The Meat Roll
There is nothing that tastes better to me than food eaten in its proper setting. The wateriest Dal tastes just right with a warm chapati in Rajasthan, but eaten elsewhere it tastes foul. Sage and onion stuffing only makes sense here in the UK.
The British are a different sort of islander to the Japanese, though they share some of their characteristics. Things have to be ship-shape and orderly on both of our islands, but, in contrast to the Japanese, we are rough hewn and imperfect. We are incomplete. Perhaps the Japanese think they are complete. 500 girls and 500 boys, two halves of a golden O, were sent to look for the secret of life by the Chinese emperor and never came back. They settled Japan, married each other and stayed at home for the next thousand years.
We, however, are always parched for the new. The looks that the crusty whites, give to British people descended from natives of the Caribbean, Sri Lanka, Asia and Africa, are absorbent looks. The British look abroad, look outwards; fall in love with desserts, jungles, the ice and the sea, going everywhere, conquering everyone. For too long, perhaps, Britons must have felt land-locked with only a coracle or two to get them over to the Isle of White or Ireland. The British are naturally combinant. They are completed in their identity by a bit of the other.
The fauna and flora that decorate Surrey gardens are from every corner of the world. In New Cross Africans, Asians, Latin Americans and Arabs conspire and dream; in barbers shops and cafes - and the British want them here.
Of course symptoms of this deep, and often hidden, British love of the other, are the successful fast food outlets in our high streets selling every other nation's food. People try them out and then come back for more. There is very little British fast food for sale and now even the fish and chips restaurants are owned by British Cypriots and Chinese who sometimes lack respect for our dishes; the batter gets crispier and oilier and the oil gets cheaper and older.
But the pubs endure. And most pubs from here to Land's End will often offer a traditional British Sunday lunch. In this sense, the pub is an extension of the home. The tradition of the Sunday roast is strong. There are at least 60,000 pubs in the UK and although they are not classified as fast food restaurants, many of them will offer good traditional British food.
To understand The Meat Roll you must understand that in Britain we are the masters of combining pastry, bread (and suet pudding) with different kinds of meat. The pie is English, the sandwich is English, Beef Wellington is the ultimate meat and pastry dish. Pudding made with steak, oysters, gravy and porter cannot be equaled. And, of course, like our ancillary countries; The USA, Canada Australia and some of South Africa, we have the cult of Sunday Lunch leftovers.
Stuffing, sauce, gravy and meat, quickly sandwiched and eaten on Sunday evening or at Monday lunchtime between large slices of soft bread. In Kingston, the Meat Roll has brought coals to Newcastle, brought Beef Wellington to Number 1 London brought Sunday leftovers to a high street fast food outlet - with the crackling. There was a piece of it on my plate.
The owners, Sue Rowcliffe and her husband were inspired by a trip to Philadelphia where they ate the Philadelphia Cheese Steak Sandwich and Sue's husband thought. 'We can do better than this.' and created a British steak sandwich using real cheddar. The concept is:
'...good quality food. Generous portions of sliced beef, pork and turkey will be served in a soft floured bread coupled with optional extras such as cranberry or apple sauce, stuffing, fried onions.'
Everything put me off at first. The sign looked like a badly drawn burger circled in brown. The decor was brown and the words 'Meat Roll' meant nothing at all. What drew me in were the descriptions next to the pictures, though the pictures themselves were badly taken and discoloured. There were only four or five people in the dingy interior on Sunday.
Kingston Cheese Steak
Twickenham Turkey
Hampton Hog
The most surprising thing of all to me, was to see that this fast food restaurant actually carved its own pork and Turkey joints on the premises. Sadly, the beef looked a little school dinnery, slices of it floated in a metal basin of gravy.
One of the girls was on the phone and turned her back to me while she chatted and Sue Rowcliffe looked a little harried, but eventually my turn came. It was difficult and a little humiliating ordering a 'Ridiculous' Hampton Hog', but I did so. and I was served quickly and it was wonderful. The people next to me also ordered the 'ridiculous' and Sue remonstrated with them:
'It's very big you know, have a look.'
'No. Thank you, we do want the Ridiculous, please.' they insisted.
The portions were generous. It was authentic, and perfectly cooked. I chatted to Sue. 'I would never have guessed your place was worth trying out by the logo or the decor.' I told her. 'No one would know how good you are. You need some serious professional marketing advice.'
'Well my husband did think long and hard,' she said. and it's very full during the week. People tend to come back.
What the heck. I said. Build it and they will come. This is great. I'll come back. But where is the rest of the British theme? Do you sell tea?'
'Yes and we are starting cream teas in the afternoon. We are originally from Devon.'
As I left I glanced up. The qualified chef had an unlit fag in her mouth she was at the till, packing up and getting ready to go home. She saw me and hid it quickly. Marco Pierre White would love this place. He'd have a few suggestions too. Perhaps a few more extras are needed. A hotter sauce perhaps. Horseradish, English mustard. And how about lamb? That should be on the menu too. A meat roll with lamb and mint sauce, wonderful, whatever the French may think of it. And where are the roast potatoes and peas on the side?
At home I found the Facebook page for The Meat Roll and right at the top of its list of friends was my nephew Myles, a real foodie. Apparently the concept for the restaurant was thought up by the father of one of his friends, Jim Rowcliffe. You can join their fan page here. I have. And If you are in the borough of Kingston or Richmond they do takeaways now.
34, Eden Walk Shopping Centre, Eden Walk, Town Centre, Kingston Upon Thames, KT1 1BJ
Tel - 020 8546 6735
Response from Jim Rowcliffe:
Dear Phil,
Just a quick note to say thanks very much for your glowing review.
To be honest, one of my friends in America found it yesterday and subsequently passed it onto me.
The beef in gravy you saw was something we do occasionally as a special. We get quite a few requests for gravy so we do the Beef and the Turkey. Perhaps we'd run out when you came but we cook topside of beef every day and it's usually medium to medium rare. There are two of us that cook it either my chef who you saw, or me when I'm chef.
Meant to mention that, we've always have mustard and horseradish. The staff are supposed to ask you if you'd like it. Clearly they weren't doing their duty. We keep it behind the counter now as people were stealing handfuls of the stuff.
Lamb is coming but it's much more tricky to do than the others not to mention the price for the good stuff and as you already know, if I can't get the best cuts, I don't do it.
I've spoken to a few marketing types but I've not met anyone yet who's been able to tell me something I didn't already know. Still I'm always up for listening.
I'm sure there are loads of things we could do if we got the right people in but we are a small family concern and our funds are very limited at present. Still, no doubt one day a business angel is going to walk through the door and take us where we'd like to go.
Anyway, enough from me and thanks once again for your kind words.
Regards,
Jim Rowcliffe
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