We dissect what London’s much-loved dishes are made from.
The first thing you need to know about Bodega Rita’s take on a Chicago beef sandwich is that it’s topped with fried breadcrumbs. Yeah, breadcrumbs in bread. That’s just one of the ways founders Missy Flynn and Gabe Pryce have put their own spin on this classic sub, which typically involves roast beef au jus (cooked in stock, basically). ‘We’ve eaten a lot of sandwiches to get to this point,’ says Pryce. He explains how they added new flavours and textures to level up an American classic.
The bread
‘Hoagies are all over the US but bakeries here don’t make them. We bake our own every morning. They’re soft on the inside and we coat them in polenta for a nice crust.’
The beef
‘It’s a boneless shin of beef, which is a really flavourful cut. We use our own barbecue spice mix and slow-cook it overnight in a stock flavoured with chilli and oregano.’
The cheese
‘We use provolone piccante – it’s quite sharp, more like pecorino than parmesan. The sharpness cuts through the beef and brings a bit of creaminess.’
The trimmings
‘We use leftover bread to make breadcrumbs, which we fry with chilli, lemon zest and oregano. That’s topped with a lombardi pepper – it’s spicy but refreshes the palate.’
The condiments
‘We make vats of our own vinegar pepper relish and house mayo. We tried lots of mustards and settled on French’s American. There’s nothing like it, it has to be that.’
91 Cowcross St. £11.