Both the full English and the penne Pellicci are impeccable.
I’m grateful to my new friend Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet, a Manila-based blogger who I met over the weekend in London at the 2014 Chowzter Awards. For without his gentle prodding I might never have experienced the wonders of a proper English full breakfast at E. Pellicci, an old school East End diner. On my last evening in London the jet lag was kicking pretty hard, but I’m glad that I ventured out next morning to Bethnal Green with Anton and two other international food bloggers Catherine Ling of Camemberu and Stanislaus Hans Danial Subianto of Eats and Treats to this family-run institution.
Note the Italian flag.
“Oh, we’re in the right place, the boys and girls are eating there,” I quipped motioning to to a male and female police officer when we entered. The art deco café’s been in the Pellicci family since 1900 when Elide and Primo Pellici opened shop. The fact that it also serves some truly lovely Italian food makes it London’s oldest fusion spot. These days, the cooking’s done by her daughter, Maria. The penne Pellicci (£7), pasta with pesto tomato sauce and a drizzle of olive oil lovely applied by our waiter Tony shows the loving touch of an Italian grandmother.That touch was quite frankly something I sorely needed on my somewhat nerve-wracking first trip abroad. It might very well be the first time I’ve had pasta as part of a complete breakfast. I’m hoping it’s not the last.
Up close and personal with Pellicci’s full English.
Pellicci’s full English (£5.50), comes with option of toast or fried bread. I chose the latter and supplemented it with back pudding. As good as all the meats were—and they were excellent—I was most impressed by the idea of serving breakfast with sautéed mushrooms and tomatoes. Surprisingly it was not as insanely filling as I thought it would be. It was a perfect way to bid aideu to London.
As we were walking back to the Hoxton Hotel in nearby Shoreditch, Anton turned to me and said, “When you said you weren’t going last night I was like, ‘Is this guy sure he’s a food blogger?'” Thanks for reminding me that I am indeed a food blogger, Anton.
Be sure to check back for further coverage of my London trip, including a full report on the awards, British bagels, and the mother of all food markets.
E. Pilicci,332 Bethnal Green Rd, London, U.K., +44 20 7739 4873