London Food Detective

Bea's of Bloomsbury: Praise Bea!

For the past 18 months I’ve been based in Holborn and lunch generally consists of a bog-standard sandwich from Pret or another run of the mill place.

However, about a year ago I discovered Bea’s and when I wanted more than a sandwich, but didn’t have time for a sit down meal then I’d pop down the road to Bea’s to see what delights they had on display.

I probably been about seven or eight times in that time and, as I’ve recently moved jobs, I wanted to let the world know how fab the place is and to encourage Bea to open a shop south of the river - preferably between Waterloo and Elephant & Castle!

Bea’s specialises in delicious, decadent, calorific cupcakes, brownies and desserts. I’ve indulged in a few when I’ve had a particularly bad morning and needed cheering up or if I’ve wanted to say a thank you to someone in the office. They are seriously good.

However, it’s the savoury dishes that I’ve devoured most.  The lunch concept is simple – a small selection of sandwiches and a range of delicious dishes that change daily. You get given a plate (or a salad box for takeaway) and choose which ones you want to sample. 

The dishes ranges from imaginative salads to tasty meat dishes (I remember a particularly good sweet & sour pork dish) and all the food is fresh and of high quality.

The prices are very reasonable and it offers a great alternative to a full restaurant lunch.

The staff are charming, chatty and friendly and overall it’s a lovely place to pop into to and spend some time.

As I eat there quite regularly, I haven’t taken any photos, but there are some great ones at Flickr.

Fingers crossed I can find an excuse to attend a meeting in the Holborn area again soon!

 

Nosh Bar, Soho

Twitter Summary Review: 

Quite simply the best salt beef sandwich in London!

Main review

There's nothing better than stumbling across a little gem of an eating place when you're not expecting it.  This is what happened last Saturday when I randomly popped into Nosh Bar, Soho.

Anyway, to give a little back story...

I'm not a natural born shopper, but I do tend to venture down to Oxford Street about twice a year to top up my wardrobe.  Anyway, after an afternoon of shopping and abusing the credit card I had to make my back down to Leicester Square to see the excellent (though not for the faint hearted) comedian Brendon Burns.

I was going to call into Chowki for a curry, but I was running late and so didn't have time for a proper sit down meal.  I wandered up towards China town planning to get a cheap take away buffet (stop tutting at the back there!) when I saw this place.

Whenever I'm in the U.S. I always make sure I have a pastrami / corned beef / salt beef sandwich as they're always so much better than anything i've had in the UK.  I love any of the above toasted on rye bread, with cheese and coleslaw - a real guilty pleasure!

Anyway, I went in the Nosh Bar and ordered a salt beef sandwich.  At $4.95 I thought it was a bit pricey but I was running late and thought i'd splash out.  It turned out to be an absolute bargain.

The guy serving was chatty and welcoming and cut two thick slices of crusty rye bread.  He then dipped under the counter and produced a tray containing a huge, succulent looking piece of brisket.

He cut a generous slice and put it on the bread.

Then another slice.

And another one.

At this point the bread was covered and I was pleased with a fairly generous portion. However he didn't stop there.

Another slice was placed on top.

Slice number 5 was next.

And just for luck a final slice was placed on top - making a juicy, succulent half dozen.

I then asked for a bit of mustard and some home made coleslaw and my salt beef sandwich masterpiece was complete.

I was worried the bread would break up from all the juices and stuff, but it stayed strong and I tucked in to one of the best salt beef sandwiches i've ever had. The coleslaw was creamy and crunchy, the meat superbly succulent and juicy and the bread crusty on the outside and soft in the middle.  Perfect.

You can check out some photos of the sandwiches and learn a bit more about how salt beef is made here.

Can't wait for my next shopping trip...