Madisons Deli, Stanmore

If you ever happen to fall asleep and wake up at the end of the Jubilee line in Stanmore in need of a pick-me-up, Madison’s is your place.

Nana ‘B’ Strooooodell is a big fan of Madison’s (despite the fact that the food isn’t actually ‘kosher’) but at the ripe age of 94 she struggles to get out and eat-in there any more so when my brothers and I visit we often pick up a few bits to take away.

She likes their chopped liver and tongue, neither of which I can stomach- I was force fed tongue when I was a little girl by my parents and I can still remember gagging at the sight of its marbling!

So when my brother Matthew and I dropped in there on a recent visit for a spot of lunch I stuck clear of the cold cuts and tucked into some warming chicken noodle soup with kreplach.

Despite my rich yid heritage on my dad’s side I was first introduced to it at Harry Morgan’s, a New York style deli by my friend Leah. They used to have a branch round the corner to our office but sadly it closed a while back and since then I’ve been craving for a kreplach fix.

I have to say, I was a bit disappointed by Madison’s take on it. The chicken soup itself was really flavoursome; a sparkling consommé which was bobbing with carrots. But the kreplach was a bit doughy and stingy on the meat filling- Harry’s kreplach is stuffed with meat, beef, I think, and is a lot more tasty.

The mains were better. Matthew had a Reuben sandwich (£6.50) which came with lashings of salt beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. He mistakenly smeared most of the accompanying mustard on it and it was so hot it almost blew off his head.

I went for salt beef on rye straight up and was more sparing with the condiments. I also ordered some gherkins which we shared- they looked like they were swiped from Mrs Elswood herself and added a perfect tang.

The ambiance of Madison’s is great and despite the kreplach let-down the restaurant is well worth a visit out to Zone 5- if only to check out the Craig David “all-over your body” collection of gold discs which adorn the wall behind the counter.

See below a Kreplach recipe from a vintage Jewish read by Jennie Grossinger that 'B' gave to me a year or so back:

Noodle dough:

2 cups flour, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon of water, 1/2 teaspoon salt

Place unsifted flour on a board and make a well in centre. Add eggs, water and salt into the hole. Work into the flour with one hand, kneading until soft and elastic. Roll and stretch the dough as thin as possible. The thinner, the better.

Cut into 3-inch squares and place a tablespoon of your filling on each. One option is mince beef, onions, salt and pepper and a bit of a fat but any left over meat works.

Fold the dough into a triangle and press edges together with a bit of water to moisten. Cook in boiling water/soup for around 20 mins until they rise. Drain. They can then be fried or served in the soup.