Pie in this guy

For the purposes of research, balance and bit of extra boot-filling - it seemed only fair to visit two of London's other legendary eel and pie houses - both called Kelly...

First stop - G Kelly, 414 Bethnal Green Road - of the three shops tried, this East End eaterie is easily the most functional and fru-fru free. Almost East European in it's minimalist finish: from the wonky white tiling, to the splashed vats and blocked window filtering the outside light into an all-day-grey interior tint.

However for old-school authenticity it's unbeatable - with framed photos of local boxing legends hung above the tables and a foggy, waft of boiling spud-steam, mash and liqour saturating the shop - creating a carbohydrate blast so heady it was a time jolt straight back to the seventies. Like the 'locals only' tabacs and bars you'll spot but never visit abroad.. .Kelly's can have the feel of a minimal-eye contact gaff - in, out and put the kettle on as Monkfish used to say... but having said that, for all it's bare-bone decor - this Bethnal Green pie-house is the easiest commute for me and I will be revisiting.

But back to the food - the mash was a highlight and a delight - super smooth and creamy, served alongside a decent enough pie and liqour.

Scores on the Doors

Pie - 8
Mash - 9
Liqour  - 8
Total - 25

Special mentions:  the earthy, eastenders atmos' and the smell and spirit of Pie shops past..



By contrast G Kelly (no relation), 526 Roman Rd is like wafting into the an episode of the Duchess of Duke Street,  where be-pinnied dinner lady types dust the doorway with brooms and finish every question with "love?'

It's bright, inviting and bustling with locals and office escapees. For the few moments I was a Kelly's customer, playgroup-run mums were nipping in for multiple pie take aways or treating the kids to an eat-in lunch. Add in it's neat, clean Victorian(ish) interiors: dapple grey marble, clean steel,  eel themed windows and mirrors - and it could be the perfect place to start if you're a pie and mash newbie. Kelly's menu also a offers a veggie option, fruit pies and crumbles to tempt the sweet toothed and a frozen option for stashing away.

Pie-wise this was the meatiest of the three venues, and similarly the most generous with the portions - Kelly's double mash is closer to a triple, although too under-salted for me, it was rescued by the almost pitch perfect liquor flooding and filling the plate.

Scores on the Doors

Pie  - 8

Mash - 8

Liqour -  9

Total - 25
Special mentions: Victorian interiors, friendly, family atmosphere, extended menu options and belt-busting portions

Kelly's Interior - found on Flickr

Big Boss Man - Pies And Pastiche

Food Week: London's most Classic Cafe

Entering Pellicci's can be like walking into the middle of frenzied film set - the Pellicci family seem to be on fast-forward as plates are passed, punters are seated or reshuffled to accommodate yet more punters, the vintage till rattles and clangs, regulars bubble with banter, while orders are collected and barked to an always offstage Mama Pellici clattering outback in the kitchen...

Perhaps this cinematic rush and bustle is why Pellicci's has such a heavy hit rate for celebs. Possibly it's the original deco interiors - Grade 2 listed since 2005. Or of course it could be the top notch nosh - traditional cafe fry ups and a mix of English and Italian classics.

After queing for seating one Saturday lunch time, we placed four individual orders - all plus/minus/swap variations on the Full English - owner Nevio Jr memorised the entire selection, relayed vocally the ad hoc lot to Mama Pellicci and sure as fried eggs are fried eggs, within minutes, the exact servings arrived piping hot with every portion present and correct.

The kids loved it: the fizzing atmosphere and fuss-free but generously proportioned, perfectly turned food. It was clean plates all round and they're itching to get back - luckily working around and about that way I've managed a couple of cheeky revisits since..

An unexpected bonus to our Pellicci's trip was being sat next to Eric 'Monster' Hall, who after our midday breakfast had been polished off, was more than happy to chat about his career working with everyone from Bolan to Tony Bennet and Sinatra to the Sex Pistols...

So before I clear away food week - I'll leave you with a couple of extra helpings of Pellicci Goodness..

Pellici's celebrity album

The meatball queen of Bethnal Green

Big Boss Man - Beat Breakfast

Food Week: Pie, mash and liquor..

Who ate all the pies

Dropped, slopped and steaming onto a plate, pie and mash may not have much instant eye-appeal, but eats-wise - the bulky blend of tasty pastry and meaty morsels with mash swamped in creamy green liquor is a magical medley - and a once-tasted never-forgotten treat.

It's a London dish as traditional as pearly kings and Beefeaters and a flavour that of late, I've been on a galloping great buzz for. Flick through the Dear Diary posts and you'll find occasional P and M mentions buried in the entries.  Typically if we nipped up to Nan's - a visit to Cooke's for pie and double mash with a walloping dollop of liquor was on the menu. Our regular stop off  (Kingsland Road, Dalston) has since been Shanghaied - literally, but thankfully Cooke's pie and eel shops still populate the capital's map.

Bob Cooke - 4th generation currently running F. Cooke,  Broadway Market

It's been almost twenty years since I last tucked into a serving of genuine London pie and mash - but the cravings have never fully faded. So bowling along to the  Broadway Market branch of Cooke's recently I had high hopes for my pie ideals, but was bracing in case those sensory memories had become retrospectively over-cooked.

But chums I'm pleased to report, chowing down on plateful of F. Cooke's finest was like falling through a taste experience time tunnel - those pies, that mash and their delicious liquor haven't changed in any way - from the top of the crispy pitta-style pastry  to the last parsley particle, they remain simply the finest pies in all of Londinium.

If you've never tried proper pie and mash - do it, and do it now - get yourself to Broadway Market or a branch nearest to you and fill up before these institutions of London life become Starbucked and lost for ever..

The Earthworms - Mo Taters.



Mash from Chaos/filthy liquor - Cook and Jones at Cooke's


Scores on the doors for Cooke's

Pie - 9
Mash - 8
Liquor 10
Total - 27
Verdict: Lip-smacking, ace-tasting