Pocky Mystery, Beach Town Steak
Pocky Mystery, Beach Town Steak
And some spicy food Twitter
If you enjoy the newsletter today, please forward it to someone who’d enjoy it, and tap the heart icon above, which will help me reach more readers. I appreciate your help, y’all!
This is the free edition of Smart Mouth. If you like it, consider a paid subscription.
I got my first vaccine - April 13 is my release date. Watch out, San Gabriel Valley restaurants.
One of the planet's favorite treats ... with a history that got quite weird in the '80s. Have you heard of the Monster with 21 Faces?
Listen to Smart Mouth: iTunes • Google Podcasts • Stitcher • Spotify • RadioPublic • TuneIn • Libsyn
Photo: Andy Evans Photos
A Beach Town’s Rare Tale
Internationally, the most well-known British dishes are fish ‘n’ chips, Sunday roast, and bangers and mash, but for many of us in the U.K., nothing beats a good old-fashioned steak and chips (or “steak frites,” if you must).
Bournemouth Steak House has among the best renditions of the dish.
Now, while not dating back as far as England’s first steakhouses (or chop houses, as they were known), which opened in the early 1700s, the Bournemouth Steak House has been holding its own since 1983, having survived two recessions, a BSE (mad cow disease) scare and, of course, the 2020 pandemic.
Bournemouth is a resort town, and its season runs from April to September, so relying solely on holidaymakers is risky, but some business owners attempt it.
The owners of the steakhouse, Greek Cypriot immigrants Andrew and Georgia, have wisely looked after the local patrons through the years - though naturally the “grockles” (tourists) come through as well.
Completely unreliant on swanky décor or avant-garde food, Bournemouth Steak House retains its original uneven white walls and ceiling with thin wooden beams. The cooks know rare from medium-rare blindfolded. The main menu is virtually as it was on opening night: red meat perfection. -Michael Renouf
208 Holdenhurst Rd., Boscombe, Bournemouth BH8 8AT, UK. bournemouthsteakhouse.co.uk.
More Food Reading:
Jay Rayner strikes me as someone who’d write a glowing review if his server flirted with him enough.
Cooking chopsticks are indeed a great, multi-use tool.
Consider signing up for a paid subscription. The money goes toward paying our contributors around the world and, starting in March, a special extra edition every month. (If you like, you can choose any amount over $5 in the “supporter subscription plan” field.)
*If you would like to give less than $5, you can do that via Patreon, and it is very helpful and appreciated! You can give just $1/month, and you’ll get podcast episodes early.
This newsletter is edited by Katherine Spiers, host of the podcast Smart Mouth.
A TableCakes Production.
Want to contribute? Here are the submission guidelines.