In praise of iceberg

Iceberg lettuce is one of those ingredients that gets a bad rap, not least from me, but there are times when it really is just the thing. I reflected on this twice today as I had lunch in what is probably my favourite lunch-spot in London and then dinner in what is one of my two or three favourite dinner spots. I hadn't planned either meal but they both happened and I ain't complaining. Lunch was at El Vergel on Lant Street in Borough. I had exactly what I'd had on the other three occasions I'd been there: tacos with refried beans, salsa, spring onion, shredded iceberg and feta, with a Sprite on the side. Jeez, it really is one of the zingiest, most delicious, salty, earthy, fresh and wonderful dishes available anywhere. The pot of extra salsa on the side, available with all dishes, is so good that I just started eating it with a spoon. This time I didn't have any of their cherry cheesecake, but only because I'll be back for it, and the great news is that El Vergel is now open on Saturdays from, I think, 9-2, which is news that many people were waiting for, including readers of this blog!

Dinner was at another resto I'd been to two or three times before, loved two or three times before and, strangely, is also about to open on Saturdays (from mid-June). I had, of course, the same dishes at Pho as I'd had on previous occasions: summer vegetable rolls followed by hot and spicy mushroom and tofu pho. Goddamit, those summer rolls - stuffed with cold vermicelli noodles, carrot, bean sprouts, mint and shredded iceberg - are the best example of a healthy dish having the capacity to be tasty in the world. Well, one of the best in that category, and I'd put the Leon superfoods salad in that class too. The pho was as hot, delicious and full of crispy tofu as I had remembered. Washed down with a beer from Laos, this was a supper to savour.

Bish, bash bosh, let's talk dosh: £5 for lunch, £13 for dinner - what a great food city London can be, not least because it can make you rethink your attitude towards iceberg.