Some are ornate, some are laminate-clad safe havens. But all offer affordable, hearty food – and a glimpse into the past
Every day except Sunday, a large and unlikely queue forms outside a mansion block in Westminster, a stone’s throw from Channel 4, the Department for Transport and a public loo known mysteriously as the “iron lung”. The queue’s a mixed crowd: along with all the tourists, there are plenty of office types, civil servants and people in hi-vis jackets. Above their heads a sign reads Regency Cafe, its bold white lettering set against coal-black tiles. The place they’re lining up for opened 77 years ago, back when Clement Attlee was prime minister and rationing was still in place.
Step inside and you’ll find a dramatic dining room. Gingham curtains line the windows, oxblood linoleum covers the floors, the rest is all laminate tables and beautifully brown fixed seating. But most people are here for the fry-ups, or things such as liver, gammon, and bread-and-butter pudding. Five miles across town at E Pellicci, another famous art deco spot, you’ll encounter a similar brand of Italo-cockney hospitality and enough intricate wood panelling to furnish a library.
Continue reading...from The Guardian https://ift.tt/y5O1dW0
0 comments:
Post a Comment