The Sausage and Bread Top 5 2008

Hard to believe it's been a year since my last Top 5. I've discovered loads of new places over the last 12 months and the thing that strikes me is how the bar has been raised in terms of easily available, good quality sausage and bread.

Your average greasy spoon cafe might still be selling nasty, 'economy' sausages but there seem to be more and more gourmet outlets springing up and newer sandwich shops tend to make sure they at least have a half decent Cumberland on the menu. Recent bad press about cheap, processed meat products and a general demand for better quality food may be the reasons.

As for the places reviewed in this blog: The Gourmet Hot Dog Company has survived for another year and while it's possible to get a West Virginian hot dog that isn't too shabby, its cooked-on-rollers sausages are a bit uninspiring.

Eat is probably the leading chain outlet with its grilled sausage muffin proving to be reliably tasty. Leon and Benugo's sausage and bread offerings perhaps proved that image isn't everything - both were quite disappointing.

The Diner deserves credit for its attention to detail and faithful reproduction of an American menu. Its chili cheese dog is a must try but the price and stodginess are negatives.

Cafe Soho continues to be a great sandwich shop but unfortunately its been forced out of the Top 5. Not because of any drop in quality, but because new places have muscled their way into the list. I re-visited recently and it still thoroughly deserves a 'Recommended' tag.

The 2008 Sausage and Bread Top 5 for London

5 - BAR BRUNO


Soho is literally being knocked down and rebuilt around it, but Bar Bruno continues to dish out a fantastic toasted pork sausage sandwich, prepared quickly. I was sure Bruno's was going to drop out of the list this year but a re-visit proved me wrong. Long live Bar Bruno.

4 - FERNANDEZ AND WELLS


The chorizo and roasted pepper ciabatta is a favourite. One of the stars of Soho.

3 - THE HONEST SAUSAGE




On my first visit I thought the Honest Sausage's location was a negative being out of the way and requiring a special effort to get to it. Now I've changed my mind and I've decided the setting in Regent's Park should be seen as a plus not a minus. On a sunny autumn day, what could be better than an organic sausage in fluffy white bun, eaten outside surrounded by squirrels, trees and a wide open park? Welcome to the Top 5, Honest sausage.


2 - FARMER BROWN



I've made multiple repeat visits to Farmer brown since I discovered it earlier this year. They make a sausage sandwich that is actually moreish. The owner has told me they get regulars who come to the cafe just for the fat, juicy Cumberland sausages.


1 - PAUL (salami baguette)


Yes, I'm afraid the long-standing number 1 has retained its spot. It remains the perfect combination of sausage and bread, in my opinion.

Do you know of any other places that serve great sausage sandwiches or hot dogs? Drop me a line with anything sausagey and bready that you'd like to share.

Here's to another year of outstanding sausage and bread!

Dec 2008

The Wonderful World of Korv

Many thanks to Steve over at streetcuisine.blogspot.com who has posted a great review and photo album of Swedish hot dogs otherwise known as korv.

I've known about Copenhagen's popular hot dog stands for a while and have always wanted to go there to try them out. I guess the love of sausage and bread is actually a Scandanavia-wide phenomenon!

Link: Street Cuisine

Homemade: German Käsekrainer with Colman's American Mild mustard

Don't worry, I know the 'Best Before' date on the packet says August - these are actually old pictures that I've only just got round to posting!




I bought a packet of Käsekrainer (pork wurst containing pieces of cheese) from the German Deli stall at the fantastic Covent Garden Night Market earlier this year.

'German Deli' isn't a restaurant as I thought but a website where you can order all kinds of German food and have it delivered to you. Check out the site here . As well as the Käsekrainer they sell all kinds of Wurst, German mustards and other sausagey products. Well worth a visit.

I simmered the Käsekrainer for about 5 minutes, which was a little longer than recommended, and served them with baked rolls and a mustard I hadn't tried before, Colman's American Mild.







I mentioned Käsekrainer in an earlier review for Kipferl in Smithfields. Apparently emmental is the cheese usually added to the sausage as it has a higher melting point. After cooking these Käsekrainer, the cheese inside had completely melted so either I cooked them for too long or it was a different kind of cheese inside.

Not that it mattered; the melted cheese turned into a sticky, gooey, savoury sauce that worked beautifully with the pork. Cheese is never an obvious accompaniment to sausage and bread but here it really works. I can see how a Käsekrainer would make a fantastic street snack.

As for the mustard, it had a nice tanginess similar to French's but without the dubious, radioactive colouring. Not quite the German hot dog stand mustard I was after but really nice nonetheless and a good choice if you're making American style hot dogs.

Benugo, Great Portland Street

Benugo has been around for about 10 years but this is the first time I've visited.




The shop, which specializes is grilled sandwiches, has a deli feel to it and is quite spacious. They have recently introduced free wi-fi for customers too.

I'm not sure if I got the ordering system right on my visit. Do you order you food at the deli counter section and then pay at the till? Or order at the till? Whichever it is, the system is a bit confusing and you seem to end up waiting in two queues and then milling around at the end as you wait for your food.

I ordered a cumberland sausage sandwich in a crusty roll, part of the breakfast menu.




I suppose it shows that appearances can be deceptive. Despite Benugo's funky, designer look the sandwich was a let down. A bland, squashed, flaky bread roll concealed a sliced cumberland sausage that was in need of a bit more heating up. Not much love of food was apparent. I might have expected something like this from an anonymous, side-street cafe but not from somewhere with such a bright, cosmopolitan image.

As always with a negative review, I can't slam an entire establishment based soley on its sausage sandwich. For all I know Benugo's other food could be outstanding. But for the purposes of this blog, I have to put Benugo in the 'don't bother' pile (unless you really need somewhere with free wi-fi).

1 out of 5