Smiths of Smithfield, London
You wouldn't exactly call it gourmet food, but I loved the corned beef hash at Smiths of Smithfield, 67-77 Charterhouse Street, London, Tel +44 20 7251 7950. Take some creamy mashed potato, chuck in some canned corned beef, mix it up a bit, then fry till deep golden brown. Mmmm...
The scrambles, bacon, mushrooms and sausage were also good, but it was the condiments that stole the show. HP sauce, of course. Ketchup. Colman's hot English mustard from Norwich. French's "classic yellow" mustard if you prefer the mild stuff in the ezy-squeeze bottle. Sarson's malt vinegar. And salad cream. All there on your table, ready to go. Magnificent.
Presumably the salad cream and vinegar are there for those who order the grilled minute steak with two fried eggs, or maybe the ham & two eggs, both of which come with chips. You could even slurp a bit of salad cream into your Bacon Butty, if that floats your boat.
The menu has something for everyone, ranging from the simple (if confusing) option of "dry slice, wet slice, fried slice or toast" (one quid) to the gut-popping option of big breakfast number 3... bacon, eggs, beans, sausage, mushrooms, black pudding, tomatoes, bubble & toast. Although most dishes looked excellent, the eggs benedict fell down on two key points: the muffins were under-toasted; and the hollandaise had no zing.
As a venue, Smith's has all the buzz you could wish for, with plenty of tables in the large cafe downstairs, and a comfy bar and lounge area while you're waiting. There's also a swish restaurant upstairs, but I never got that far.
16/20 "mmm... corned beef hash"
The scrambles, bacon, mushrooms and sausage were also good, but it was the condiments that stole the show. HP sauce, of course. Ketchup. Colman's hot English mustard from Norwich. French's "classic yellow" mustard if you prefer the mild stuff in the ezy-squeeze bottle. Sarson's malt vinegar. And salad cream. All there on your table, ready to go. Magnificent.
Presumably the salad cream and vinegar are there for those who order the grilled minute steak with two fried eggs, or maybe the ham & two eggs, both of which come with chips. You could even slurp a bit of salad cream into your Bacon Butty, if that floats your boat.
The menu has something for everyone, ranging from the simple (if confusing) option of "dry slice, wet slice, fried slice or toast" (one quid) to the gut-popping option of big breakfast number 3... bacon, eggs, beans, sausage, mushrooms, black pudding, tomatoes, bubble & toast. Although most dishes looked excellent, the eggs benedict fell down on two key points: the muffins were under-toasted; and the hollandaise had no zing.
As a venue, Smith's has all the buzz you could wish for, with plenty of tables in the large cafe downstairs, and a comfy bar and lounge area while you're waiting. There's also a swish restaurant upstairs, but I never got that far.
16/20 "mmm... corned beef hash"
posted by Jamie Wodetzki at 1:23 pm
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1 Comments:
Sheesh, you do get around! From my old neighbourhood in Melbourne to my new neighbourhood in London. I'm heading to Smiths this morning so will get into those condiments on your behalf. Excellent blog, as always.
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