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Down The Blue: The Cafe Situation

Grosvenor Estates have bought the Peek and Frean Biscuit Factory site.  Peek and Frean used to be a major employer in Bermondsey but closed in 1989.  The company brought the world the Twiglet and the beloved, delicious Garibaldi squashed fly biscuit.  Now the old factory is home to small businesses; graphic artists, designers, studios.  Grosvenor Estates famously developed Belgravia and Mayfair and are now looking at the potential of The Blue, the area around Blue Anchor Lane, linked to Borough by Southwark Park Road.  Grosvenor Estates are doing their homework on what the area needs to become another trendy London location and sent round a questionnaire asking what residents think would improve the area.  One of the suggestions was more cafes.

This sent me out to look at the cafes already here. I already knew and love Mr. Cappuchinos on Jamaica Road. There you can get a newspaper, an enormous range of hot and cold sandwiches and panninis, the usual range of coffees though they have not yet upgraded to a barista to serve them, and can sit either inside or out on the extraordinarily wide pavement.

In the Biscuit Factory itself there is a good old-fashioned cafe with good solid  hot meals served mostly to the workers in the Biscuit Factory and  the workmen currently crawling all over the Four Squares Estate.

The other side of the railway arches, in what is properly The Blue, the first cafe is the Curry Den, probably named for the famous Milwall Football Team, recently relegated, who's home is The Den, just up the road. Here you can try their famous Piri Piri grilled chicken. They are very nice people and once specially made samosas for me when I popped in.

 Then there is Lou Farrow's Snack Bar and Take Away; Traditional Pie and Mash.  Here they serve meat pies, eel and 'liquor' a mysterious green soup which turns our to be made with parsley.   It is a real, traditional eel pie and mash cafe, and they are rare these days.

Going on down Southwark Park Road are Pete's Bakery, which sells cakes and serves coffee, the Pop In Cafe, oh the other side of the road, and a Wimpy bar.  I haven't seen a Wimpy bar since the 60s.  So I looked it up on Wikipedia and found, to my astonishment, that Wimpy is South African.  Maybe that is why they suddenly vanished from British streets.  The first UK Wimpy was opened in Lyons Corner House, Coventry Road, London in 1954.  This one is at 251A Southwark Park Road.  Checking on the internet the one on Southwark Park Road looks to be the very last one left serving.

Next comes the Market Square where I get my jellied eels and news of Millwall football club from the fishmonger.  Here there is the Lucya Cafe which serves a traditional menu to the locals.  

There is also the Star Express, serving huge breakfasts, a huge range of burgers and sandwiches, Turkish meat balls and liver and onions. and finally there is Duns Delicatessen which serves that other well known London delicacy, salt beef sandwiches along with a splendid all day breakfast including kippers, haddock, black or white pudding and porridge as well as toasted ciabattas and panninis.  All seem well-loved by locals Although it is wonderful to have the huge range of coffees and delicious food served in more fashionable locations round London there is still a place in my heart for these traditional cafes.