Part 2 - Smithfield Market, Worst and Coffee

If you walk through Smithfield Market along the Grand Avenue, there is a series of story boards that provide the back story of this historic market place. I learned that it was the site where William Wallace was hanged, drawn and quartered. His head was stuck on pole at London Bridge and his body quarters sent on tour of the Scotland and Northern England. Apparently there's a plaque somewhere on the wall of the market which records the fact, but I couldn't find it. I love the building and it's ornate, baroque exterior. It seems over the top for a market but then they were important centers of commerce and trade. The fact that it remains a fully functioning meat market is wonderful and if you've ever been to Fabric you'll see how busy it gets in the wee small ours of the day.

In the roads around the market are some great restaurants, St John's, Club Gascon, Fox & Anchor to name a few but I was on the look out for something more low key and basic; a small cafe or independent coffee shop. I checked a friend's London foodie blog for suggestions and found one nearby called Dose on Long Lane (south east corner of Smithfields). On arrival, I notice another cafe next door which looked a like it had a spare table and a bigger selection of lunch food. It's called Kipferl and reckons it's the only Austrian deli this side of the Rhein. While it is indeed a deli selling Austrian food and drink, it's also a cafe with five or six tables squeezed into a pretty small space. On offer were various types of worst (sausage to you and me) served with kraut as well as salads, soup and sandwiches. I went for the aforementioned worst (with cheese inside) and kraut, served with rye bread and all of which was delicious. This was followed with a lovely rich cappuccino served in true continental style with a small glass of water and a chocolate and to that I added a piece of Linzertorte (Bakewell tart, Austrian style). I found out that the deli is soon to be moving to Camden Passage and was days away from shutting before the move. So my chance find is moving on - probably to a bigger space and away from the Crossrail building site blights to other side of the street. Islingtonites, go check it out; what is Smithfield's loss will be your gain.