Penny Blood's Black Book - My Independent Guide to London » Take Away

Konditor and Cook

Penny Blood — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:22:01 +0000

I find it easy to get lost around Waterloo – it’s a difficult place to navigate due to the enormous railway station slap-bang in the middle. So on an excursion to check out The Anchor and Hope, a highly regarded gastro pub on The Cut (the food may be great but the place itself is a little ordinary), I find myself wandering down a quaint side street with little industrial houses that take you back to a time before the 2nd World War. At the end of this little street I came across ‘Konditor and Cook’, a heavenly bakery harking back to Old England with all kinds of cakes, tarts, pastries, breads, chocolates, gingerbread and other good things, including delicious hot chocolate and mince pies at Christmas. Technically it may not be better than that of many other bakeries but it’s the experience of an old fashioned bakery that makes it special.

http://www.konditorandcook.com/

Konditor and Cook, 22 Cornwall Road, London, SE1 8TW
020 7261 0456

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Marine Ices

Penny Blood — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:21:30 +0000

Ah Marines Ices, brings back good memories from when neither me or Andria were working so we used to come here every day. In the Summer you will likely find a queue of people outside this retro Italian ice cream shop due to the delicious selection of homemade ice cream and good cheap authentic (Italian) food, with everything from spaghetti and meatballs to pizza and garlicky bruschetta. It has a spacious interior which is invariably packed and noisy due to its popularity with families and group get-togethers. It’s a family run business, open since 1928 with an interior that hasn’t changed since it opened – with walls lined with family photographs and pictures of random celebrities. I love it, I can’t stand refurbishment.

http://www.marineices.co.uk/

Marine Ices, 8 Haverstock Hill, London
020 74829000
Tuesday – Friday 12pm-3pm and 6pm-11pm Saturday 12pm-11pm Sunday 12pm-10pm
(closed Monday)
(Take Away Tuesday – Sunday 12pm-11pm)

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Beigel Bake

Penny Blood — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:20:51 +0000

Whenever I hear the word ‘Bagel’ I think of my friend Roman. One summer day Roman thought it would be a fun idea to see how fast he could go on his fixed wheel bike, so he convinced his friend Alister to ride alongside him on his motorbike keeping an eye on the speedometer to gage Roman’s top speed as he raced downhill. This was going well with Roman reaching a speed of over 30mph (which is pretty damn fast on a bike, and even more so on a bike without brakes). However approaching a junction Alistar did what most people would do and he slowed down. Roman seeing that Alistar had was no longer riding beside him turned around for a brief moment only to ride straight into a lamp post. This story could have had a tragic end, however earlier that day Roman had been at his leaving do at a bakery where they had given him a hooded sweatshirt emblazoned with the word ‘BAGEL’ and a huge batch of bagels. With no way to carry them home as he was on his bike, he stuffed all the bagels up his sweatshirt. The bagels didn’t survive but Roman’s ribcage did, only just. The bagels at the beigel shop are so good, so cheap and it’s 24 hours, so it’s busiest hours seem to be 11pm to 4am, you have to be on the ball though, there is no time for dithering. The customers come here enough to know exactly what they want and they want it right now, if you pause you’ll get ignored and shoved out the way. They sell good sausage rolls too (interesting as it’s Jewish). I met a girl on the bus once, she was a total nut job, funny though, we got off the bus together (actually I think she followed me off the bus) and bought me a a piece of their amazing cheescake, I thought that was quite sweet.

Beigel Bake, 159 Brick Lane, London, E1 6SB
020 7729 0616
Monday – Sunday 24hrs

Falafel King

Penny Blood — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:19:57 +0000

Did you know that you can actually get falafel in kebab shops? I would never go near a kebab shop. It’s less about the disgusting slab of god knows what dead animal on a stick and more about the disgusting god knows which interior designer threw up all over this pathetic excuse for a restaurant. That said, Falafel King is Notting Hill’s answer to, well a vegetarian kebab shop, and suffice to say it’s rather nice. I don’t usually get excited about falafel – other than drunken hippies who does? (And people who think they are being healthy… since when has deep frying anything been healthy?) But this falafel is so good that it’s the place I inevitably go for lunch when trawling through the antique shops of Portobello Road on a Saturday looking for pocket watches to add to my ever growing collection.

Falafel King, 274 Portobello Rd London, W10 5TE
020 8964 2279

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A. Gold (and Verde & Co.)

Penny Blood — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:20:42 +0000

A.Gold is straight out of a Victorian picture book. Large jars of old fashioned sweets, Eccles cakes, fruit cake, Battenberg cake and toffee in beautiful tins adorn the shelves. It’s heaven for any tourist visiting London but it doesn’t stop there as they also serve sandwiches to go with a selection of British cheese and various other fillings of the best quality.

www.agoldshop.com

A. Gold, 42 Brushfield Street, London, E1 6AG
020 7247 2487
Monday – Friday 10.00am – 4.00pm Saturday – Sunday 11.00am – 5.00pm

Verde and Co. is one giant Victorian display case of fine chocolates, preserves, old fashioned tins of tea, coffee and wicker baskets full of organic vegetables. There’s a tiny seating area with weathered furniture and old oil paintings and shelves stacked full of jars, but it was the beautiful Victorian theatre sets displayed in the windows which originally drew me in. I find myself wanting to buy something just so that I can feel like I have a piece of the place. They also do delicious and elaborate sandwiches and salads to take out. Between A.Gold and Verde & Co. it’s like a Victorian theme park.

http://www.verde-and-company-ltd.co.uk

Verde & Co. 40 Brushfield Street, London, E1 6AG
020 7247 1924
Monday – Friday 9am-5pm/6pm Saturday – Sunday 10am-5pm

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