I actually ate the traditional British dish ``Eel with jelly'' which is shocking in appearance. Report
Although Britain has a rich culture of tea, music, and musicals, many British dishes are relatively simple and rustic, so people tend to say that ``
Eel in jelly is known as a specialty of the East End of London. This time, I heard that you can eat eel in jelly at Poppie's Fish and Chips , a restaurant in Shoreditch , east London, so I went there. The address is 30 Hawley Cres, London NW1 8NP .
Arrived at Poppie's Fish and Chips.
As soon as I entered the store, I found the name 'JELLIED EELS' on the menu. It seems like you can eat eel jelly at this restaurant, so I ordered it right away.
I took a long look around the store until the eel jelly arrived on my table. Models of fighter planes and fire trucks and various panels are pasted on the walls. Poppie's Fish and Chips was founded in 1952 and started with a fish and chip stall started by Pat Newland, also known as Pop, when he was 11 years old. The items displayed in the store are toys that Mr. Newland has been collecting since he was a child.
There were also photos on display that gave a sense of history.
A chef is preparing food behind a glass window with a large logo of the restaurant.
For drinks, I ordered sparkling water instead of beer or ale.
And this is the eel jelly that was brought to the table. The price is 6.95 pounds (about 1140 yen).
The appearance is exactly as the name suggests: ``a large amount of eel that has been cut into pieces is placed directly in the boiled rice.'' There are no colors or decorations, and to be honest, it certainly doesn't look appetizing. A person who was also present commented, ``This may be a bit grotesque...'' with a slightly negative comment. The eel used for making jelly is
Furthermore, one slice of cut lemon ......
It was served with a piece of bread spread with margarine.
First of all, I will eat it as is without putting anything on it. It really looks like just eel cut into rounds. When I tried eating it, I found that the eel was only cut into pieces, so the bones, including the backbone, were still intact, but the eel was stewed until it was so soft that it easily came off the bone, giving it a fluffy texture. However, it has almost no taste and is very bland. The jelly part is kept at room temperature and is only hardened with gelatin, so it is quite soft and slightly gooey. If you taste the jelly closely, you'll notice that it tastes like fish stock, and it's also lightly salted. And, although it was only slightly, the fishy smell remained in the jelly, leaving a faint smell in my mouth that I had smelled at a fish store. However, to be honest, it's not that it's bad at all, and although there is a slight fishy smell, it simply feels like it's 'very bland' and I can't really rate it as delicious or bad.
When I squeezed the lemon that came with it and ate it, I felt that the fishy fishy smell that I felt when I ate it without anything disappeared. The sour taste of lemon is added to the fish stock-like taste and light salty taste. This time I ate it with carbonated water, but I got the impression that it would go well with sake or a slightly stronger drink. Some of the people who ate with me said, ``I think I can find this kind of delicacy on the delicacy menu at an izakaya, so if it was available, I might order it.''
Still, I realized that visuals are important when it comes to cooking. Eel jelly is just cut up eel that is boiled as is, so it feels more like ``eating a can of boiled mackerel'' than eating a well-cooked dish. I did.
Next, I will eat it with malt vinegar. Poppie's Fish and Chips had chili peppers soaked in malt vinegar.
When I ate it with one or two sprinkles of malt vinegar, I felt that the fishy smell disappeared due to the acidity, just like lemon. Also, the flavor of vinegar is perfect for the overly simple jelly, and the addition of vinegar's unique aroma and acidity gives it a slightly exotic taste. However, the taste is quite bland, so to be honest, I still don't feel satisfied.
I tried eating it on bread spread with margarine. The bread had a very chewy texture, and I thought it didn't go well with the plump jelly. However, the saltiness of margarine makes the seasoning a little stronger, and the fishy smell disappears, so it may be a good way to eat it. When I actually tried it, I found that the eel jelly was not at all 'bad', but the body was fluffy and easy to eat, just that it had a very bland taste. It does have a fishy smell, but it's not a negative factor, and if it's a delicacy that goes well with alcohol, it's fine. However, there is no doubt that its exquisite bland taste, slight fishy odor, and most importantly its shocking appearance are what make it so popular.
I also tried the fish and chips, which has been a specialty of Poppie's Fish and Chips since its founding and is often cited as a representative of British cuisine. There are several types of white meat used for frying, including ``Cod'' and ``Haddock.'' When I spoke to a local resident, I learned that just as in Japan people are divided into groups based on their preference for red bean paste, such as ``Tsubu-an'' and ``Koshi-an'', British people also have ``Cod'', ``Haddock'', and ``Koshian'' preferences regarding the contents of their fries. There are factions such as the Halibut faction. They all have different elasticity and flavor depending on the type and part of the fish.
So, I ordered a regular size fish and chips from Cod. The price is 13.95 pounds (about 2280 yen).
What surprised me was its size. I had ordered fish and chips at English pubs in Japan, but I had never seen fries this big before, so I was surprised.
The fly is about the same size as the iPhone 12 mini with a long side of 131.5 mm.
The jar with the name Poppie's Fish and Chips contained tartar sauce.
When I tried eating it, the batter was freshly fried and crispy, and there was no fishy smell at all. The meat isn't hard at all, it's extremely fluffy and juicy, and when you bite into it, it feels like it's falling apart in your mouth.
And the fries are crispy fried and have a salty taste. Although it was fried, it was not greasy or sticky, and I was able to fully enjoy the crispy texture of the surface and the fluffiness of the potatoes inside.
And this is the Haddock fish and chips that the person who was with me ordered. ``Cod has a firmer body, and Haddock has a softer body,'' so I tried comparing them. I didn't notice much of a difference, but I had the impression that Haddock's meat was a little juicier.
The last candy I received from the store was
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