh to arrive – mine a fish and chips and my wife’s steak and ale pie with mushy peas. We were famished and finally the eagerly awaited meals arrived.
My fish was a greasy, bony piece of reluctant fillet somehow devoid of any flavour – even that of fish. Chips were slightly raw in the middle, and not a grain of salt would cross this plate’s threshold. Clearly the ancient spice traders were driven back across the channel before they could take root with their foul bounty. My wife’s pie was piping hot – alas fresh from the microwave, soggy pastry and all. The mushy peas were, well…mushy, so I guess nothing to get disappointed about there. Overall though, not exactly brill-o. This unfortunate culinary episode seemed to set the bar for most regular eating experiences…from dessert cafes with stodgy pastries to bread and lettuce masquerading as sandwiches. Nobody was raising that bar…in fact, they had started digging underneath it…
We hadn’t thought of going truly British by having a curry, which admittedly seemed to have been a mistake on our part, but by the end of day 3, our resolve to eat locally had buckled and survival instincts had taken over. We went French. True to form, we had a fantastic meal at Le Relais de Venise l’entrecote. This bistro is based on the original incarnation in Paris (founded 46 years ago) and has been copied to every last detail in London. The success of this establishment, according to their website, “centres around one very simple menu – a starter of a green salad with walnuts, followed by trimmed sirloin steak and chips (read ‘frites’) with its famous sauce.” The sauce is a family secret and very often attempted but never copied – we sensed some Indian spices in there but nobody was telling. We didn’t care either – the sheer simplicity of this concept was fantastic as they chose to do one item and do it as well as it could possibly be done. The meal is served in two half portions which allow the second half of your meal to remain as hot and enjoyable as the first (so don’t feel cheated by your first portion size).
There is a full complement of desserts available for those who have a little bit of room left over…like me (I was on holiday!) This article is based on my personal experiences, but I’m not alone I promise you. In fact, British chef Manju Malhi is starting a campaign to get English food accepted in India by “…adding spices to make them more acceptable.” (Read more about that here). So there you have my damning culinary attack on London street food – I’m sure it’s not all bad but maybe a little bit of local advice would have benefited me. Yes, definitely - that and maybe some salt, old chaps.
The copyright of the article The Problem with English Food in Food Trends is owned by Mary Luz Mejia. Permission to republish The Problem with English Food in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
I am just back from Northern Ireland, and last summer I was in London, and still I find by the end of my trips I am dying to get back to Toronto and some great food. It is interesting how on the one hand there are so many talented british chefs yet on the whole the concept of good food does not seem to be spilling over into casual local restaurants. While in London, my favorite food was at PRET A MANGER!! It was always fresh, great variety of sandwiches and salads, and consistently good. The only great things I had at the local pubs were cider and crisps! :)
Jul 6, 2007 4:44 AM
cordelia coyle :
Forgot to mention, two glimmers of hope when in N.Ireland this time - an asian resturant called Fat Buddha - did have excellent pad thai here, and also an Indian restaurant called Spice in Lisburn. Aside from that, the usual - starchy, fried, not so much taste.
Jul 6, 2007 7:50 AM
Mary Luz Mejia :
A colleague that works with me right now who used to live in London agrees that Prete a Manger was her favourite. Wish I had given that a try.
We went to a packed place our first night there (not with tourists I might add), ordered 2 100% beef burgers, some chips and a water each and it was nothing to write home about- except for the bill. That insignificant meal cost us $55 CDN! Yeesh! Hope they turn things around some day....
Jul 11, 2007 5:50 PM
Scousegit :
Interesting! I, too, have been disappointed at fish 'n' chips in pubs on both sides of the pond. I think the main reasons are that: 1) as with all pub food, it tends to be frozen; 2) it takes an industrial fryer, like you find in a chippy, to do the job properly by heating the chips for the shortest possible time, before they can get soggy or brown, rather than golden.
The problem with Britain is that we began working in factories before anyone else, which meant we almost forgot our traditional cooking in the centuries of gobbling down whatever we could before the factory hooter sounded.
When visiting my land of birth, I usually go Indian, like everyone else. Indeed, it was the Indians and the Chinese who created restaurant culture in Britain, and relatively recently. I doubt my family ate out more than twice a year when I was growing up, except for snacks and take-aways.
Then foreign travel got us a taste for French, Spanish, Italian and Greek food, which all made their way on to our high streets. For that reason, restaurants offering decently prepared traditional British food never really got off the ground.
I also take the point about prices, but in defence of British food, I would respectfully point out to Canadians that at least it exists, and we've come up with a lot more than just gravy and chips with grated cheese on top!
Of course, I admit I would much rather eat in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Mexico, Argentina or Peru, but would settle for roast beef or Dover sole over poutine any time!
Jul 11, 2007 7:07 PM
Mary Luz Mejia :
All good points- but perhaps you haven't had a good plate of poutine? (I recommend Martin Picard's tribute to the Quebecois classic with a slab of foie gras as your artery clogger of choice)... Dover Sole and roast beef sound lovely- too bad we couldn't find any good examples of it while in London. Guess we'll have to try harder next time and I might even hit you up for some tried and true suggestions! :-)
Jul 12, 2007 10:59 AM
Scousegit :
Oh, I'm not knocking poutine -- in fact, I had a deluxe version on my birthday in Montreal -- I just don't think it says much for the originality or variety of Canadian cuisine.
Getting back to Britain, I really don't know of anywhere that serves genuine traditional fare. I suppose too many of us were traumatised by school dinners to seek anything vaguely similar when we go out.
That said, Keith Floyd (one of my favourite TV chefs) has made an excellent contribution with his recipe book "Floyd on Britain and Ireland", a dog-eared, second-hand and stained version of which sits in my kitchen. It really is mouth-watering!
Jul 12, 2007 11:10 AM
Scousegit :
I have already made known my points on the shortcomings of food in Britain, the land of my birth.
However, if you are gastronomically traumatised on your next trip, may I suggest you hop on a budget flight to mainland Europe if you want truly great food?
For I respectfully submit you won't find great food in Toronto which truly compares with what is on offer in France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, etc.
Here, all I have found is hybrid stuff, and that is inevitable given the logistical difficulties entailed in replicating at a distance a varied, complex and original cuisine which has taken centuries to evolve. You can get a few honest attempts to approximate to the old country, but on College or Dundas, say, I only get overpriced imitations which fall short and make me even more homesick for the fare I used to get in Lisbon.
That said, what I do appreciate about T.O. is that I can buy ingredients here with which to make a fair few reasonably authentic and yummy Portuguese and Mexican dishes, which I doubt I could back in La Perfide Albion.
Jul 12, 2007 5:53 PM
Scousegit :
Aha! A friend recommends Porters English Restaurant in Covent Garden, London's theatre district: http://www.porters.uk.com/
The menu looks brilliant, particularly the venison, beef and redcurrant pie.
A famous Brit resto I've never been to but whose cookbook I've used for decades is this one: http://www.hungrymonk.co.uk/
