London Calling:
Experiences with Traditional Favorites
and “The Nasty Bits” of British Cuisine
story & photos by Matt Biggins
Fish and chips at the Sherlock
Holmes pub in London
A
rriving in London on a perfectly overcast, rainy day, I had
been warned by fellow travelers not to get my hopes up too
high for British cooking. For decades, the Brits had been the world
leader in boiled meats, puddings made of blood and entrails cooked
with offal.
I was expecting more. Over the last decade, I’d been hearing of
a new wave of British chefs that were proudly taking the ofttimes
bizarre English foodstuffs and creating new and exciting worldclass cuisine. Two chefs were squarely placed atop my list; Heston
Blumenthal, of the 3-Michelin starred “The Fat Duck”, and Fergus
Henderson, the owner of “St. John”, the undisputed world leader in
“the nasty bits”. I would visit both chefs and see what else I could
pick up along the way.
As stated earlier, my first day in London was precisely what I had
expected. This was my one day on my own, so I did what I always
do in new cities; I began to wander and let the streetlights guide me
where they may. This took me around the Financial District and
past one of my favorite pieces of architecture: “The Gherkin”, which
is a round, almost egg-shaped building in downtown London.
You’ve probably seen it in movies, but in person, it’s a brilliant piece
of design.
After a quick consult with my Google box, I realized that this
place was just a single block away from my hotel. Sometimes, things
just work out. Approaching the restaurant, I saw in red neon, above
a quite nondescript door, “Meat Mission”. Entering, I saw a small
pub with concrete floors and simple tables. The drink menus on the
wall listed a tremendous selection of ales and cocktails. The food
menu was seemingly simple bar offerings – fries, wings, burgers and
sandwiches. Taking a seat at the bar, I told the bartender that I was
in town just for today and what would he recommend. He heartily
suggested the “Dead Hippie Burger” with “Hippie Fries”. Again, I
could see enthusiasm behind his smile.
So, a pint or two later arrived a double cheeseburger with all the
traditional toppings and their “Hippie Sauce”. On a separate plate
was a giant portion of thin French fries covered with caramelized
onions and “Hippie Sauce”. Both were astonishingly tasty. The
beef was ground in-house and all the veggies were fresh cut. The
“Hippie Sauce” was an herby aioli that was absolutely wonderful. It
was a beautiful mix of fresh, local ingredients presented in a super
laid-back environment. I killed the burger and got about halfway
through the fries before I had to stop.
Not having room for even a wafer-thin spot of dessert, I turned
to the cocktail menu for an aperitif. One drink immediately caught
my eye. Under a section titled “Drinx for Drunkx” I saw “Grog – a
“I’d been hearing of British chefs
dangerous mix of light and dark rums, with a splash of overproof
that were proudly taking the
rum shaken with our secret grog mix. Limit two per person”. I
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