Harry Morgan

By Efrat Gilboa - Friday 13th 2009f March 2009


If it's haimishe cooking you're after, look no further than the very comforting and very homely Harry Morgan. Based right in the centre of St John's Wood High Street, its location is ideal.

Having heard about Harry Morgan's reputation - it has been around since 1948 - and of various classics dishes it serves from friends and family spanning all age groups, I knew I'd feel right at home.

As soon as I entered the restaurant, I almost felt that I would be greeted with a kiss from the staff, just as my grandma used to kiss me upon entering her home before serving me some good old fashioned food like she had back in the shtetl. As it was rather full inside, and seeing that it was a rare sunny day that had to be taken advantage of, we made full use of the outside seating - albeit with coats and sunglasses.

After much reminiscing about grandma's cooking whilst browsing the dishes on offer, I got to work on the menu and had a real problem choosing my meal given all of the great nostalgic choices. For starters, I had to go for chopped liver (£5.25) and egg & onion (£3.95), whilst my partner was tempted by the gefilte fish (£5.95) and chose to have it fried. These were all ludicrously delicious and, just like good grandchildren, we scraped our plates rather too quickly, and were ready for more.

We were spoilt for choice with mains: bagels, fish, sandwiches, salads and classic Ashkenazi dishes - including goulash, viennas and worsht - were on offer. So we each opted for a cheeky soup dish before our mains. My chicken kreplach (meat dumpling) soup (£4.95) brought me back to my youth both in smell, taste and portion, and was as good as the home-made version. My companion chose hot borscht (cold was also an option) which came with potato (£3.95) and made his way through the bowl with remarkable speed and enthusiasm. We weren't prepared for the size of the dish - it could have definitely been ordered as a main dish. By now we were nearing full but had to soldier on. I couldn't resist the chicken shnitzel & sauerkraut (£10.95), which proved fantastic and succulent, - and more importantly - just how I remembered it as a child. My friend longed for the classic plate of regular salt beef (£13.50) and couldn't stop talking about how perfect and delicious his choice was, so I decided he needed help finishing his dish. Both meals were fresh and the portions generous and - and dare I say - far better presented than at home.

Struggling with our last bites, we contemplated the dessert menu. Feeling like going the whole hog with our Yiddishe theme, we shared the homemade lockshen pudding (£3.95). We chose it served hot and savoured every mouthful - we were delighted with how soft and flavoursome it was with the right amount of sweetness that gave it the edge.

The place was heaving throughout our meal and I was not surprised - service was top-class with polite and efficient staff, and this made a real different to our experience. More pluses are the friendly atmosphere and varied take away menu for either pick-up or delivery. Add to this very reasonable prices and the fact that the food was so scrumptious that we finished every crumb on our plates. Grandma would be proud.

29-31 St John's Wood High Street
London
NW8 7NH
Tel: 020 7722 1869
Email: enquiries@harryms.co.uk