Yes, I know, it was the first time we were really spending time in London. So why not "do" all those touristy things? Like a Jack the Ripper Tour? After doing a bit of research, it seemed like this one would be a good match. And since we were pretty full after having Afternoon Tea, we could just try to find a nice, maybe historical pub afterwards for a late bite and drink.
After all, what would be more fun than to walk the streets of London's East End? And of course everyone has heard of Jack the Ripper, a name that will forever be associated with the East end, who murdered at least (it depends whom you ask) 5 women for a period of about 5 months (again, depends on whom you ask) in 1888. There are innumerable books, websites, and various articles to read. I'm not going to go into too much detail here; I'm sure you can find all you want on the web, library, etc.
We caught the Tube and met at the Aldgate East Tube Station. The group was relatively small, less than 12 people. Our guide Angie was a hoot; totally in character, amazing stories, had historic photos of the area; once strewn with small streets.
We stopped at various sights; like one of the places we had on our lists to have dinner and a drink following our tour; the Ten Bells.
Where at least two of the Ripper's victims were known to visit. In fact, it is said, that Mary Jane Kelly, the supposed last victim of the Ripper was last seen at the Ten Bells. The pub is also supposedly haunted.
We made over a dozen stops; including the corner of this square.
This is the southern corner of Mitre Square; where at 145am in the morning of September 30th, 1888, the body of Catherine Eddowes, the fourth vitim of the Ripper was found. The interesting thing about this is that this is the western most location of the Whitechapel Murders and actually in the City of London!
It was an entertaining evening. Before we headed off, we asked Angie about getting a bite to eat and a drink nearby. She told us the Ten Bells was noisy and full of tourists and recommended another historic pub named the Hoop and Grapes.
This place seemed a bit more local; the folks working quite friendly.
I got a Nicholson Pale Ale.
Hilarity ensued when I ordered the Missus's Gin and Tonic. The bartender asked me what kind of tonic…..something I don't think I'd been asked before. When I appeared stumped he told me "we have over 30 different tonics!" Ok, lesson learned! I just got a Hendricks with the basic Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic.
Since we were in London; the Missus decided on some Fish and Chips, which was made with Haddock.
We had to send this back once because the fish was still frozen. They apologized and actually got a brand new plate; the shape of the fish was totally different. The batter was crisp and light, but the fish was on the dry side. The chips were dry and we actually needed to request malt vinegar; which was provided in packets.
I decided on the "award winning" Steak & Nicholson's Pale Ale Pie…..well since I was having a Nicholson's Pale Ale anyway.
The crust of the pie was decent; crisp and flaky, the "steak" was quite chewy, though the sauce and gravy helped even things out. Overall, a bit on the bland side. I actually had to request some salt; something I almost never do in a restaurant. The peas, green beans and cabbage were pretty much tasteless. Though the mashed potatoes were very creamy it was also on the bland side as well.
Well, we weren't expecting haute cuisine, so this was perfectly fine for us. Some drinks in a relaxed pub with very friendly folks suited us just fine on this evening.
The Hoop and Grapes
47 Aldgate High St.
London EC3N 1AL, UK
This was indeed larger than what I'd had on my last visit. I went and cut it in half and there was a good amount of chicken this time and I could actually capture whisps of "parfum d'ail" (the fragrance of garlic). The wrap was still warm, there was indeed a good amount of garlic sauce, along with the very important pickles which help to counteract the dry chicken and balance out the pungency of the garlic sauce. The lettuce was used in a more restrained manner this time.
Ok, the beef in the meat jun was nicely marinated, if a bit on the chewier side; sweet-salty-hint of garlic, very bulgogi-ish, the batter was a bit thicker and gritty than I prefer and it had been over-fried a bit. But, the Missus enjoyed the mild eggy-ness and the combination of flavors. She liked the meat jun dipping sauce which also had a hint of vinegar, some spice, balanced sweetness.
Wasn't sure what to expect with the hash browns….there were three to an order, more than I could consume. This was typical Sysco quality, fast-foodish hash browns dusted with a truffle-Parmesan powder. It had a sweet tinge to it, I later found out that it is also dusted with black garlic. Not sure what hash browns are going for these days at your local fast-food joint, but I'm guessing that it's pretty reasonable for $4.50. Not that I would order it again though.
Just having the mix of cheddar-mozzarella which made things nice and gooey and the under-seasoned egg was not enough to overcome the brioche toast. There was a lack of savory flavors to me. I'm sure that some folks might really take to this, but it was just not my kind of thing.
This was a pretty messy sandwich. The bacon, which almost reminded me of "Canadian Bacon" hadn't been crisped up enough and was quite rubbery. Still, the savory-saltiness…it didn't seem smoky to me, really added balance to the sandwich.
It's still quite hefty, though wrapped a bit tighter. There seems to be a bit less Tzatziki, but the pita is still nice and pillowy.
I enjoyed the mashed avocado which added a nice creaminess to the toast. The Balsamic seemed to take it a bit over the edge with regards to sweetness; though I'm thinking some folks would love that. Not enough micro greens to make a difference. The Mozzarella added some milky-sour tones, but I rearranged them to try to get one in every bite.
Think of this as Daikon no Nimono crowned with a sizeable piece of seared foie gras and caramelized onions. As 
The rice and egg were the same on this dish as well. The Missus loved the crisp, earthy-vegetal gailan. The spice was quite good for just a "medium". The sauce was closer to the saltier side of the scale, but was quite enjoyable. The hints of garlic, sweet, and the spice balanced things out nicely.
