Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
offers it in season). Another beloved deli-
cacy that may be an acquired taste is the
fried cod chins, tender walnut-sized nug-
gets surrounded by a fatty membrane,
much prized for their savory taste. But it's
easy to fall in love with the famous Icelan-
dic dessert called
skyr,
a kind of whipped
whey that tastes like a cross between
yogurt, crème fraîche, cream cheese, and
soft-serve ice cream.
This is hardly a luxury dining experi-
ence; the tables are packed cozily together,
and the walls are cluttered with nautical
kitsch. Presentation and the wine list are
afterthoughts, but service is fast, and the
price is a pleasant surprise.
Baldursgata 14 (
&
354/552-3939;
www.3frakkar.com).
(
Keflavik International (96km/60
miles).
L
$$
Hotel Bjork,
Brautarholt 22-24
(
&
354/511-3777;
www.keahotels/is). $$$
Hotel Loftleidir,
Hlìdarfótur (
&
354/444-
4500;
www.icehotels.is).
Global Traditions
191
F. Cooke's Pie & Mash Shop
'Ello, Guv'nor
London, England
It's like a set from
Sweeney Todd
—the
gold-lettered name painted on a dark
green board above the door, the marble
counter and tabletops inside, simple
wooden benches, gleaming yellow tiled
walls, sawdust on the floor. F. Cooke's (the
F stands for Frederick) has been an East
End fixture since 1910, serving working-
class Londoners the most iconic Cockney
food there is: a crusty rectangular meat-
filled pie, served next to a mound of
creamy mashed potatoes in a pool of
luridly green parsley “liquor.”
The Cooke's chain doesn't have as
many branches as it did in its heyday (the
same is true of its longtime competitor,
Manze's, founded in 1902, which you can
find at 87 Tower Bridge Rd.;
&
44/20/7407-
2985
). And this branch isn't the original,
though it's still plenty atmospheric. Yet as
the East End has increasingly gentrified, a
new audience is discovering these vintage
shops, still run by descendants of the
original Fred Cooke. Along with the pie
and mash, they also sell eels, another
cheap Cockney staple. Cooke's does a
brisk business in chopped eels, cut into
half-inch chunks, sold both hot (stewed) or
cold (chilled in a plastic tub of their own
gelled juice); you can even see vats of live
eels, waiting to be stewed, in the front
window. Aficionados say they taste like
picked herrings, but heartier.
Unlike other shops, Cooke's fills its pies
with chunks of steak and kidney instead of
minced beef; their golden pastry is also
graced with a touch of old-fashioned suet
for extra savory flavor. Although the food
at Cooke's is incredibly low priced, the
family refuses to take shortcuts—they
take pride in serving only the freshest eels,
mash made from fresh potatoes, and that
weirdly tasty, nonalcoholic green “liquor”
made from the water the eels were stewed
in and loads of fresh parsley.
Pie-and-mash and jellied eels are such a
nostalgic treat, even Gordon Ramsay has
added them to the menu at his new line of
gastropubs. Still, why not head to the East
End to scout out the original? The chain's
flagship shop is in Hackney, just south of
London Fields, on a street that fills on
