Manze's Noted Eel and Pie House

Posted on 2010/09/19 11:05:15 (September 2010).

[Saturday 18th September 2010]
As part of my interest in all things old and traditional in London I had wanted to visit a pie and eel shop for some time, but had always assumed there wouldn't be much point as a vegetarian. So I was delighted to find out recently that Manze's Noted Eel and Pie House - one of the most well known - actually did a vegetarian version of their meat pie. So at the first opportunity (today) we headed over to Bermondsey to visit their original shop, on Tower Bridge Road.

The shop dates back to 1892, but was bought by M. Manze in 1902. As far as I can tell the tiled Victorian interior is entirely original, and, whilst obviously showing slight signs of wear it's quite beautiful. However, it isn't a museum, it's a thriving business, which seemed to be pretty much full of East End pie enthusiasts who I could only assume were regulars. Even when we went, just after 11 (yes, we had pie and mash effectively for breakfast).

It was like stepping into a different world. Living in London you hardly ever meet any genuine Londoners - I don't think anyone I work with is originally from London, and staff working in pubs/restaurants/shops here are invariably from abroad. Nothing wrong with that - I love the cosmopolitan blend you get in London - but it's hard to get a sense of place with no consistent accents, etc. Here though I felt decidedly foreign - in a good way - the same sort of nervous excitement you get when going into a bar or a restaurant in another country... but the staff and the locals were all very friendly. An East Ender in the queue next to us spotted our wide-eyed looks and correctly assumed it was our first time here, he then enthusiastically endorsed an optimal pie to mash ratio, and heartily recommended the application of a large quantity of vinegar. Vinegar on pies seemed a bit improbable, but many of the regulars were doing it.

The menu is gloriously simple - several lines taken up with various ratios of pie and mash (1 pie no mash, 1 pie 1 mash, 1 pie 2 mash, 2 pie 1 mash, 2 pie 2 mash) - I couldn't help but be reminded of Monty Python's Spam sketch. They also do two types of eels - jellied or stewed, and, to my delight, as a foonote at the bottom, the vegetarian pie.

The vegetarian pies are cooked to order, so we had a a bit of a wait after ordering, which gave us a chance to soak up the atmosphere a bit. Not only is the decor the same as it was a century ago, I understand the menu is also almost identical (presumably with the exception of the vegetarian pie) - and they said they use almost exactly the same recipes they were using when the shop first opened. Plus presumably given the fact the regulars are "real" Londoners, I'm guessing the clientele is probably pretty similar too, albeit dressed a bit differently nowadays. I can't thnk of anywhere else in London where you could have an experience so consistent with what it was like in Victorian times. Yes there are plenty of Victorian pubs, but the range of drinks available today would be entirely unrecognisable to someone from Victorian times. I suppose the only other thing that comes close would be some of the grand old restaurants like Simpson's or Rules, but I doubt very much either of those are still owned by the same family.

As for the food itself, I thoroughly enjoyed it - really good pastry on the pie, and the mash had a fantastic earthy sort of quality to it (I mean that in a good way!). There was very little messing about - pie, mash and liqour (a kind of parsley sauce) on a plate. Interestingly it reminded me of the food at St. John's. Only this was about five teams cheaper, and with a more attractive interior. And less media types. Not sure Chie was quite as enamoured with her stewed eels - I guess the Japanese have very specific expectations of what eels should be like - but she was keen to come again so she could tried the jellied eels, or maybe the pies. I also had a drink called Sarsaparilla - presumably a kind of Victoria answer to cola - which was rather nice.

I absolutely loved the whole experience - I'd had lunch in Victorian times. Fantastic.

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