A Sizzling Celebration of All Things Bacon
We come across a lot of global celebration dates at ExtremeFoodies, most of which flutter by without a second thought. Turkmenistan’s National Melon Day for instance (Aug. 9 FYI), is not exactly a crowd pleaser. But then occasionally we get one that just makes us happy. Like, really happy. And we feel we need to spread the word. Well, today is one if those days: International Bacon Day!
Now we understand that many of you may not have even known that this wondrous day existed, but fear not. That’s why we’re here! To bring you up to date on the most important holidays on the culinary calendar. This meatiest of celebrations was conceived in 2000 by a group of thoughtful and very conscientious young students from Massachusetts who realized there just wasn’t enough international recognition for this most delicious of breakfast item. To remedy this tragedy, they decided to create its own holiday – and so was born America’s IBD. Since then, the celebration has spread around the world. Websites dedicated solely to the ways in which people celebrate (we like the BBBBLT) have appeared and globally people are beginning to recognize it as a holiday worthy of their time.
Annually celebrated on the Saturday before U.S.’s Labor Day, it has become one of the most popular unofficial holidays in the country. But, as we all know, bacon transcends borders and this date has drifted across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom. Our London bloggers ks_ate_here, clerkenwellboyec1 and allthingsmeaty know their bacon. So, if you’re in the UK and feel like celebrating in style, here is their ultimate list of the best places to eat bacon for breakfast this morning! Enjoy, you’ve earned a holiday.
Bombay Bacon Naan - Dishoom
I doubt anyone would’ve predicted one of London’s best bacon sandwiches would come with an Indian twist. The Bombay Bacon Naan at Dishoom pops up on everyone’s Instagram feed at least once a day … a true modern classic. Ginger Pig bacon (dry cured with rock salt and demerara sugar) is grilled and served inside a freshly baked naan with cream cheese, coriander and a tomato-chilli jam. This went on the menu at Dishoom as a special but received so much love they’ve kept it on for good. While there also be those fans of a classic white bread, bacon and brown sauce arrangement, there’s always room to shake things up a little every now and then.
Breakfast for 2 - Hawksmoor Guild
The British are famous for their meaty breakfasts and nowhere is this more perfectly embodied than at Hawksmoor Guildhall. Although well-known for its steaks and cocktails, everyone should be crawling over broken glass to get their hands on this behemoth breakfast for two: smoked bacon chop, short-rib bubble and squeak, meaty grilled bone marrow, fried eggs, juicy sausages made with pork, beef and mutton, savory black pudding, grilled mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, trotter baked beans, unlimited toast and the house’s trademark gravy. And the service’s quality is as good as this groaning spread.
Cornish Bacon Chop, Duck Egg & Black Pudding - Holborn Dining Room
Surrounded by lush greenery, there is no more beautiful place to enjoy a leisurely breakfast than at The Terrace at Holborn Dining Room. Evoking the design of a quintessential English garden, seasonal flowering plants overflow in willow baskets while classically pruned London Plane Trees form overhead greenery and soft glow lighting offers a subtle backdrop enhancing privacy and intimacy. This British brasserie’s elegant, chandelier-decked space and courtyard offers a traditional British menu, including the Cornish Bacon Chop, Duck Egg & Black Pudding. If you’re looking for comfort food with a modern twist served in rather plushy surrounds, Holborn Dining ticks all the boxes.
English Breakfast Udon Noodles - Koya Bar
This simple, Japanese café serves such classics as udon noodles with mushrooms, walnut miso and small plates at communal tables. But bacon fans know the secret. Breakfast is also served. You can get a standard Japanese morning meal. Grilled fish, miso soup, rice and pickles, innovative bowls of udon and rice porridge are the major draw. Ignore those. For a soothing bowl of East Asian comfort food, order head Chef Shuko Oda’s bowl of “English breakfast,” udon in earthy broth topped with a fried egg, bacon and shiitake mushrooms.
Bacon Butty - Le Swine
From a striking renovated white ambulance from the ’60s on the streets of London, Le swine have taken the modest bacon butty to a new level. James Packman, student of Bruno Loubet, got the idea after devouring his boss’ sandwich one morning at work. Following a few profanities in Packman’s direction, they scoured the UK in search of “happy pigs,” pure-breeds that have the roam of the land and the chance to, well, be pigs! Their philosophy: The happier the swine, the tastier the pork. They’re evidently on to something, as the thick-cut middle bacon (streaky and back in a single cut) is other-worldly. Stick that among a milk and onion bap, bacon butter, a fried duck egg and a choice of tomato or mushroom ketchup – all homemade – and you have what has been touted as the ultimate bacon butty.
