Paul Rothe of the Marylebone Lane deli describes his perfect day
The owner of Paul Rothe & Son on Marylebone Lane describes his perfect day in Marylebone
Breakfast
Well, I’d stay here in my shop. And if I could have anything I wanted without worrying about what my GP might say, I would have a bacon sandwich and a nice strong black coffee. I do always go for brown bread though, so I might live to 100. I find that the younger a person is, the more likely they are to have white bread.
Fresh air
If I had the keys I’d go to Manchester Square, round the corner. It’s nice—much bigger than it seems from the outside.
A new outfit
I’m very, well, ‘Victorian’ might be the word when it comes to dressing. I’ve simple tastes. I’d probably go to Marks & Spencer because you can return it if it doesn’t fit. Which it often doesn’t.
Coffee break
Can I stay here? If we are out, I’ll go somewhere that does a very strong black coffee, but 99 per cent of the time I’m in here. I like our filter coffee. I have to have a double shot, even though we use high roast beans.
Shopping
You are talking to someone who hardly ever goes shopping. If it’s food shopping I might go to see what competitors are doing. I might go to Selfridges food hall to check out their display: when we last got a new refrigerated counter I went there and jotted down a few makes and how well they worked there. I’m a very insular person, really.
Culture
I go to the Wallace Collection, which makes for a very nice afternoon. If I was musically orientated I would probably go to the Wigmore Hall. They do Monday lunchtime concerts and a number of our customers come from there. In fact, one of our regulars came over from Australia and never went back. He’s been working at the Wigmore Hall ever since.
Drinks
We’ve been to 108 Brasserie at the Marylebone Hotel, or if we were after a glass of wine, we’d go to 28-50. If we want something to eat as well then the Cock & Lion. They have a very nice chef there who does a good beef stroganoff and I know the landlady very well. My father used to take us to the Cock & Lion. The chef wore one of those big white chef hats and had a booming voice, and you had to pick your own steak. My dad loved his steak.
Eating out
We have just recently been rather smitten with Fischer’s, at the top of Marylebone High Street. My family came from Germany originally, and though it is Austrian at Fischer’s the cuisine is very similar. You can get a nice Holstein schnitzel with the egg and anchovies on top. I took my daughter there, and she’s vegetarian, and she was raving about the vegetarian options. I must say her plate did look tempting, even without meat on it!
Staying in
I’d probably go to Waitrose. You might pay a little more, but you get a good range and good quality. Though a nice hot frankfurter and a potato salad from here for a quick snack would be my first inclination.
Anything else
Apart from winning the lottery? Well then my perfect day would be for the building works around here to be finished, probably. It’ll be worth it though—it will be good to get that pedestrian-friendly walkway on Marylebone Lane.
