Mamaleh’s – Number 42
March 8, 2019
Mamaleh’s is a delicatessen and restaurant (open for breakfast, lunch and brunch). We decided to opt for a Saturday brunch at this establishment.
We first encountered brunch when we lived in Philadelphia and thoroughly missed it when we left the US. Nobody does brunch like America.
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Brunch” – the word a marriage of the words ‘breakfast’ and ‘lunch’, which I thought was obvious, but I saw a lightbulb go off when I said this to someone (maybe not so obvious). A typical brunch will involve something with eggs, pancakes or the healthier fruit/granola/yoghurt option (why?) – or all of the above (Yes!). There should definitely be a cocktail or a glass of bubbly present, and it can run anytime from morning to mid afternoon.
Mamaleh’s is a Jewish delicatessen. I don’t know about the USA but in the UK when I was growing up (and actually even now), the Jewish food scene is not something that is seen on the average high street, so the familiarity of the names of dishes is non-existent for us. We may as well have been reading a menu in Russian. Of course, this makes it all the more exciting when choosing dishes and much harder work for our waitress, as she had to ‘interpret’ several things for us. What did we learn?
A (noodle) Kugel – Not a savoury dish, as you might imagine, having noodles. This is in fact a baked sweet pudding. It sort of tastes like a baked cheesecake, so noodles in a sweet creamy sauce with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Mamaleh’s version is topped with cornflakes for a crunchy texture. Yum (or ‘geshmak’ in Yiddish).
Challah bread – This is similar to brioche in texture and lightness. It is made with egg yolks so has a yellow colour, and has a little sugar or honey for sweetness. Unlike brioche, there is no butter in Challah (from my understanding, Challah bread is always Kosher so it can be eaten at all meals. In Kosher, meat and dairy cannot be eaten together, therefore no butter in Challah bread, so it can be used to mop up yummy meat juices). The Challah roll I ordered was served with scrambled eggs and lox (salmon that has been cured in a mild salt brine and then cold-smoked), very moist, surprisingly light and 'fall apart in your hand' moorish.
Rugelach – These are absolutely delicious. Small, sweet pastries that look like a mini croissant but are denser and have a sweet filling. We had chocolate, and raspberry walnut. At only 85c a piece, well worth trying (a few).
Knish – A deep fried (or baked) dough pie filled with – well anything, Mamaleh’s offers the choice of meat or potato; of course we opted for meat. It’s just like a mini pasty but with beef and served warm. Clark’s favourite item in our many- coursed brunch and as Clark said, “just give me five of these”.
This is a definite returner. A buzzy atmosphere, a bright interior and a very helpful waitress. Who knew a Bloody Mary wasn’t complete without a pickled herring. If we could have eaten more we would have stayed to try all the other ‘mysterious’ delicacies on offer. My next visit will involve Matzah Ball Soup, something I’ve heard of and am dying to try and Blintzes and Latkes still need to be explored. Watch this space.
