Stroud Green Beans – Vagabond

I can remember a time when ‘good coffee’, to most people in this country, myself included, meant anything made in a drip filter. Espresso was something wildly exotic that you got in other countries. ‘Bad coffee’ meant anything instant made from dried jarred powder and boiled water. We have come a long way since then, and the quality continues to rise in London. Even in Islington (or maybe, being on this side of the road, Haringey). The takeover in recent years of London’s quality coffee scene by a band of mostly antipodeans, combined with admirably obsessive coffee nerds from around the world, means that ‘bad coffee’ now means anything from Starbucks, Costa Coffee or the like, and ‘good coffee’ means something sourced and produced with loving attention to detail, usually by a coffee-fanatic of some kind and sometimes the holder of a special Oscar-style coffee-award. Some wonderful places have opened up, such as Prufrock in Leather Lane, which is staffed entirely by coffee champions but still has a welcoming and un-snobbish atmosphere.

When I heard that the coffee revolution had spread to Stroud Green Road, I made the scenic walk under the Finsbury Park railway bridge to check it out. I can now not-very-exclusively reveal that the rumours are true. Vagabond is a cute little place on the corner with a pleasant whiff of coffee-geekery about it. I want coffee made by a coffee geek. I can make normal coffee at home. Another thing I liked about it was that it felt more ‘Bohemian’ (pretentious word but you know what it means) and less like ‘gentrification’ (even more horrible word) than the nearby Front Room Cafe and Boulangerie Bon Matin. There are bags of coffee, coffee paraphernalia, and great coffee-related photos, all over the shop. The coffee itself is the real thing, the good stuff, ‘Has Bean’ coffee, with nicely-executed ‘latte-art’ on the milk options. If I lived around the corner I would come here every day. As it is, I’ll just have to think of some nearby places to write about so I can stop by for a fix afterwards.

Vagabond
Unit 20, Charter Court, Stroud Green Rd
London N4 3SG

The Breakfast Club Takes The Greasy Spoon Test

When enjoying a leisurely morning in an upmarket breakfast or ‘brunch’ type establishment of the kind typified by The Breakfast Club on Camden Passage (with a couple of other branches around London) I tend to ask myself this question: what does this place give me that a greasy spoon caff does not? This is a perfectly reasonable question to ask when paying around a tenner for a fry-up. The most obvious advantage is choice on the menu, with more foodie-type options such as huevos rancheros, and breakfast dishes with avocado in them. My problem is that I have usually been propelled to these places by a hangover, so I never get to sample the avocado-toast type items and go for the standard plate of eggs, pork products and sugary beans. However, it feels harsh to penalise a place in estimation due to my own self-inflicted fragile state, so I would have to say that The Breakfast Club passes the test on choice. You can get eggs benedict and the like as well (obvs). The other big advantage is an attractive setting. Nice decor inside, nice light, pleasant oustide area with good views in any direction. This all adds to the soothing quality we are looking for. So more points there. A minor gripe, common in such a place, is the speed of service, which is usually a symptom of under-staffing or the hiring of attractive but out-to-lunch young trendies. You can wait a long time for a cup of tea here, and I have at times longed for the no-nonsense approach of a greasy-spoon where they thrust a cup of tea into your hand the minute you walk in the door.

So to the food. The number one thing I look for when paying more for a fry-up, the thing that really makes it worth paying more, is quality ingredients. Its also fair to expect good cooking, and scrambled eggs are a fair way of testing this. So how does the Breakfast Club fry-up stack up?

Scrambed Eggs – Passed, just (not too overdone, not quite perfect but I understand they have to account for wimps who don’t like them runny).

Bacon – Passed, better than a greasy spoon, well cooked.

Sausage – Passed, very nice and meaty.

Toast/Bread – Passed, excellent quality.

Tea – Passed, nice quality tea  with good flavour.

Juice – Passed, but so it should for £3.

Beans are beans, no test necessary.

Overall, a resounding Pass for the Breakfast Club – double the price of a greasy spoon, but you will see, feel and taste where that extra money went. If I ever get to try the other stuff I will blog again.

