This past week in London, I did some serious damage: a meat binge at Mangal 2 in Dalston that disgusted nearby diners, an enormous Thai feast at Laicram in Blackheath, blue cheese burgers with a bacon and blue cheese salad at Byron, another meat binge–this one shrouded in corn tortillas at Green & Red in Bethnal Green. All this protein left me feeling sluggish. I needed to detox in a bad way. A salad would do the trick, no?

At Franze & Evans, an Italian deli in Bethnal Green, there is a lot to choose from, and trust me, I was tempted by the thick lasagna slices and bacon wrapped chicken legs, but for a change my body said no. I opted for the special salads–I couldn’t just get one, right? I ordered the “antipasto salad”, grilled eggplant, lettuce, pickled vegetables, and bits of buffalo mozzarella and the roasted sweet potato salad with pomegranate and baba ganoush. In the end, the antipasto salad passed for light, the roasted sweet potatoes were starchy and dense and kept me full all day. Not so light. Attempted detox was a failure. But on the plus side, I know where to go for some really good, fresh deli food and bacon wrapped chicken legs.

Franze & Evans
101 Redchurch Street,
London, E2 7DL