PrintSerious Sandwiches: Hot Salt Beef Bagel
Photograph from drewleavy on Flickr
We have no shortage of delicious bagels here in New York City. (Is there a better bagel city in the world?) We also have no shortage of fat laden, drool inducing corned beef. (Is there a better corned beef city in the world?) Yet, explain to me how London is the city that has combined the two into what looks like a pretty outstanding sandwich. It's called a hot salt beef bagel, and it leaves me wondering, "How on earth did we got scooped on this?"
Hot salt beef (or corned beef as we 'mericans call it) is found all over the UK, and hot salt beef sandwiches are as ubiquitous there as corned beef sandwiches here. But it was the Jews, who took up residence in the East End of London in the late 1800s, that started serving their version of the sandwich on freshly made bagels.
Like New Yorkers with Katz's or H&H, most Londoners will point you to the Brick Lane Beigel Bakery ("beigel" being the Yiddish spelling of bagel) for the best hot salt beef bagel. Open 24 hours a day, this East End institution is as famous for breakfast as it is for the lines of clubgoers queued up for a late night snack on their way home from a long night of drinking. You can get your bagel topped with all of the standards (cream cheese and or assorted smoked fishes), but the serious sandwich is the one with hot salt beef, yellow English mustard and sliced gherkins. At only £2.50, it may be the only bargain in all of London.
Brick Lane Beigel Bakery
Address: 159 Brick Lane, London, E1 6SB, United Kingdom (map)
Phone: +44 20 77290616
About the author: Zach Brooks is the proprietor of Midtown Lunch, where he blogs about affordable lunchtime eats in Midtown Manhattan. The guy knows his sandwiches.
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6 Comments:
Oh sweet lord. That sounds good.
jpolk at 2:59PM on 03/05/08
I loved the salt beef sandwiches from a sandwich chain called Birley's in London. I worked there for a few months a year ago and couldn't get enough of them.
They definitely didn't serve them on bagels though. I remember being told not to get the bagels anywhere b/c they were more like rolls. Next time I go back I'll have to stop by Brick Lane though. Yum!
Jacquie at 3:31PM on 03/05/08
Better bagel and beef city? Montreal, without a doubt.
anonymoose at 3:56PM on 03/05/08
This looks SSSOOOOOOOOO much tastier than that PD abomination further up-page... love the idea of using hot English mustard and gherkins. OOoooo, or maybe cornichons? Mmmmmm...
I think I'll do them this way the next time I make-em at home!
LoCo at 3:56PM on 03/05/08
I'll still take my corned beef on rye, thanks.
jamieforrest at 6:18PM on 03/05/08
Let's see a flight to London is????? Then I could hop over to Ireland for St. Patty's day....
SayWhat at 9:04PM on 03/05/08