Kipferl, Long Lane, EC1A

I recently made a trip to Smithfields market to have a look around the area and see if I could find any better places to get a sausage sandwich than Kurz & Lang which I had reviewed previously. The centre of the London meat trade must have somewhere good nearby, right?

Well, it wasn't as easy as I'd hoped. Admittedly I was walking around randomly, without having done any research, but the sheer lack of eating places in the immediate vicinity of one of London's most important markets was quite surprising.

I wandered around for a while and was on the verge of giving up when I found a cafe called Kipferl on a very unassuming street about a block away from Smithfields. Then I realised that the place had been mentioned in a comment to one of my earlier posts. Anyway, the menu in the window mentioned Austrian sausages so in I went...




The cafe is tiny and only has about four, tiny tables so be prepared to takeaway. It does however stock a wide range of Austrian food and drink including cakes and desserts. It's really an Austrian deli more than an eat-in cafe.

Kipferl's menu features an Austrian trio of sausages; wiener, debreziner and kaesekrainer. Sadly the last one was unavailable on the day I visited. The kaesekrainer is an Austrian sausage made with pork and beef with small cubes of Emmental cheese inside (it has to be Emmental cheese as it has a higher melting point and doesn't turn to goo when the sausage is cooked). Sounds really interesting and I may have to go back to try that one.

In the end I ordered a 2 sausage, Kipferl special which consisted of a wiener, and debreziner, bread and a plate of mixed, cold salads.




As you can see, both sausages are of the processed, frankfurter variety. Both are made with pork (did the wiener contain beef too? I'm not sure); the wiener is plain and un-spiced whereas the debreziner is pepped up with a little paprika, giving it its red colour.

The big difference between these sausages and those of Kurz & Lang is that Kipferl's are either boiled or steamed and I think this style of cooking suits these kinds of sausages a lot better. They come out moist, plump and juicy.

The bread was a thick, seeded slice of brown bread. Very hefty and designed to give you that Teutonic eating experience of a bite of sausage dipped in mustard, followed by a separate bite of bread. It's not my favourite way of serving sausage and bread but it seems to be how they do it in Austria and Germany.

I really liked both sausages on their own, and I loved the mild, moreish mustard on the side. The meat was firm and not overpowered by MSG or other additives. I just wish i could have had them as hot dogs to get the full sausage and bread effect.

4 out of 5. A unique little cafe well worth checking out.

To find out more about Kipferl, check out their official website

Commercial Break: A selection of hot dog ads

I've only ever seen one hot dog commercial in my life: It was the Westler's Hot Dog ads that they used to show in cinemas back in the early 80s. It's a different story in the States, of course, where hot dogs are an integral part of food culture.

So, as I get the next post ready, here are a few vintage American hot dog commercials for you to enjoy:

A Pic from Singapore

Just a photo of some Singapore street food I found on Flickr. Sadly I can't report on how they tasted!

Photo: Kirk Siang

The Black Farmer Premium Pork Sausages

There's been good and bad news recently concerning supermarket sausages.

The bad: Asda has started selling 2p sausages in a bid to attract customers struggling with the 'credit crunch'. These bangers contain, according to the BBC, 34% meat, 34% water and the rest made up of rusk filler and fat. They sound pretty bad but to be honest, I'm sure some of the cafes I've reviewed on this blog use sausages of this standard, if not worse.

The good: Well this is just my observation but there seem to be more and more specialist sausage brands appearing on supermarket shelves. Perhaps a sign that there is a growing interest in good quality sausages?

Here's one brand I spotted recently. The Black Farmer Premium Pork:



These contain a stonking 90% pork and come with the accolade of being voted best pork sausage in Olive magazine (whatever that is).

I grilled them with some cherry tomatoes, sliced them and served them in a fresh baguette with Coleman's mustard.





As you can see, these had a lovely, firm texture. Really packed with meat but not too dry. The casing became crispy and light after grilling whilst the sausage itself was lightly herbed and seemed to have a slight peppery heat to it, like a mild Cumberland.

They went very well with a crunchy baguette would would have worked just as well in a soft bun, I think. Not bad at all.

Sausage and bread, Tuscan style!

Yes, it's time for a long overdue international update. This time from the Tuscany region of Italy. First port of call: The city of Florence.

Tuscan cuisine is known for being hearty and homely. Sausage does play a part but mainly in the form of smoked or cured varieties that are served cold such as salami and bologna. Hot, cooked sausage is surprisingly uncommon. Bread, too, is not a Tuscan passion. According to my guidebook, Tuscan bread is traditionally made bland and unappealing so that nothing detracts from the flavours of the food being served with it.

However, the prevalence of the simple salami sandwich in the cafes of Florence shows that the appeal of the basic sausage and bread combination is alive and well in this part of the world.

I wanted something more like a 'proper' sausage sandwich though, and for that I had to visit the city's main food market, the Mercato Centrale:



I like visiting markets when I'm abroad as they can give you an insight into the country beyond the mocked-up, tourist view although, to be fair, the Mercato Centrale is something of a tourist attraction in itself.

The most well-known place to eat in the market is a little cafe called Nerbone but as far as I could tell they don't sell a simple sausage sandwich (I could be wrong about that). Instead I had to venture to a quieter side to the market, to a neon-lit cafe called Pork's.




Where I ordered a panino con salsiccia - a bread roll with Italian sausage and - in this case - grilled aubergine and a drizzle of olive oil:




As you can see, the sausage (quite salty and hard textured when cooked) was squashed flat before serving (I'm guessing to speed up cooking), which I wasn't expecting. This could have been okay but unfortunately the sausage was severely undercooked - totally raw in some places. It had potential but I'm afraid I had to leave this one half uneaten. I'm afraid I can't recommend Pork's and would advise you try Nerbone.

