Artists Gilbert & George on an extraordinary London cafe

The most important place for us to eat, or something like that, was The Market Café that was in Fournier Street, what you called, and it was extraordinary, because it’s run, run by this brother and his sister, Clyde and Phyllis, and they started 3 o’clock in the morning until 2 o’clock in the afternoon. And it was for us genius beyond belief, a human genius, following extraordinary morality behind him. He was able to do food for everybody and so cheap, but brilliant, better than Simpson’s in the Strand. It’s very interesting that at the end of the war, Clyde came out of the services and he didn’t know what to do, ’cause his father had a piano manufacturer, which of course was very bad business. Television was coming in nobody wanted pianos, so the father bought his son three cafes one in Fournier Street, one down at the docks, and one in the City. And after a short while, I think he was cheated out of the two and he ended up with the one in Fournier Street. So that, that became a very, very real part of our lives. He died a year or two ago and we miss him very much. Of course, we pass the building, which housed The Market Cafe every day. It was very traditional with huge, long tables that would seat probably six or eight people, all a great collection of chairs, every one different. And a little way through at the back with a lavatory for Phyllis and Clyde and one for diners. It was extraordinary. And there was a shed in the back where the kitchen was and that the door was always open and everybody was allowed in to choose what they want because they had big legs of lamb, pork, chicken, or turkey or what-called… different kinds of stews, pies, different pies that he made. And you were allowed in to choose. Just extraordinary. It was an extension of our lives to go in there. And our house is only for relaxing and working—that’s it. Nothing else. And making instant coffee. That’s about it. Everybody who has come to us, instant coffee. Or in the evening, Champagne. That’s about it. You don’t want to spend time on doing things that are unnecessary. Much better to keep it simple.