Wednesday, September 2, 2015

B & K Salt Beef Bar, Restaurant, Take Away and Deli

Filling, satisfying, just like mother used to make. I think most of it is made by the owner's mother.
Chopped liver (not chicken liver, ox liver).
Latke (potato cake).
Loaf of rye bread.
Cheese cake.
Lokshen (noodle) pudding.
I popped in for the chopped liver for a surprise starter for a family dinner from the deli counter by the door. (We've eaten here many times, for years, also their other branch in Edgware. We usually eat in and get some take away food to take home.)

While there I was tempted to buy a portion of latke, a grated potato cake, similar to Swiss rosti, or American hash brownies. I resisted.

At home I asked the family, should I have bought apple strudel? The verdict was no. We have plenty of apples from trees in the garden, ours or a neighbour's.  I thought to myself, let's make strudel.

Some desserts are harder to make at home. Such as lokshen pudding. When I mentioned 'unhealthy' lockshen pudding, I heard a resounding, 'Yes'.

So I donned my raincoat, changed into rainproof shoes, found a raincoat, selected an umbrella and trotted off like Mary Poppins, my heart singing in the rain, to buy lokshen pudding for dessert.

 How could I resist rye bread, also hard to find. While I was buying bread, why not potato. I could not resist the roster style latke.

The baked cheese cake is another of my favourites. How I hate the jelly like excuse which cons you into thinking you are getting cheese cake. Nothing like a cake. You can get proper baked cheese cake in the New York style delis worldwide, huge portions, for larger prices.

By now my spare change was dwindling and my calorie count and weight were increasing. The B & K staff kindly cut in half the cheese cake. You can ask for the food hot or cold. They do outside catering.

Here's the lokshen pudding which we combined with fruit. As you see, the lokshen pudding is almost solid, enlivened by sweet sultanas. (See my previous posts on B & K if you are a devotee of B & K or lokshen pudding or Polish style Ashkenazi food.)

Lokshen pudding and fruit. Photo by Angela Lansbury

Angela Lansbury, B A Hons, travel writer and photographer, author of the Jewish Travel Guide.

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