Smart Mouth: Where can I find a good place for Eating eel at ease in London?”
Smart Mouth: Eating eel at ease in London By Brian Yarvin Sunday, February 14, 2010 The way some people talk about dining in London, you’d think that the only foods available were trendy, foreign or impossibly chic. Can you find a tasty, traditional meal there? Something that was enjoyed before the era of celebrity chefs, fusion menus and wine bars? Well, nothing is more old-school London than pies, eels, mash and liquor. London’s meat pies are almost rectangular, double-crusted, filled with ground beef and seasoned with just a tiny bit of salt and pepper. With plenty of mashed potatoes, a ladleful of that bright green parsley gravy called “liquor” and an optional side of cooked eel, they were once the city’s traditional hot lunch. True, in the hustle of the financial center, they’ve been gone for decades, replaced by the same modern quick-service establishments you’ll find everywhere. (The first place I ate pies and eels — on that street called “The Cut” — is now a sushi bar.) Howev
