Brick Lane Beigel Bake, 159 Brick Lane, London E1 6SB

Brick Lane, huh? The stuff of novels, mediocre curries, and 24-hour bagels. You heard right - 24 hours, 7 days a week, bagels on tap.

Where do I get this tap, you ask. Why at the Brick Lane Beigel Bake, of course. Don't you use Google?

Famed for being one of those places in London loved both by the locals and also tourists who come from afar just to say they've been to this legendary bagel-producing takeaway, it remains to this day, one of the places we'd never quite made our way to.

Until now, that is. Veni vidi vici.

It also seems to be one of those places untouched by the Disgusting Claws of Inflation. These prices look acceptable in the eighties. How much for a piece of cheesecake?!? I almost was afraid to ask if the prices were actually valid - fearing my complete lack of self control but even after I'd ordered about half the board, it only came out to about £8 so I can safely say that yes, those prices are in fact, real and valid.

By the way, for those of you reading this who're not British, and not too familiar with the way things are priced here, the numbers on the board represent the amount of pennies you'd have to shell out for the item. For example, to avoid any doubt, 70 means 70p, or £0.70.

That amount buys you about half a piece of toast in a normal establishment. Here, it gets you a slice of cheesecake, or chocolate fudge, or even a carrot cake.

It's not just the prices that're stuck in the decades gone by - the interior is, too. Not necessarily a bad thing though as it does create a nice, comforting sense of nostalgia as you walk into the shop from the (sometimes) bleak Brick Lane vibe outside.

By the window is a huge slab of hot salt beef - just tantalising those tastebuds and anyone who walks by (scroll to last picture below for a quick smile). Guarding these meaty treasures are 2 As-East-End-As-You'll-Get ladies who exude the personalities of dinner ladies with attitude. Brisk, brief and bustling - they ask for your order, hand it to you, and off you go. None of that pansy "How're you today, love" nonsense.

For £3.50, you get this doorstop of a beefy, boffy bagel. What I liked about it was the fact that these bagels were oh so darn chewy! Chewy chewy chewy. Each chewy bite was such a pleasure to bite into - cheeeeeeewy. Then, as I sank my teeth further into the meaty treasure, I bit into MORE chewy - in the form of the hot salt beef. Chewy in a good way though. It was moist, it was meaty, it was flavourful, and it was oh so chewmazing.

A little zingy zing from the English mustard so generously slathered on and we were set to want more.

And because this chicken bagel cost £1.50, I couldn't resist. While the chicken was literally just that - chicken - it was kinda enjoyable in its own way, too. The taste was clean, uninterrupted, and if you like chicken, you're in for a good bagel.



This was the pastry (1 of 2) that I somehow managed to order in the time between deciding which bagel to have, and actually saying those words out loud. Nothing amazing, but for that price (under £1), what more could you ask for.

How could you walk by and not bagel?

This lil guy looked hungry outside the shop.

New York Eats – Sable’s, 1489 Second Ave. (77th & 78th Sts.) New York, NY 10075

When we were in New York sometime May last year (nothing like a bit of efficient blogging, I know), my uncle took on the role of being Unofficial NY Tour Guide, specialising mainly in food, and did a good job too.

The first stop on the tour was Sable’s, which holds the reputation for being one of the best places for smoked fish and caviar in New York.



Walking in the narrow shop, the first thing you notice is the counter crammed full of fish - salmon, lobster, smoked fish of all sorts, shellfish, pretty much any fish you can imagine. Now, the important thing to remember here is to Focus, Focus, Focus. Know what you want, and don't stray off the ordering track.

"I'll have some of everything, please."



And if you're not convinced just how famous they are, and need some persuasion, check out the wall. Polaroids of their famous diners adorn the (once) bare wall.



You can buy their famous smoked salmon and lobster salad (mmmmm) by weight, but because my uncle is sorta familiar with them, and because he paid (most important point), we don't really know how much the stuff we ate cost.

Anyhow, not important. What's important is that oh boy oh boy did we enjoy ourselves here.



They have an online ordering system, so I did a quick check of their menu and came up with some prices just so you get a general idea of the place.



Appetisers:
Smoked Scottish Salmon US$36.00 (it didn't mention the weight so I guess it's for a portion)
Herring Fillet (Each) US$5.99

Soups:
Quart of Sable`s Chicken Soup US$6.99
Pint of Lobster Seafood Cream Chowder US$6.99

Smoked combos:
Sturgeon w. Russian Caviar Sandwich Combo US$39.99
Sables w. Baked Salmon Salad Sandwich Combo US$11.99

Salads:
1/2 Pound of Lobster Salad US$17.00 (you HAVE to try this)
1/2 Pound of Whitefish Salad US$11.00



Quick detour - they have 2 shops in one, and this is the other side of it where you can pick up more food, some drinks, and dine-in.



Where we sat, being hungry.



THE LOBSTER SALAD

It's so good, it's written in caps. Imagine if you may, THE most succulent lobster you've ever had. Each piece was crunchy and bursting with fresh, lobstery goodness. One bite of it and I was in the middle of the ocean, floating on an inflatable raft, lying in the sun, grinning stupidly with a mouthful of lobster salad.

Then, if that wasn't enough, add some mayo/white sauce of some sort.

That always makes a meal better.



King Crab Meat Salad

And while I'm still on that inflatable raft, I took another bite of this King Crab Meat Salad, and whaddya know - the grin got wider. Try as I might, I can't explain to you how much I like salad sauce / mayo / similar sauces to that, with my seafood. I know some of you are saying, hey, if the seafood's fresh, it should be eaten on its own, but buddy, this is a different kinda dish altogether.



It's taken as fact that the seafood here is fresh, but because the salads are meant to be eaten with bagels or in a sandwich of some sort, I guess it requires a sauce, and this is the sauce. Whatever the reason, I can't find a better combination than what they have here, and every mouthful was a delight.



We also got a plate of Smoked Salmon and Lake Sturgeon - both of which were gorgeously fresh. As I ate my way through all the fish, I just couldn't believe how creamy and luxuriously smooth each piece was. Never having had Lake Sturgeon before, this was surprisingly clean-tasting; kinda like eating white fish with a mild taste of seawater.



If you can't decide what to have on your bagel, have everything.



Definitely worth the visit here if you like your fish. They know their stuff, and they do it well.