LOCATION: Rock Steady Eddie’s, 2A Coldharbour Lane, Camberwell, SE5 9PR [map]
PRICE: About £1.60 I think. Well cheap, anyway.
BREAD: White roll.
FILLING: A fried egg, bacon, marg and brown sauce (the latter added by me).
PROS: Never is the pull of the greasy spoon more keenly felt than when one suffers from the excesses of the night before. That’s pretty much every day then, H, I hear you say? Well, yes okay then you cheeky sod, I am fond of the odd tipple. I am also fond of the caff in the way that I am fond of a proper old school boozer. From the latter I want names carved into glasses, plenty of dodgy taxidermy and every kind of snack made by the people who make Scampi Fries (with the exception of cheesy melting moments which are RANK). From the former I want formica topped tables, booth style seating and glass dispensers which leave your hungover brain pondering whether you’re pouring sugar or salt in your cup of charlie.
We order two bacon and egg rolls with a certain amount of trepidation. The first thing I notice is that the bun looks surprisingly good and bloody hell, IS IT?! Really fresh, perfect crust on top, a very decent chew which is just SO perfect for a breakfast bap; it will contain any amount of eggy oozage and brown sauceage. The amount of bacon is generous; 3 rashers for such a basic bap? I’m impressed. There’s also a bit of crispness to the fat which, in my experience, puts this towards the higher end of the greasy spoon quality scale where flabby bacon is the norm. The egg, although cooked in one of those funny ring things and flipped for neatness and ease of consumption, miraculously retains some ooze. This could be luck but I’m not complaining.
CONS: There is marg. Such a shame. Butter, people! BUTTER! Even cheapo shitty butter is better than marg. Even a poke in the eye is better than marg. Also there is the egg issue; I think I got lucky with the ooze to be honest, as the example across the table didn’t turn out so well. Didn’t stop me saying ‘HA HA HA, UNLUCKY!’ though, before gleefully smearing my roll around in the golden eggy drips on my plate. The egg could use work, let’s face it. Also, the whole place does appear to be covered in a thick layer of erm, character. I mean, I know it’s a greasy spoon but I was a little reticent about squeezing the brown sauce from the bottle, for fear of what might come with it. It amused us greatly, then, that a sign on the wall addressed a problem with the unhygienic practices of the clientele; I’ve included a picture for your amusement below. The fact that this escalated to such problematic levels that they felt the need to write a sign is baffling/hilarious/gobsmacking/awesome. I know not where to start with the grammar/punctuation/slashes through the letter O like zeros. Rock Steady Eddie’s, I very much enjoyed your, as you put it, “cafe”.
SCORE: 5/10
It was a pretty good bacon and egg roll, which tbh I’d quite go for right now…
OMG. I’ve just found this blog where somebody actually takes pictures of sandwiches and writes about them!!!! Can you believe these people exist!! Ugghhh they make me so sick, people are starving in the world and they are eating all these sandwiches and writing about them. UGGHHHH!.
OMG I’ve just found ANOTHER post of hers where she ‘brags’ about going to The Ledbury several times a year and spunking over £150 on food and booze EACH TIME. UGGHHH I don’t understand how someone can be like this. Do these people actually exist?!?!. She is different to me and I don’t understand why she does these things UGGGHHHH. That’s why I HATE her.
UGGHHH there’s only one thing to do – drink a gallon of gin, eat something filthy and then tweet about how hungover I am the next day. And I have a cold
Hey Richard! Are you like, my biggest fan?
No. But until last night I was a fan.
What happened last night?!
I love the sign. It makes me happy. I am particularly taken with the comma between “this” and “”cafe”.
Awesome.
It’s brilliant isn’t it? I’m wasn’t entirely sure where to start with it.
I like the option of just letting it speak for itself
UGGHHHHH (that was a sound of delight as I chugged down a bacon and egg sarnie)
I have often wondered what that place was like. The sign doesn’t make me want to go there. I heard the Upland Cafe on Upland Road SE22 is a good greasy spoon. And, have you tried the one on Grove Vale opposite the Blackbird Bakery?
Funnily enough the sign was what made me want to go! I haven’t tried the others I’m afraid…
That’s an incredible comment.
That’s an incredible sign.
I now have an incredible craving for that roll.
That sign was a treat! On so many levels.
Also, I am very intrigued as to what you did to Richard.
I used to go to RSE on an almost daily basis when I was a medical student at Kings. Back in the days when smoking was permitted. And what great days they were at this fine establishment.
Mine was always a double egg chips and bean – or occasionally omelette – as at the time I was mistakenly a vegetarian (now rectified). Everything from the polystyrene ceilng tiles caked with grease, to the chairs with the foam padding oozing out to the regular clientele (most probably on day leave from the Maudsley) made me keep coming back. Just before 2pm everyday, there are always some slightly jumpy types waiting for their methadone handouts from Marina House over the road.
Sali/Saleh or however you spell his name, quite the the trooper, seems to work non-stop. And a cup of tea for 40p – even though they pay business rates unlike the competition.
My only complaint would be the Radio 2 playing on weekdays. Though weekends I seem to remember him playing rock and roll. I must go back sometime.
A good bacon and egg roll is pretty much one of the finest things in life. I think I may have to go and make one now after reading this.