Breakfast Focaccia - London Grind
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that's even truer when bacon, sausage, a fried duck egg, smoked mozzarella and rocket greens sandwiched in toasted rosemary focaccia with aioli is involved. Don’t let the industrial venue with exposed brick walls and filament bulbs put you off. For a taste of this mouthwatering mouthful, breakfast fans straight head for London Grind, a riverside espresso bar, cocktail bar and restaurant housed in a former bank above Borough Market.
Full Parlour Breakfast - Parlour
Nothing is more welcome than a warm, hearty breakfast to make the perfect weekend. At Parlour, set in a revitalized Victorian pub on a shady, quiet side street in Kensal Green, diners are encouraged to pull a chair up by the fire, sip a Brazilian coffee or craft beer, read the paper or peruse a laptop, then tuck into chef/owner Jesse Dunford Wood's great British food. Jesse has worked in famous kitchens around the world, including Le Gavroche, Balthazar, Charlie Trotter’s, Marque and the Gidleigh Park Hotel. His expertise shines in The (No Subs) Full Parlour Breakfast. Bacon is perfectly crispy and moist, buttercup-yellow eggs glisten fried up and savory sausages are bursting with juices, while homemade hash browns, baked beans, oven roast tomato, and fried mushrooms complete the ensemble, all served in a circular metallic dish. The do-it-yourself toast station with unlimited bread, butter, lemon curd and marmalade will make you feel right at home. Linger long enough to view the great art on the walls and “Secret Garden” out back. All you will leave wanting is a nap.
Old Spot Bacon Sandwich - St. John
English chef Fergus Henderson, who founded St. John restaurant in London in 1994, is considered the godfather of nose-to-tail eating. St. John has won numerous awards and should be an essential stop on any London food review. Don’t miss the Old Spot Bacon Sandwich. Rashers of the highest quality bacon from top class Gloucester Old Spot pigs are smoked to perfection. The bread is a soft sandwich loaf baked on site. Toasted over an open, charcoal grill along with the bacon, the heavily buttered bread takes on tell-tale griddle marks. The result is London’s best bacon sandwich. It’s offered with ketchup or brown sauce, but doesn’t bother. This London classic is done perfectly.
Fancy Bacon Roll - Daisy Green
The Fancy Bacon Roll, with crispy onion-crusted free range poached eggs, back bacon, the Ribman's holy fuck hollandaise and fresh chilli on a paratha roti is a bacon masterpiece. The paratha is moist yet crumbly, there is a seriously generous serving of bacon and, most importantly, you can pimp up the spice levels with the Holy Fuck sauce and slices of fresh chilli. Add to that a slathering of parsley to cool it all back down again, and this roll gives St John’s glorified bacon butty a run for the money.
Not a morning person? Consider these perfectly pork options once your appetite wakes up:
Moyallon Bacon Chop - Hix Soho
Mark Hix’s Soho venture, opened in 2009, boasts a weekly-changing menu of seasonal British food served amid an eclectic collection of mobiles and neon from celebrated British artists in a light and modern dining room. The menu reflects Hix’s signature British style featuring oysters from around the British Isles, and a selection of meat and steak on the bone. For bacon lovers, there is nothing better than the Moyallon bacon chop with Isle of Barra clams and purple dew plant.
Mangalitza Chop - Pitt Cue
Featuring wood-smoked meats, from ribs to Mangalitza pork, plus craft cocktails in an industrial-rustic space, Pitt Cue don’t just copy American classics, but rather innovate around sauces, textures and flavors in a way not found in any of the other London copycat venues. The closest comparison might be to the beloved Quality Chop House. Order the sensational Mangalitza Chop from their pigs raised in Cornwall. The hairy pig, considered the wagyu beef of pork, is typically hung for four to six weeks to concentrate flavor and improve texture. The fat-to-meat ratio is nearly 50/50 (not counting the marbling) in this chop. The fat is aromatic, sweet and nutty and all of it just melts as you eat it. Perfectly coaxed on the grill, all the natural textural qualities are retained. Very tender, it has a natural buttery flavor to it and the juices burst out as you eat it. Pork heaven.
Meet our contributors in this mission
Kar-Shing
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Kar-Shing (aka KS) is a long way from his home town in New Zealand, but has cured his home sickness by eating his way through London. Starting back in 2008, he's a long time sharer of the very best foodporn in the capital...Read More
Clerkenwell Boy
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Clerkenwell Boy is an anonymous Instagrammer whose passion for sharing food and travel pictures through social media has seen him listed as one of "London’s most influential people."...Read More
Chris Keeling
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Chris, or better known as AllThingsMeaty, is a London-born and based Instagrammer who lives for finding (and eating) the best BBQ, steak, burgers and all things meaty in the UK and beyond...Read More
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