A Proper Caff – Rossi’s
One of the things I most miss in London is Alfredo’s. I may have blogged it before – it was a real love affair for me, perhaps my first big love affair in London, and whenever I visit Islington, I miss it all over again.
It was a lovely caff, all chrome and wood, very 1950s, just at the corner of Essex Road, near an auction house full of interesting old furniture. In those days this was where the smart bit of Islington ended and the rather down at heel, more working class streets began – washing machine shops, a taxidermist’s, tatty newsagents, and Alfredo’s.
Alas, Alfredo’s is long gone. And you know, for all that people as diverse as Rachel Whiteread, Gilbert & George, and Iain Sinclair appear to love Rossi’s, it’s not a patch on Alfredo’s.
But I shouldn’t be too dismissive. True, the decor isn’t as splendid as Alfredo’s. But the breakfasts are tremendous. Good, cheap breakfasts, at about a fiver instead of the eight or nine quid demanded by many eateries. Bubble and squeak – a real English tradition (for those not in the know, it’s broken or mashed potatoes fried up with greens). Even chops, if you can manage those at breakfast time (personally, I can’t).
Yes, the traditional English breakfast is probably responsible for an awful lot of big guts and wobbly tummies. And you don’t always get great food in a ‘greasy spoon’ – some of them use awful cheap ingredients, like that water-filled industrial bacon that hisses for five seconds when it hits the pan and then emits litres of nasty white liquid. Or cheap white bread thatdissolves in the mouth like some kind of sticky insulation foam.
None of that at Rossi’s though. The food here is real food. And breakfast will easily last you till dinner time – no need for lunch at all.
More great London cafes can be found at Classic Cafes , an excellent site for tracking down traditional London food.
Where: 8 Hanbury Street, London E1
Photo credit: Cory Doctorow on Flickr
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