Salt Beef Sandwiches

Going to Golders Green these days not only brings out the Jewishness in me, if there is any that is, but also some good memories.

Sandwich Heaven at Katz

It’s been nearly a year since we were in New York and I still haven’t written about Ippudo or Katz. Disgraceful.

Shame on me as these were the two places we really wanted to eat at, and I’m glad we did as they lived up to expectations. 

Great food, bad service @ Mishkin's

Mishkin’s has been at the top of my list ever since it opened in November last year, but for some reason or other we just never ever managed to pay it a visit.

Tapped and Packed

I'd been recommend to visit Tapped and Packed by a few people ever since a shout was put out for more coffee shops for me to try. I was hoping for some closer to home, but these things are never as you want them.
Tapped and Packed have two stores one number 26 and the other 114. Neither of them are on the same street, but you'll have to goto their website to find out where exactly they are. More fun that way.
I had some urgent studying to do for an interview I had the next day. I needed to remember what sights are in which Indian cities, so I thought a trip into busy central London and away from the sereneness of Stoke Newington was the best thing to do. You could see I was slightly stressed and not thinking straight.
I went to 26, which just happens to be literally in front of Koba where we were a few weeks before sampling some fine Korean cuisine.
There is no sigh mentioning Tapped and Packed, just a large 26 glaring out at you like a beacon. For some reason this never hit me, I walked straight passed it, hit the corner and it dawned on me that I was there. Was a million miles away.
It reminds me a lot of Fernandez and Wells but with a slightly less industrial look and feel about it. Tapped and Packed has a few more seats and some nice seats against the side wall with nice mini tables   to the side. Reminded me a little of the Middle East in that way.
I was here to relax and study. Fat chance. The place has a good buzzy vide, with plenty of foot traffic, so i gave up trying to remember which city the Jamal Masjid is in and enjoyed my flat white and a baguette of chicken and a lemon thyme mayonnaise.
The flat white with its wonderful latte artwork, drunk well. Nice smooth roasting of some fine beans made this one of the nicest flat whites I've had in a while.
The lemon, thyme mayonnaise and chicken baguette was nice. It was nothing spectacular, i was a little saddened that it was not warmed or toasted, but the choicken was soft and juicy, the mayo was more lemon than thyme. But it was pretty good. Sorry no photo, as I'd ate most of it before i thought of taking a snap.
They have a wide range of other baguettes and some salads and soups on offer, which all looked pretty good on the eye. But it's the coffee that this place will drag me back time again and again.
On the interview the following day. It went well. Hopefully I impressed them enough to offer me the job. I'll find out next week no doubt when we are in New York.

Sandwiches @ Moo! Grill

Every once in a while I have a strong need for certain foods, whether they are curries, sausage rolls, jacket potato's or milanesa.

Since last Wednesday for some reason, I have had a hankering for milanesa, either as a dish or in a sandwich. After reading a review recently about Moo! Grill, I knew where I was going to eat this weekend.

It’s a small place, pretty close to Spitalfields market and Brick Lane where we’d been trying to find me some clothes for a 1920’s gangster bash I’d agreed to go to.

Anyhows to cut a long story short, all I managed to buy was some trousers and not much else. Although I now have more of an idea of the total outfit now.

So after all that I was famished and was in need of some carbs. I was asked several times where the fire was, as my speed had picked up on the way to Moo! Grill. Sorry but it’s a silly name and really is the exclamation mark really needed.

I was just after a sandwich to go, but was forced to sit and eat it inside. But this did give me an excuse to drink some Quilmes, something I hadn’t done for a while.

The menu is different from an older version I had seen, it never had the milanesa, but did have a milanga, which is really the same thing. Veal or beef, who really cares. It’s breaded, fried and served in a ciabatta with mozzarella, ham and tomato. Damn it was good. Probably the best milanesa sandwich I’ve had outside of Argentina.

There is something about breaded meat, mozzarella and ham that rocks my world, and this did just that.

The fries I also had were, well thin and fried and pretty good. I’d gotten so used to having big chunky chips in Argentinean restaurants in London that I was a tad disappointed, but they were salted oh so fine.

The choripan, basically a sausage sandwich looked the part, and I was told it ate the part as well, but as I was not willing to share mine, I never got a taste of it.

But as the person eating it had lived in Argentina for 2 years, said it was good I believe her.

The one thing I didn’t like and only realised when the bill came was they charged £2 for the chimichurri. An outrage, the cheek of it.

Chimichurri is a typical side dish in all Argentine restaurants and it comes as a basic accompaniment. It’s like being charged for using the red or brown sauce in a greasy spoon. So bloody cheeky.

But as I was having milanesa, chimi is not needed, but on the choripan it is essential to cut through the fatty sausage.

I’d definitely come back here for the milanesa sandwich and to try the choripan, but probably not for one of their steaks, and I’d definitely take my own chimi.

Sandwich Time @ the Nordic Bakery and Paul Rothe and Sons

I’ve been hearing about the Nordic Bakery for quite a while now, actually quite a while, but for some reason I just never managed to venture inside and sample the delights that it has to offer. I know I’m not a follower of fashion but this is taking the piss a bit.

The Nordic Bakery is a great place to sit, relax, drink a cup of coffee, nibble on a sandwich or a cinnamon bun and read a few chapters of a book.

I opted for a pickled herring and egg sandwich. An interesting combination that works perfectly, the tangyness of the herring with a sharp dressing and boy do I love boiled eggs in my sandwiches. A throwback to my old schoolboy days.

The latte comes in what can only be described as a mug that would satisfy a giant. It was big. The coffee was just ok, which is a shame as the treats on offer, the vibe, the ambiance of the place is second to none. Get better coffee guys. If Fernandez and Wells can do it then so can you.

Another great sandwich shop is Paul Rothe and Son, which has been around for over a hundred years. It’s hard to describe this place. It’s a shop cum café cum deli all rolled into one.

I’ve never sat down and eaten here, as it is normally full so I always get a takeaway. It’s one of the few places I have found that actually sell cold cuts in their sandwiches. The tongue is my favourite and always on light rye, with English mustard. I’m a creature of habit and when I find something I like, I normally stick to it. Look at me and Wagamama and its chicken katsu currys.

They put just enough mustard on the bread so you can taste it, but it lets the tongue take centre stage. As it’s the only reason I go there.

It’s an old fashioned place with old fashioned values. A rare thing these days. I just wish it was either near my house or my work so I could eat there more regular.