The Breakfast Club
31 Camden Passage
London N1 8EA

Sliders At The Exmouth Arms

As a fan of the burgeoning craft beer revolution – with its variety, discoveries, delicious beers, and anti-corporate undertones – I can only applaud when a transformation such as the recent Exmouth Arms revamp occurs. While a part of me is sad to see the old ‘Postman’s Pub’ go the way of so many old boozers, the new version is a wonderful pub, with nice unpretentious decor, an excellent beer selection and high quality pub food. Islington has too few such places, but they are growing. I will blog more extensively on the subject of craft beer and real ale in Islington as time and my liver allow. This little post is all about the food.

The food offering here is based around sliders, which, for those who don’t know, are small hamburgers. I must say I'm not really a convert to the whole slider thing. I suppose the advantage is variety - it's like a burger tasting menu. My objection to sliders as a concept is the same as my problem with tasting menus in fancy restaurants - when I taste something really good I want more than a slider's worth, or more than is generally on offer in a tasting menu. These caveats aside the sliders at the Exmouth Arms are very good, better for example than those at nearby Giant Robot. They have a pleasing egg-wash glaze on the buns and so are photogenic enough for passing food bloggers. The menu descriptions are enticing and a selection of 3 for £5.95 is good value. Breakfast sliders are also available, of which more later (in my forthcoming post on pub breakfasts - someone's got to do it). Sliders, despite my slightly disparaging comments, are nice beer snacks for sharing and also make excellent meals for children. I have visited at lunchtime with kids in tow, enjoyed a cheeky beer while doing my parental duty by the little blighters at the same time, all sat in the sunshine outside and watching the trendy Exmouth Market err .. people .. go by.

For the serious foodie (or plain greedy bastard) 'James's Pulled Pork Burger' is the better option - not just pulled pork but a regular burger, nicely bunned up, with pulled pork on top and some kind of ‘special sauce’ inside. Incredibly messy to eat, which is always a good sign. If you are never seen with meat juices and condiments dribbling down your chin then I'm not sure I want to be in your company. Beer-wise, as noted, there is an excellent selection of craft/real/insert-preferred-term ale available for the discerning on cask, keg and bottle, including a few Nogne Ø in bottles for scandophiles like me. The quality beers really do go well with the food. The pulled pork burger went excellently with a pleasing pint of Oakham Ales' cutely named 'Water of Forgetfulness'. In all this place is a superb addition to Exmouth Market and a lovely option for a pint or a bite to eat.

The Exmouth Arms
23 Exmouth Market
London EC1R 4QL

@ExmouthArms

The Shop That Only Sells Naan Breads

I wouldn’t claim to be any kind of expert, but I really don’t understand the business model of this place. That’s the first thing I love about it. This little shop is the eastern side of Blackstock Road, which, as my pedantic friends at Hungry Hackney have pointed out, is actually in Hackney (but I’m not having it ... you’re not telling me that Blackstock Road is not Islington, even if it isn't). The shop sells one thing – naan breads. It sells them dirt cheap too – four plain naan for a pound. I’m struggling to think of anything of any value which is available for 25p these days. They also do garlic naan and something called a cheese naan.

I started trying to figure out how many naan breads they would have to sell in a day to turn any kind of profit, then I remembered that I had left my tedious city job to become a food blogger precisely so that I didn’t have to worry about such things. Whatever the economics, budget foodism is to be celebrated wherever we find it. A good, fresh naan bread will transform a meal of, say dhal, or potato curry, into something more than satisfying.

Some chef in a Sunday supplement also pointed out that these kind of breads make handy impromptu pizza bases. I have been known to spread leftover Amatriciana sauce onto one of these 25p babies, whack some cheapo mozzarella on top and shove it in the oven for a pizza that will rival any you can buy or even have delivered in these parts. (I might even have stuck a basil leaf on top.)

Despite calling these breads 'naan' the place is actually run by Turkish people. Not sure of the correct nomenclature but for me this blurs the flatbread lines further. I have used them as flatbreads with middle-eastern mezze-type food, with no one noticing the difference. So if like me you love places that don’t seem to make sense, and places that concentrate on doing one thing well, drop in for a bargain next time you are patrolling dangerously along this stretch of the Islington/Hackney border.

Bakhtiar’s Naan

51A Blackstock Road
London N4 2JW