Last night's meal was in aid of Eating Eurovision, an event organised by Andrew Webb which challenged a group of London bloggers to explore the food of those countries participating in the song contest. We all met up at BBC Television Centre on Thursday to watch the semi-final and pluck a pingpong ball from an 'I ♥ Peckham' bag to decide which country we'd be saddled with.
Maybe it was fate but landing Romania forced me to confront the demons of my past. As a kid I was terrified of Romanians, where did this phobia come from?... My primary school was menaced by a pair of lawless Romanian orphans. The girls had been adopted by a local family and hadn't quite shaken off the effects of the orphanage. No lunch box was safe from their voracious appetites, no jumper thick enough to shield against their lupine teeth. The incident that scarred me most happened one summer's lunch break, sat enjoying my carton of Um Bongo and Penguin Bar I was cornered by the duo. One pounced on my back clawing at my face, the Um Bongo went flying, her accomplice snatched the Penguin from my hands piling it into her mouth, wrapper included. With a parting kick, they left me in a heap, mixed tropical fruit juice seaping into the dry dirt around me. Needless to say I was reluctant to attend the Blue Peter bring and buy sale that year.
So, going to 32 Old Bailey was a bit of a cathartic experience, it took courage to bury the past and descend deep into the Transylvanian vault below the City of London. On arrival the owner Cris warned us that there was no Italian food (they advertise the 'Best Italian Lunch') but was delighted to discover we were on a mission for Romanian. As we sat down to an aperitif of Palinca, a paint stripping plum brandy, I spotted Su-Lin of Tamarind and Thyme fame finishing her meal. She was covering Moldova which shares a lot in common with Romania culturally, in fact Cris himself was actually Moldovan.
Romanian food is apparently a bit of a mongrel and has borrowed elements from the traditions of the various peoples who have occupied the country, including the Turks, Hungarians and Austrians. As well as the informative Cris, the menu itself has some brilliant descriptions of the food. I kicked off with a tripe soup Ciorba de Burta 'If you have a hangover, it's better than an alka-seltzer'. It was delicious, rich and garlicky with an unusual sour flavour which reminded a bit of tom yum, the tripe had retained a nice bit of bite too.
For the mains we chose a selection of dishes. It had to be Mititei, kofta like kebabs of minced beef and pork spiced with garlic, paprika and caraway. According to the menu they're the reason Romanians don't do coke (see Adrian Mutu), they prefer the meaty high of a Mititei. They were nice, but I can't see a roll out of charcoal grills spearheading the MET's latest crack down.
A dish of Sarmale, cabbage 'stuffed against it's will' with mince and rice in a tomato sauce was tasty, though the image of a wide eyed, squeeling cabbage leaf was a hard one to shake away. The Sarmale came with a cornmeal mush called Marmarliga, traditionally a peasant staple. Stirring the mixture is apparently a hazardous task, the molten corn paste is prone to spitting and many a Romanian housewife bears Mamarliga scars.
The final treat was half a duck which was more like half a goose, it was huge, served on a bed of sauerkraut. The meat was flavoursome but a little dry. The accompanying green chilis were the sort that let you show off for a minute or so before unleashing their fury. As well as the chilis there was an excellent plate of pickles which included dill pickled green tomatoes, a new one for me.
When we arrived the restaurant was pretty empty but it got a bit busier as the evening progressed. The live band were taking requests and belted out a string of Romanian crowd pleasers, though they were reluctant to do a rendition of 'The Balkan Girls (they like to party),' Romania's Eurovision entry. Incidentally Cris was telling us that Elena Gheorghe, the singer, is rumoured to have been chirping down the mic of a prominent politician back home.
32 Old Bailey was a fantastic experience and after the first course I found I could relax without the fear of being swooped on, the Romanians we met were all very welcoming (and great dancers too). Cris was a wonderful host and gave me a free copy of a Transylvanian cook book to further my discovery of Romanian food, Udder Schnitzel is next up.
Many thanks to Andrew for organising the event and Noroc Romania in tonight's contest!
32 Old Bailey EC4M 7HS, Tel: 0207 489 1842
Maybe it was fate but landing Romania forced me to confront the demons of my past. As a kid I was terrified of Romanians, where did this phobia come from?... My primary school was menaced by a pair of lawless Romanian orphans. The girls had been adopted by a local family and hadn't quite shaken off the effects of the orphanage. No lunch box was safe from their voracious appetites, no jumper thick enough to shield against their lupine teeth. The incident that scarred me most happened one summer's lunch break, sat enjoying my carton of Um Bongo and Penguin Bar I was cornered by the duo. One pounced on my back clawing at my face, the Um Bongo went flying, her accomplice snatched the Penguin from my hands piling it into her mouth, wrapper included. With a parting kick, they left me in a heap, mixed tropical fruit juice seaping into the dry dirt around me. Needless to say I was reluctant to attend the Blue Peter bring and buy sale that year.