Next stop... the walled town of San Gimignano, near Siena.

San Gimignano is known for the stone towers that give the town it's unique medieval skyline. I planned by trip there to coincide with the local market day in the hope that I would be able to score some authentic, local food. And that's exactly what I found at this stall:



Much as I was tempted by the whole roasted chickens, racks of ribs, beef joints and the foot-wide (yes, wide, as in diameter) bologna sausage that were being sold, there was only one thing I was interested in... another panino con salsiccia.

Oh, and some potato croquettes to go with it.






This was more like it. The sausage was thoroughly cooked this time and tasted great. It also wasn't squashed flat. Roughly textured, the sausage had a lot of bite to it (or should that be 'bits in it'). In fact, in taste and texture it was highly reminiscent of the filling of a pork pie which would suggest a coarse pork and bacon mix. In any case it was very nice and flavoursome and quite satisfying. The guidebook was right about the bread, though - it was a little bland.

In conclusion, for a sausage and bread fix in Tuscany, a salami sandwich is the most common option but a panino con salsiccia is worth seeking out. Just don't expect too much of the bread.

The Gourmet Hotdog Company, cnr. Berwick and D'Arblay Street

I was pretty excited when sausageandbread reader Joshua contacted me to tell me that a new place called the Gourmet Hotdog Company had opened in Soho. 

Once again Soho was going to get a place that specialized in hotdogs but was it any good? Or would it meet the same fate as the failed Olly Olson?

The Gourmet Hotdog Company has an extensive menu (you can check it out on the official website) that includes all manner of hotdogs from a basic frankfurter and sauerkraut combo to some frankly ridiculous sounding options such as a Tandoori Lamb (curried lamb hotdog, topped with mixed pickles, raita & popadoms) and the Northerner (pork hotdog topped with mushy peas, pork scratchings & mild horseradish).

After a quick scan of the menu I went for two of the more recognizable house specials, the Berliner (Bratwurst topped with coleslaw, crispy bacon and ketchup) and the Smoked Toulouse (toulouse sausage topped with cassoulet). I should point out that as well as the specials that are listed on the menu, you can also order any hotdog with any combination of toppings (and there are a lot to chose from) but more about this later.

Breadwise, I opted for a sesame seeded bun for both dogs, although in an ideal world I would have gone for a plain, soft white bun. This option wasn't available, unfortunately.





Both hotdogs were pleasant enough. The sausages are cooked on steel rollers which gives them a clean but bland finish. I found the toppings on these house specials kind of confusing. The bratwurst gained nothing by having greasy bacon tossed on top and as far as I know neither the bacon nor the coleslaw are standard toppings for a German bratwurst. As for the cassoulet topping on the toulouse: this consisted of a few oversized beans in a tomato sauce. Both combinations seemed to me like ideas dreamt up on paper rather than in the kitchen.

Both of the sausages would have tasted better cooked on a grill or hotplate to give them a little colour and smokiness - but this was especially true of the toulouse sausage. The garlic flavour was there but it was crying out to be cooked properly.

However, both the sausages were of high quality, nicely herbed, with thin casings and tasted natural and fresh.

Overall, I wasn't blown away by either of the hotdogs and I was starting to think that this place was going to repeat the Olly Olson mistake of having a great idea but not doing it very well. But with such a large menu, I thought it was at least worth a second visit.

It was only on my return visit that I realised that the hotdogs on the menu are only suggestions and that in fact you can order any kind of hotdog you like, with any topping you like. And with that came the revalation that finally, this was my chance to try my first ever West Virginian hotdog!




Okay, so it may not have been made in West Virginia and I missed out the chopped onions on top, but this is fairly close to the famed frankfurter, mustard, beef chili and coleslaw combo that is championed by my friends over at WVhotdogs.com - one of the first sites I made contact with when I started this blog. I've been dying to try a West Virginia dog ever since and I'm happy to report that this UK version tasted pretty good. I can see now the attraction of the WV hotdog. It's a great combination of flavours and textures that compliment each other and I'll be back for another very soon.

Like Olly Olson, The Gourmet Hotdog Company feels a little bit stylized and you do feel like you're taking part in a concept rather than just enjoying honest, simple food. Cooking the sausages on rollers isn't ideal and I'm not sure why they have chosen to display the rollers prominently at the front of the shop. It's nothing to be proud of and I think some people would be put off by this.

But overall I think the Gourmet Hotdog Company is a great place to go for a sausage and bread fix as long as you ignore the 'conceptual' menu and order something a little more conventional. They use good quality ingredients and there's nowhere else like it at the moment.

4 out of 5. I'll definitely be back.

Farmer Brown, New Row

I discovered this place just a few doors down from Scott's, which I reviewed earlier.

The rustically named Farmer Brown's could easily be mistaken for a butcher's shop, with its old fashioned awning and display of plastic animals in the window. I popped in just after 9:00 one morning and ordered a sausage sandwich on brown bread with brown sauce.





Delicious. This is the first sausage sandwich I've had since starting this blog that I would describe as moreish. After eating it I immediately wanted another - it was that good.

The secret isn't in the bread (which is a decent enough sliced brown but nothing exceptional) or the brown sauce which seemed to be generic. The sandwich wasn't even buttered - they use Utterly Butterly.

The secret seemed to be entirely in the sausages: Fresh tasting, lightly herbed cumberland links. They're a wonderful shape and are cooked to perfection on a simple hotplate. Two in a sandwich, so nice and generous unlike some cafes. Get there at the right time and you can see them sizzling away, all in a line. A beautiful sight.

5 out of 5. Highly recommended.