Foxcroft and Ginger, 19th October

I discovered Foxcroft and Ginger through perusing London Rob Stuff’s blog, in which he quests after the perfect cup of coffee. I’m not really a coffee drinker but the food he described (some cheesy French toast concoction) sounded amazing. It went on the List.

They have two establishments now – one in Soho and one in the Boxpark in Shoreditch. My mum was in town for the day and so I suggested meeting her in Central London and going here for lunch.

While not exactly hidden, F & G don’t entirely shout out about their presence on Berwick Street, you can easily walk past it without realising it is there, especially when it’s slightly overshadowed by the food market that is there in the week.

But it’s worth seeking it out as it’s a cosy little café but with more space than you’d expect if you just peeked in as they also have a downstairs with seating. The look is rather relaxed and slightly ramshackle. You go in and there’s a counter at the back which displays their wares. I asked the girl serving what the sandwiches were, and made my selection from the 6 or so on offer. She named them by the meat or main ingredient inside (lamb, bacon, falafel) but each sandwich had various ingredients inside.

I also ordered an Americano (or long black depending on your origin) for my mum and we sat downstairs and waited for our sandwiches to be brought to us by the friendly waiter. The coffee came first and there was a bit of confusion over whether we could get some milk for it (though I don’t know why this seemed to cause any confusion – I actually blame my mum in this instance) but he went away and came back swiftly with a little jug of milk.

Soon after he came down with our two sandwiches, which we were sharing – one pork, one bacon. The pork was actually pork belly and came with onion chutney and apple, and the bacon also came with onion chutney but was also served with a bed of rocket. Much to my delight they had been lightly toasted. They were warm and the bread had some solidity to it, holding the sandwich together, but it wasn’t overdone; they were easy to bite into without cutting your mouth. The bread was lovely, and the sandwich altogether really good. Sometimes I think onion chutney can be too sweet and I need only smidgeon before I find it overpowering. The stuff they had had been quite copiously applied, but it worked really well with both meats.

Bacon isn’t my first choice (I know, gasp!) but this was cooked well – overdone rather than under, just the way I like it in fact, so that it is less like a thin piece of gammon and more like crispy bacon. The pork was actually pork belly which was another pleasant surprise and was quickly snaffled by me. Ever unwasteful, and rather partial to salad in my sandwiches, I stuffed all the rocket leaves into both sandwiches which worked a treat. I didn’t have a drink myself and can’t comment on the coffee but they also have carafes of tap water for you to take freely with your meal or drink, which I did.

So yes, a very pleasant lunch at a price that didn’t break the bank – our bill was £13. It definitely encouraged me to come back and try some more – either for brunch or another sandwich or one of the inviting salads, but this time with one of their good looking cakes.



Find the menu & restaurant information on Zomato

Pizza Pilgrims, 29th March

I was very excited to try Pizza Pilgrims after all the buzz about it I'd seen on Twitter etc. It was even half the reason I took yesterday off work as I knew I couldn't get down there from King's cross on my lunch hour, which is the only time they're serving.

I had only recently heard that there was a street food scene on Berwick Street but found it soon enough by following the trail of pizza eaters. This is where I had my first disappointment. In my heart, what I'm probably always seeking is pizza to rival an American slice (though perhaps less dangerous for your arteries) and I could see that these were individual pizzas. There's a very commendable reason for this though - they make all the pizzas in front of you as you wait. It's a great set up - these three guys who apparently have toured Italy to learn and perfect the secrets of creating authentic Italian pizza. They have a counter where they make the pie, and then an oven in a van where they cook it. I watched them take the dough, knead it out and hand spin it in the air to create the base. And then they topped it, while in the background played some toe-tapping inducing folksy banjo-type music.

So far so good. They had three kinds on offer - a margarita at £5, salami at £6 and courgette and garlic also at £6. My second disappointment - nduja, which they seemed to have for their first week and which sounded amazing, wasn't on the menu. I ordered the salami. I could have added chilli and/or rocket to the pizza, both of which I like, and I would have been tempted to do so, but at an extra 50p each, it seemed a bit too much. £6 for a pizza seems more than enough without having to pay extra for ingredients like salad leaves. Disappointing.

About 5 minutes later my pizza was ready and I took it to eat in the sun. This was my fourth and final disappointment. I was about halfway through my first quarter when I realised I hadn't been concentrating on how my pizza tasted. This says something in itself. I think, that when food tastes great, it seizes your attention, without you having to focus on it consciously. This didn't. I chided myself for being distracted by the streets of Soho and turned my mind to the pizza. The base was crispy, and the dough was chewy. I thought it actually a bit too chewy and by the time I was down to the last quarter my jaw was aching. (Though, according to my boyfriend I chew too much, so perhaps this is something that will rarely afflict others.)

Looks good but looks are deceiving

But I can handle knackering in my jaw to get through something I consider too delicious not to finish. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by the rest of the pizza. The tomato base didn't have much flavour to it. The salami was perfectly nice and a little crispy which was a nice touch, but it didn't save it, especially as there was only a little of it. The best moments were when I bit into a part that had a lovely fresh basil leaf on it. Then my mouth had a burst of freshness and flavour. But again, these bites were few and far between. On a Homeslice pizza it doesn't matter because the 'canvas' by itself is so good. In this case, the rest of the pizza was just, meh. So, as far as I'm concerned, Homeslice is the unchallenged titleholder  of best pizza in London. It's a shame it wasn't on my List when I ate there because that means I didn't review it. But it's amazing - great big slices, two for a fiver. I've had plain margarita and some with toppings and they're all equally fabulous. 

Now, I think I may sound like either a bit of a snob here, or not enough of one, but I've noticed over the years that 'authentic' isn't all it's cracked up to be and perhaps Pizza Pilgrims is suffering from this phenomenon. Something being authentic sounds great, but then when you taste it, you realise that what you eat on a regular basis may not be authentic, but it has been improved to the point where it's tasty. And taste is what counts for me. Turkish kebabs for example - love them over here. Went to Turkey and found the kebabs there were pretty rank and bulked out with french fries. Mexican food also - my favourite food and I can't get enough of Wahaca. My friends however, recently went to Mexico and said the worst thing about it was the food. And now finally, pizza. Maybe real authentic Italian pizza just doesn't equate to best?

I have a feeling I'm probably a lone voice on this one, so don't crucify me, but I sadly won't be going back to Pizza Pilgrims. The guys themselves seemed lovely though!