No.2 The Ritz Restaurant, West London, UK
Hello all. Since posting the first blog I have been pleased
with the response. Many people I know have said that it’s been the best thing I’ve
ever done (bastards).
This fry-up utilized one of the more medicinal aspects of
the Full English: The hangover cure, and who better to share a
hangover Fry-up with than Malcolm ‘Marlon’ Jones.
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We took a few photos but the photo quality is a little poor
here partly because of the spin that the staff were sent into at the sight of
someone taking photos of the food. They didn’t come over but there was a lot of
talking behind hands and pointing. Overall it’s a great little place to sit on
a sunny Saturday and look at King Street outside.
The Fry Up:
It was a ‘Set Breakfast 1’ at about £5.50 and is an
archetypal modern fry-up; a good basic measure. As you can see we’re talking
about standard: sausage, beans (obviously Heinz), fried egg, and hash browns. The food always come quick in
these places but the toast and tea come first like unbidden Amuse Bouche, and as
our mouths were like the bottoms of birdcages it was most welcome.
The sausage, more than any other fry up ingredient, is the
barometer of quality for the whole dish and I can report that it was more black-market than farmers-market: at best average. The browns were enjoyable, but generally they are a bit of an American imposter, it’s similar to the debate around chips
being included (something for later blogs). The sunny side up fried egg meant
that I could put it on the provided toast to eat the white, leaving an island of yolk to be
devoured in one mouthful. This is the best and only way to eat the fried egg. The
conversation ran wildly from Olympic themes to whether driver’s faces age more
on one side because of the hours by the window. It was forty minutes of good
food and relaxed amusement; exactly what the full English is all about.  |
| Where is the food again...? |
I don’t know what you think, but it's my opinion that for £5.50
one should get at least one prestige ingredient; perhaps mushrooms or even
black pudding. Apart from that it was a solid 7/10.
Needless to say that afterwards I was a ‘Full English’.
This is an excellent blog and a fascinating subject matter. I shall be following your travels with interest.
ReplyDeleteAlthough down to personal taste i would suggest that further points should be deducted for the egg touching the high volume of beans despite efforts to separate them with the sausage. These ingredients should be kept as far away from each other on the plate as possible.
Should you find yourself in the East End on the Roman Road I would recommend a visit to the arrogantly named Best Cafe. Consistently average breakfasts and friendly staff. Highlights include the International Breakfast (including a burger as the USA element) and the amazing 99 degrees coffee, which hold its temperature for over an hour making it impossible to drink (we think the cups must have some sort of heating element).
In case you are thinking about visiting Ireland on your tour don't bother. Although the quality of the breakfasts is high they insist on calling English breakfasts, Irish Breakfasts, thus excluding them from your survey.
Good luck.
Many thanks. Try and let the beans go where they will with the freedom they diserve. give it a go! I will give the best cafe a go.
DeleteI too venture 'daan the Roman' on occasion and can heartily recommend the Fiesta cafe as worth a detour. The main reasons being that a) they have a booze licence, so you can enjoy a wife-beater with your 'set 2' and b) they serve all their food on plates the size of the Olympic Stadium, with enough grease to clog the Blackwall Tunnel.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work and I look forward to the next instalment.
Sir,
DeleteI have been down the roman a number of times but mostly to look at stolen bikes and strange fruit. I will give this place a go. i like the idea of a booze breakfast.