Photography by Kang Leong from http://londoneater.com/2011/11/26/mishkins-the-fifth-element/
My ears perked up right away when I heard talk of a Jewish deli in the heart of Covent Garden – a deli? A place where you could actually get a decent sandwich?
Don’t get me wrong. The Brits win full points for sandwich ingenuity. At little corporate take-away places, like Pret a Manger, Marks and Spencers and EAT, there are cases full of interesting (read: bizarre) bread and meat concoctions: ham, egg and chives, say. Or prawn cocktail and mustard. Or cheddar, chutney and pickle. All very gastronomic and experimental sounding (read: weird), but not quite in line with some American tastebuds that long for a nice classic ham and swiss or rye and pastrami.
Enter Mishkin’s! It is a diner rather than deli counter, but who cares when the pastrami sandwich tastes that good? Take a look at London/Eater’s blog write-up and photos. I got a reuben (heretofore, a sandwich unheard of and unrecognized in London except by daydreaming Americans). Mine with out sauerkraut, but with the nice drippy Russian dressing, and thick layers of pastrami. Fantastic.
It was a nice chilly day yesterday as well, so I longed to try the mazo ball soup…there is always next time. All in all, Mishkin’s reminded me of a hipper Zaftigs — a landmark Jewish eatery in the heart of Coolidge Corner, Brookline Massachusetts.
It’s funny how comforting American comfort food can be, especially far from home.
New England Meets England 