Rough Trade East coffee was the final stop on this Sunday trip to Brick Lane in 2016. Before the Americano, though, came two salt-beef bagels, a bottle of Rib Man hot sauce and a seat in the Truman Brewery yard. It was a short outing with a very satisfying amount of food.
From the Roberts London archive: the original film was published on 5 October 2016. The shops, prices and café offering described here are those from the visit.
Two Brick Lane bagel shops
It was still early enough on Sunday that neither shop had a queue stretching out of the door. I visited the yellow-fronted Beigel Shop and Beigel Bake, buying a bagel from each for a comparison. At Beigel Bake, I filmed salt beef with pickle at £3.70 and noted that it was cash only. That price is a detail of the 2016 visit.
You could see bagels being made through the window. With the food bought, I found somewhere to sit in the yard of the Truman Brewery, just off Brick Lane. The seating around the old loading bay made a useful spot to stop and eat.
Salt beef, hot sauce and a close verdict
I had also picked up hot sauce from the Rib Man. At the start of the film, I pointed out the stall and recalled how much I had enjoyed the rib meat in a bun on a previous visit. This time, it was the sauce that came with me.
Both bagels were delicious. Beigel Bake edged the comparison for me that day, but it was a close call. My advice at the end of the film was simple: choose the shorter queue. If neither had a queue, I would have gone back to Beigel Bake based on that morning’s taste test.
The hot sauce added another kick. I mentioned the Rib Man’s Christ on a Bike sauce for anyone who liked things especially spicy. Between that and two salt-beef bagels, I had certainly had enough to eat. Coffee was the next priority.
Rough Trade East coffee in the record shop
Still in the Truman Brewery yard, I headed towards the large Rough Trade East record shop. The café was part of the attraction: alongside the records, it offered coffee and Crosstown doughnuts. I ordered a black Americano and took it outside.
It was windy in the yard, and I joked that the coffee might help after the food coma brought on by two bagels. I then realised I had been talking about it without actually trying it. Once I did, I was pleased with it: a good coffee to finish the morning.
I also mentioned the Crosstown doughnuts, although I did not buy one in this film. The visit had already combined a taste test, a little shopping and a café stop without needing to go far from Brick Lane.
For another food-led wander from the same month, see my KERB Camden Market walk with coffee, arepas and ice cream.