So, going to 32 Old Bailey was a bit of a cathartic experience, it took courage to bury the past and descend deep into the Transylvanian vault below the City of London. On arrival the owner Cris warned us that there was no Italian food (they advertise the 'Best Italian Lunch') but was delighted to discover we were on a mission for Romanian. As we sat down to an aperitif of Palinca, a paint stripping plum brandy, I spotted Su-Lin of Tamarind and Thyme fame finishing her meal. She was covering Moldova which shares a lot in common with Romania culturally, in fact Cris himself was actually Moldovan.
Romanian food is apparently a bit of a mongrel and has borrowed elements from the traditions of the various peoples who have occupied the country, including the Turks, Hungarians and Austrians. As well as the informative Cris, the menu itself has some brilliant descriptions of the food. I kicked off with a tripe soup Ciorba de Burta 'If you have a hangover, it's better than an alka-seltzer'. It was delicious, rich and garlicky with an unusual sour flavour which reminded a bit of tom yum, the tripe had retained a nice bit of bite too.
For the mains we chose a selection of dishes. It had to be Mititei, kofta like kebabs of minced beef and pork spiced with garlic, paprika and caraway. According to the menu they're the reason Romanians don't do coke (see Adrian Mutu), they prefer the meaty high of a Mititei. They were nice, but I can't see a roll out of charcoal grills spearheading the MET's latest crack down.
A dish of Sarmale, cabbage 'stuffed against it's will' with mince and rice in a tomato sauce was tasty, though the image of a wide eyed, squeeling cabbage leaf was a hard one to shake away. The Sarmale came with a cornmeal mush called Marmarliga, traditionally a peasant staple. Stirring the mixture is apparently a hazardous task, the molten corn paste is prone to spitting and many a Romanian housewife bears Mamarliga scars.
The final treat was half a duck which was more like half a goose, it was huge, served on a bed of sauerkraut. The meat was flavoursome but a little dry. The accompanying green chilis were the sort that let you show off for a minute or so before unleashing their fury. As well as the chilis there was an excellent plate of pickles which included dill pickled green tomatoes, a new one for me.
When we arrived the restaurant was pretty empty but it got a bit busier as the evening progressed. The live band were taking requests and belted out a string of Romanian crowd pleasers, though they were reluctant to do a rendition of 'The Balkan Girls (they like to party),' Romania's Eurovision entry. Incidentally Cris was telling us that Elena Gheorghe, the singer, is rumoured to have been chirping down the mic of a prominent politician back home.
32 Old Bailey was a fantastic experience and after the first course I found I could relax without the fear of being swooped on, the Romanians we met were all very welcoming (and great dancers too). Cris was a wonderful host and gave me a free copy of a Transylvanian cook book to further my discovery of Romanian food, Udder Schnitzel is next up.
Many thanks to Andrew for organising the event and Noroc Romania in tonight's contest!
32 Old Bailey EC4M 7HS, Tel: 0207 489 1842
Fascinating stuff - it's amazing how friendly and generous all the participating countries and their restaurants have been!
ReplyDeleteWow sounds like you had a great experience with dancers and all!
ReplyDeleteYou know for all its bring & buy sales I don't think Blue Peter did much for Romania in terms of PR. After yours and Su Lin's visits I'd quite like to try this place!
ReplyDelete"According to the menu they're the reason Romanians don't do coke, they prefer the meaty high of a Mititei."
ReplyDeleteIf only Adrian Mutu had stuck to his roots...
What did Blue Peter say about Romania?!
ReplyDeleteThe menu was an absolute hoot, wasn't it?! Cris was such a joker! Glad you liked the place too - did you like the keytar?
Ha the keytar was magical, there was a 3 minute solo at one stage which had me in rapture!
ReplyDeleteMust try this place on your recommendation.
ReplyDeleteCan I suggest that you try Mugi, Uxbridge Road, 15 Station Parade, London W5 3LD, very close to Ealing Common Tube Station. It is said to be a Serbian. Although it presents itself as a coffee bar, there is a host of Balkan Meals all for under a tenner and good quality at that. The mixed grill is generous and tasty with a whole host of meats cooked in Balkan style all for £8.50. The menu is bi-lingual but also English or Irish Breakfast as a bean and rib stew. Great place to eat and greta value. Sadly, no Pivo or wine.
Hi, loving the blog. Have you found a Slovenian restaurant in London? Steve
ReplyDelete