Episode 4 -- British Pub Food
British pub food covered very simple basic cooking of different meats and potatoes. There are the shepherd’s pies, the Scottish eggs, the beef sandwiches and the almost iconic English Fish and chip. Hot, deep fried food is their thing.
Exhaustion and starvation combined can be the driving force for a lot of things. After the long bout with finding a cab in a foreign district, I was ready to eat. Not more than 2 minutes from the hotel was a typical English pub. We walked over and tried some authentic fish and chips.
This is the local ‘Hand and Flower’ pub. British pubs are easily identified with the lush growing outside of the restaurant.
The Bar Very impressed!
Fish and chip was on the menu; so are the rest of burgers, shepherd pies and a lot of other greasy food drowned in gravy.
This restaurant decided to be innovative and use haddock in their fish and chips. Haddocks are darker fish and softer in texture. It is not as appealing as halibut or sea bass or cod. The chef was a maverick when he tried to put the batter around the fish without taking the skin off. The oil from the fish skin blended in with the deep fryer grease produced some interesting concoction. The attack on the batter by this concoction results in a soggy fish. Fish and chips batter is supposed to be light and very crispy; almost to the extent of tempura batter. You are supposed to enjoy the fish and the batter together without swallowing some molten object.
The look is deceiving. Wait till you try it!
I insisted on trying the roast lamb. I should have known. It was overcooked and swimming in this dark canned gravy. I bit it. It bit back. Lord, give me the strength to go through another meal.
Meet our chef. His name might be BRUNO.
I lost all hope in humanity and went searching for some pick-me-up. There was also an Egyptian restaurant a few stores down. The Brits picked up this social habit of sitting outside and smoking a water pipe.
Pipe de aqua Water de pipe
Patrons of water pipe
Things I like to see but afraid to ask.
It was too late. When I saw the server came out with dilated pupil, it is time to go home.
Who said you cannot find fun within disaster?
To-morrow is another day.