Pie n Mash @ Manze's on Chapel Market

For some reason I am partial to a plate of pie and mash. It’s comfort food. Which is really odd, because you accustom comfort food to your childhood. But I cannot honestly remember ever eating it as a kid. I know my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins etc all did, but as I was brought up in a small town in Hampshire. London traditions were quite foreign to me. Maybe it was through their stories of eating it when they were young that it kinda got stuck that way.

I’ve visited many pie n mash shops over the years since I’ve been living in London. Some good, some bad. But all had a great feel to them. It’s a living history when you walk into those shops, with their wooden benches, tiled walls and marble tops and counters. I’m sure some folk feel like they are in another era when they go for their quota.

Pie n mash was, and still is a poor mans dish. Originally from the East End, made with scraps of left over meat from the butchers, cooked with a gravy and put under a piecrust. Served with mashed potato’s, jellied eels (which were in plentiful supply at that time), and smothered in liquor. Which was made up of the water that the eels were cooked in and a shed load of parsley to give it that green look. No food colouring here.

Today, there are still a number of pie n mash shops scattered around parts of London. But their numbers have declined somewhat, but in these credit crunching times, a few new shops are opening up. The food is still cheap and cheerful. It’s never going to win any culinary awards, but it does feed the stomach and the soul.

Manze’s were one of the original “eel n mash” shops in London. The branch on Tower Bridge Road is still open and thriving after 120 years. Some things never go out of fashion. As you can see by this video here.

The branch half way up Chapel Market was opened late 2008 or early 2009 (I think). It’s decked out in the traditional way. Rows of wooden benches with those high backs, that gives a bit of privacy whilst you eat.

I’d been meaning to eat in there since I first saw it, but as with most things in my life, it never happened. But the other day I made an effort and strolled down to Chapel Market for some pie n mash.

The shop was kinda full, which just goes to show even the old favourites are still in vogue in some quarters. Placed my order of large pie and mash at the counter. The waitress told me the large pie was mince beef and onion. I thought that was how they should be. I wonder what other options they have. The smaller ones did not look too keen so I gave them a miss.

Normally you get a scoop of mash from those old ice cream scoops, but here she scooped it up by a spatula and scraped onto the plate with all the finesse she could manage. The mash on one side, pie on the other and the liquor in the middle. Quality. I collected my cutlery and found a booth that never had kids or old folk in it. I can’t deal with eating near kids or old people. Don’t ask.

On your table are salt, black pepper (should be white), malt vinegar and chilli vinegar. Believe you me, you need to add some as it can be rather bland. But they know this and that is why they are there.

The mash was smooth. Needed a lot of seasoning, a touch of butter wouldn’t have gone a miss either. The piecrust was really flaky and tasty. The inside was ok, onions needed cooking a bit more, but it was ok. The liquor needed a heavy dose of vinegar to put some life into it. But without the vinegar “it ain’t nothing” as someone once told me.

All in all it wasn’t a bad meal. Filled my belly and nourished my spirit, as all good foods are supposed to do.

As I left and took a picture of the front, some guy came up to me and told me this place was on the route of the knowledge. So if you jump in a cab and ask for Manze’s on Chapel Market they should be able to bring you here with no problem.

If you’ve never had pie and mash before, give it a try. You will be eating a piece of London history, but be warned don’t expect the food to knock your socks off, instead it will give you a gentle comforting experience. One that you may want to go back for more. 

Great Queen Street Restaurant – Pie Heaven

Where else do you head to in Covent Garden on a wet, windy, dark, cold Tuesday night? Well, anywhere really that is warm, but in Covent Garden with it’s so so restaurants mainly catering to the tourist trade. Head up onto Great Queen street and find an unsigned restaurant and there you will find great British cooking.
We’ve eaten here on several occasions after it opened, but travelling for nearly a year and a half over the last 2 years has meant we had not been here for a while.
Thankfully it was just the same as when we last left it. The décor is still the same, although different sketches now adorn the walls. Those dark walls and low lighting add to the intimacy of the place.
The menu is still as enticing as it used to be, and thankfully the food is as delicious as it was on our last visit.
The thing I love about this place is that you are still able to just walk in and get a table. There is no “Oh my god, you never booked”. It’s either “just let me get a table ready for you,” or “can you wait a few minutes at the bar, and I’ll get you in a tick”. Good service is a thing hard to find in London’s restaurants and they train them well here.
We were not particularly hungry and I could not have faced a two or three course meal. All I wanted was a nice bottle of red and something warm and substantial to energise me on this dreary night.
The last time we were here, they had a beef and kidney pie (for two) with a suet pastry. It was a huge pie, but that suet crust, even though it was pretty heavy was a delight to eat and mixed with the steak and kidney was a new take on that oh so delicious pudding.
Amazingly this time the pies were back on. This time it was just a steak pie. I’m pretty sure I never looked at anything else on the menu, apart from the rib of beef, chips and béarnaise sauce, which tempting, very tempting never came close to a good pie.
I love the fact that they tell you, even though I knew the pie would take around 30 minutes to cook. Fantastic. Time to soak in some wine and munch on their breads, and chat about all and sundry when you are waiting for good food. I always get into a better mood when I know everything is being done properly.
The pie came. It was as big as I remember it. I think it would do 3 people, after starters of course. But these two hungry weary travellers tucked straight in. The huge cubes of beef were as tender as, and the gravy made up of those fabulous juices was divine. The inclusion of a marrowbone instead of a piece of ceramic to create a bit of space so it doesn’t explode. The marrow was soon scooped out and eaten.
The only sides needed for a pie of this quality were some greens. Potatoes would have been a bit too much, and the added a tad of colour to this dark dish.
The crust, not suet this time, was flaky and nicely cooked. Crunchy even. Perfect. Fantastic meal on a crappy night.
After “service charges” seem to be excluded from the bills these days. I love surprises when I return off trips. I have been working on a way of tipping to meet my experience in the restaurant that night.
So, for me 10% is a standard tip. Split 50/50 between the quality of the dish I receive and the service and décor etc of the dining area. Most times I have forgotten about this since we have been back. I tried it in New York, and I think they look at 10% as a bit of an insult. I hear 18% is normal there. So I added to the stereotype of the tight Englishman. But in the Great Queen Street. I could find no fault. Food, service, ambience was all perfect. We will return.