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From left, Maurice Gran and Laurence Marks with Harry Morgan restaurant owner Mitch Tillman
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Marks and Gran stage a culinary comeback
Writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran return home for a taste of their childhood.
By Peter Gruner
THE highly successful writing team Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran have eaten out at top restaurants all over the world, but in London they like to return to the wonderful comforting tastes they remember as children.
They have been coming to Harry Morgan in St John’s Wood for many years, even though they no longer live in Finsbury Park where they grew up, after moving to the Cotswolds.
The pair are currently preparing for a charity reading of their radio play, Dr Freud Will See You Now, Mr Hitler, at the Tricycle theatre in Kilburn on May 13. The event is in aid of the Freud Museum in Hampstead.
As a small boy Hitler was badly traumatised and suffered from bed wetting after being regularly beaten by his father.
The play poses an intriguing question: how would the course of history have been altered if Dr Freud – who had a child psychiatric clinic in Vienna at the time – had treated the young Adolf. There will be a debate following the reading.
Laurence started his meal at Harry Morgan’s with a plate of matzo and mixed chicken noodle soup (£3.95) – “soul food for the Jews” - which he said was as good as anything made by his mum, Lily, every Friday night during his youth. It was followed by chopped liver (£4.75) and a plate of tongue (£6.95).
“My mum used to do all this,” he added. “She was a brilliant cook. She was what you might call Jewish nouvelle cuisine. She never gave you big portions because she was aware that if you ate too much of the first course you’d have no room for anything else.
“Harry Morgan provides comfort food. You feel good eating here and the food is reasonably priced.
“There are very few Jewish restaurants in London these days.”
Maurice tucked into mixed bean and barley soup (£3.95), which he said was always described by his parents as nourishing and strength-giving. He followed that with chopped liver (£4.75) and a potato latka (£1.95).
We also shared a plate of gefilte fish (£5.95).
“Gefilte fish was one of my favourite meals when I was a child,” said maurice. My mother (Debbie), whose family were originally from Romania, made excellent gefilte and fried fish and my auntie Annie made really good apple pie.
“We also had fantastic chicken soup, but it was so regular, every Friday night with roast chicken, we didn’t really appreciate it as much.”
I also had the chicken soup, followed by hot falafel balls in pitta bread (£6.95).
Sadly, there was no room for dessert and we ended the meal with a cup of peppermint tea.
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