Food
William Skidelsky on a café for ex-public school boys
Published 08 December 2003
Roast meat holds a very special place in the hearts of ex-public school boys
City types are not renowned for leading temperate lifestyles. A job in London's financial district has many attractions, but the prospect of effortless weight loss is not one of them. Six-figure salaries require spending; 14-hour days require fuelling. Not surprisingly, the result is that the waistlines of many City bankers and lawyers, to an even greater extent than those of the rest of the population, have a tendency to expand uncontrollably.
For those working within London's Square Mile, however, the task of staying trim has recently become even more difficult. The responsibility for this lies with a sandwich shop called Fuzzy's Grub, which opened just over a year ago and has become one of the most talked-about lunchtime destinations in the City. From the outside, there is little to distinguish Fuzzy's from the other sandwich shops and cafes in the area; tucked away on a quiet alley off Fleet Street, it is easy to overlook entirely. Once inside, though, it quickly becomes obvious why the shop has achieved such spectacular word-of-mouth success.
The owners of Fuzzy's Grub, two women in their twenties (who, rather amazingly, actually are called Fuzzy and Grub), have taken the shrewd decision not to serve the extensive range of fillings found in most sandwich shops, but to concentrate on one staple ingredient - roast meat. When you consider the demographics of most City offices the wisdom of this becomes clear. If one thing is certain about workforces in this part of town, it is that they are bound to feature a higher-than-average proportion of former public school pupils. And as anyone acquainted with former public school pupils knows, roast meat tends to hold a very special place in their hearts.
For such people, in fact, Fuzzy's Grub must be close to nirvana. The shop is a shrine to roast meat of every variety. The menu, written in old-fashioned lettering above the counter, lists the daily selection, which typically includes rib and topside of beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey and ham. The meats, which are procured from Smithfield Market and cooked downstairs in the kitchen, are served either in sandwiches or in a takeaway box, with all the trimmings: roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, vegetables, gravy and so on. Customers keen to watch their weight can have their meat with a simple side salad, an option favoured by those on the Atkins diet.
I visit Fuzzy's on a Tuesday, which, according to Grub, is one of the quietest days. ("Things get busier as the week progresses. We think it's because so many people have hangovers on Thursdays and Fridays.") Nevertheless, from the moment the meats are brought up, around noon, there is a near-constant procession of suited, square-jawed men, interspersed with the occasional smartly dressed woman. Most are clearly regulars.
As David Bannister, a solicitor, observes, "Once you know about Fuzzy's, it's hard not to keep coming back." Tim Kevan, a barrister, is even more enthusiastic. "I love this place. It's just the best sandwich shop there is, no question." Kevan, a one-time chairman of the national Conservative students' association, says he comes to Fuzzy's two or three times a week. "When you compare it with the other sandwich shops around here, such as Pret, it really is a no-brainer. I'm amazed there aren't more Fuzzy's in London." Another barrister tells me that the senior lawyers at his chambers spend a large part of every morning debating whether today is a "Fuzzy's day".
Fuzzy and Grub are soon opening a second shop in St James's, and plan a third close to Liverpool Street. However, they stress they won't be going down the same route as Pret A Manger. "We don't want to compromise quality by becoming a large chain. Besides, I think our appeal will always be more limited than Pret's," Grub says. It is hard not to agree with this. Fuzzy's is an excellent sandwich bar, but it is perhaps not to everyone's taste, a point proved by another regular I spoke to, who told me that its success comes down to three things: "Bloody good tuck, bloody good blokes, and bloody good totty."
Fuzzy's Grub, 62 Fleet Street, London EC4 (020 7583 6060)
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