On Saturday night I paid a visit to Traffik, a bar I frequent in Hoxton square purely because,having tried probably every Mojito in London, I have discovered that theirs are by far the best....in fact the barman started making my Sour Mojito as soon as I walked in which is probably not a good sign. Anyway , after five of these I was well on my way to pissedom so needless to say when we awake on Sunday feeling like Ghandi's flip flop we decided to go on a hunt for the perfect sunday roast.
Now, being London, you would think this an easy feat. Not if you are in Islington, it bloody well isn't. There are very few pubs left that sell a simple, stodgy, hangover curing roast dinner. No, they all have to be ponced up with pan fried this and sauteed that.....take The Narrowboat, for instance. Situated along Regents Canal, and 5 minutes from the house I grew up in, it was a fave haunt for me and all my mates when we were in our late teens. Many a Sunday was spent in there, making our crappy wages stretch out, playing Ocean Colour Scene and Oasis on the jukebox, laughing with Alan the landlord.(This is back in the days when Islington was a bit of a dump,rather than a des res, and real Islingtonians had yet to be priced out by stockbrokers from Surrey) I knew it had changed....but was totally unprepared for how much.
I walked in there yesterday lunchtime through an entrance which was previously the toilets and is now a celebration of all things chrome , Habitat and Heals had obviously been at work here. Up the stairs I went, hoping to catch a glimpse of my old haunt.....nope, no such luck. Everything is now bleached-wood cladded, sanded down to within an inch of its life, with lots more Habitat and Heals tables full of men and women wearing Chino's and linen. The worst part of all is that they had got rid of our Jukebox,the perfect 'soundtrack to the 90's britpop scene' jukebox , and replaced it with 'chilled' pipe music which made me feel like I needed to go out and buy Joss sticks, and they had done an 'All Bar One' and put the menu's up on massive blackboards.
"Nevermind," said my friend, "it has a new chef, at least the food will be good."
It really , really wasn't.
Please, leave our pubs alone!!!!!
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SeasideMan
Pro - 2008-07-14 @ 12:12:36
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SarahWB
- 2008-07-14 @ 12:15:52
I often do make them myself....however I tend to be unable to resist making them double the strength they should be!
Since I travelled in Cuba I have been on the hunt for the perfect Mojito and I think I may have found it. -
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- 2008-07-14 @ 12:21:49
You have made some fundamental errors here which I think contrubuted to your disappointment.
Firstly, a roast dinner is not and never has been a hangover cure. A roast dinner is an attck on the senses, it is pleasure and exctasy, an erotic voyage through sprouts and mashed potatoes.
A hang over cure is a full english, 3 sausage, 3 rashers of back bacon, 2 slices of black pudding, 2 fried eggs, beans, tinned tomatoes, mushrooms and hashed browns. Half a loaf of buttered toast on the side. I think you should take note of this just for future reference like.
As for pubs, they are all but dead. Infested with faggots and politically correct bearded guardianistas and anti smoking talibans supping orange juice. Drinking sherry out of paper bags and pissing yourself on park benches is the new going down the pub.
Here to help, as always. -
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SarahWB
- 2008-07-14 @ 12:25:56
I actually laughed out loud reading that. A full english????? A proper one? Hhahahahahaha!! It is even rarer to find a cafe that sells more than Croissants in my area than it is a good roast!
And for the record, me and my friends have always had a roast on Sundays after a session.
You are so Northern.
lol Love ya baby x -
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- 2008-07-14 @ 12:41:45
Did you laugh? Or giggle hehe? There is a difference. x
You can't find a full english in your area? I'd move, seriously. I'd petition parliament, in fact thats a very good idea. Write to your MP. Make him/her earn there keep. Where I'm from, people wouldn't know what a croissant was if you shoved it up their nose. A loaf of sliced "mighty white" is the height of sophistication. That, and a studded collar for the whippet. Croissants, I ask yer? Pointless little things that you can't even make a proper butty out of. What you need is some proper pork and tomato sausages, the food of champions. Slapped between two thick slaices of warbutons toastie. Heaven.
And I'm now homesick.-
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SarahWB
- 2008-07-14 @ 12:46:50
Another thing...I don't eat red meat...so it would have to be beans on toast anyway!
xx
p.s friday-me-ruined x -
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- 2008-07-14 @ 12:51:42
Pork isn't red meat, well it may be a bit after its been minced around with the tomatoes, but no, its definately white. Lovely.
Beans on toast does not qualify as a meal either, its an hors doeuvre, a build up to the main event. And it also requires cheese and worcester sauce to count as anything remotley satisfying anyway.
I love food blogs!
p.s. you have that spot on! x-
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SarahWB
- 2008-07-14 @ 13:01:03
I eat Chicken (occasionally, depending on certain standards) and fish/seafood...no pork,beef or lamb.
I also rather like Super noodles, any personal opinion on those that you might like to share? Perhaps to tell me what a soft southerner I am?
p.s .....Dinner-Hate sex
lol xx
Reply to comment | Edit-
- 2008-07-14 @ 13:05:14
Super noodles is the staple diet of many a student. I hate students. I do love super noodles though, oddly. I think its because I'm really quite lazy, and I can knock up a tasty meal in minutes using the soap dodgers favourite. Add some cooked chicken breast and a few lashings of tabasco sauce, and you have a hearty healthy meal my friend. Lovely.
p.s. starter-hate sex-pizza xx-
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SarahWB
- 2008-07-14 @ 13:11:16
Chicken super noodles with Tomato Ketchup. Or Salad Cream on toast, as I believe you and I discussed recently.
p.s dirty boy xx-
- 2008-07-14 @ 13:19:39
Chicken super noodles with tomatos ketchup? Do you live in a tent? Up a tree? Thats not food woman, thats gopping! A pikeys lunch. The salad cream on toast thing, I do remember said discussion, still can't quite get my head around it though!
I can't believe you startd a food blog, and do quite well at it, and then finally drag it down to super noodles with tomato sauce, as if that counts as food.
p.s. you love it xx
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SarahWB
- 2008-07-14 @ 12:59:57
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MonkeyPie
- 2008-07-14 @ 13:32:32
I love mojitos myself. The best affordable one I've had in london was at Henrys in covent garden- the passion fruit mojito. If you can forget all the annoying tourists holding up the bar with their wine spritzers and half pints then it's quite fun!
And best hangover cure- something with lots of bread and lots of grease... mm. -
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This is where I feel so lucky to live out in the coutrified suburbs. There's usually a decent pub with decent home-made food within hiking distance. Not that I need to go hiking. I live not five minutes' stagger from the best pub in Surrey.
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MarkJT
- 2008-07-15 @ 23:36:04
Try the burgers at The Emirates. That's REAL food.
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this the gaff you mean???
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Fluffchucker
- 2008-08-06 @ 11:45:14
LIke you say Cuba is where the best Mojitos are and I haven't found better!
Manic depressive you made me spill my f-ing coffee laughing! Get round here and clean up the mess damn you.
Agree 100% on food blogs but like you say super noodles and ketchup feck that! Everyone knows it's beef super noodles with fried potato scones and chapped jalapenos washed down with Old Peculier! -
You could learn how to make the Mojitos yourself...
Might be even better then.
Tom.