Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
A Cnak from Cmak
No idea where the yen came from, but out of the blue yesterday I decided I wanted some Polish smoked fish that I was introduced to by a Polish cleaner way back when. There used to be a shop on Highbury Fields that sold it.
But, I didn't want to go that far and thought the local shops on GL were worth a try. Glad I did. A bit of perseverance at Cmak got me my fish. It took a bit of time explaining myself to the Russian lady behind the counter, but after a few minutes the light went on.
"Ah, Butter Fish!" she triumphed. WIth that she reached into a freezer under the counter and pulled out a half fish. She cut off a tiny slice for me to try. The thing to do, she told me, is to slice it, then leave it out of the freezer for about 10 minutes before eating. A good sharp knife will keep the slices enticingly thin.
"I sorry", she said, handing me a good lunch for two, "too expensive fish, but very goot". The price? £3.13, not counting my almost 5% discount of 13p!
I went back up the road to Almo to get my accompaniment - Polish horseradish sauce. Criminally expensive at 50p for a jar.
I seem to remember that I used to eat it along with copious shots of Vodka, but it being lunchtime, we missed that out this time.
Nice to finally make a visit to two of the three GL Eastern European shops. The staff of both shops have very limited English and those in the Almo didn't seem very minded to help. On the other hand, the babooshka at Cmak was a sweetie.
Worth an explore - and if you want to learn a bit more about EE food, this looks interesting.
Tags for Forum Posts: east european food, polish food
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Katrina on
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hehe, no idea what the 'butter fish' is actually! was it like smoked mackerel? funny how Russians have a knack for freezing things (not that difficult in -20 I suppose) and then letting them soften - salo is eaten in a similar way actually..
I wonder if we should think about doing a little tour around Eastern-European shops/eateries in Haringey?..I could maybe even arrange for a little meal afterwards..I know many people are totally baffled by 'Russian' shops, although most things sold there are actually not as weird or exotic as people might think.
(thanks for linking me up hugh:))
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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What I remembered from about 15 years back was a white smoked fish eaten with horseradish. I'm not sure what it was, haddock? Certianly not an oily fish. In those days just after the fall of the wall, we had a polish cleaner whose family had fallen on hard times. (Her husband used to be one of the top guys in the Polish Post Office).
I assumed it was a typical Polish dish, but the reaction of the Polish staff in Almo suggested otherwise.
That tour could be interesting.
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Permalink Reply by ElleCarumba on
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mmm pierogis.
Has anyone got sufficent pierogi eating experience to recommend the best local outlet/maker of them?
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Permalink Reply by Noots on
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Thanks for the recommendation, Osbawn. A few of us went there last night, and as you say, the food is great value for money; tasty, comforting and extremely generous portions. I can see me becoming something of a regular when Winter kicks in.
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