A Fry Up and Beigels in London Town

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Of course, we also ate pretty well in London. My friend Celia made me a wonderful English Breakfast, a true Fry up with pancakes, which didn’t make it into the picture. Ah, she makes it seem so effortless.

She lives in East Putney and the day started out pretty nice – here’s a view of Putney (as seen from East Putney). We walked along the Thames for a bit before it started to get too windy and we had to seek refuge in a shopping center.

This is perhaps my favorite picture I snapped while I was in England. The sun was playing games with us by this time of day and when you were in the shade, it was incredibly chilly. We came around the corner on the way back from the Thames and I saw this tree completely lit up and it said something to me. I encourage you to click on the larger one to check it out. I know the picture can’t capture it completely, but it was lovely.

One night we were out with friends and they said, “Let’s go for beigels.”

“Bagels?” I was hungry, but we were on Brick Lane and I was hoping for a bit of an Indian fix.

“Yeah, beigels. There’s this place that makes great beigels nearby.”

Open 24 hours and Beigels. Possibly the antithesis to everything in Italy. But momma didn’t raise no fool, and I was up for it immediately.

There’s traffic in this place at any time of the day, and for good reason: it is good and fresh, and it is cheap. Cheap is something that I never associate with London, and when you have good and cheap together in London, not only is it an anomaly, it’s heaven. This beigel was only 80p, just a bit over a euro. Plain beigels were only 18p – did anyone tell them about the strength of the local currency?? I bought a loaf of dark rye for only 55p. Hello, nurse!

My friend Celia got the Salt Beef and Mustard on her beigel. I thought to myself, “Self, that salted beef looks very similar to corned beef that is eaten on St. Patrick’s Day.” And what do you know, self was right.

Very satisfying overall, and the cheap cheap prices almost made me load up my emaciated backpack with beigels and take them back to Italy to sell for not cheap cheap. Almost. The only thing that was missing, that would have caused me to root my feet to that very spot and simultaneously change my postal code, was the absence of flavoured cream cheese. I love me some garlic & herb cream cheese. Or onion. Or Jalapeno. *Drool*

Brick Lane Beigels ver2.0 ? Someone write their congressman. Or MP, as it may be.

Brick Lane Beigel Bake – 159 Brick Lane, E1 6SB – Tel 020 7729 0616