Street Food

Apparently London is undergoing a street food revolution. If this means now there are lots of places to get a decent, cheapish feed when once there were not, then I concur a revolution it is. But a non-violent one and without the men waving red flags and the bloody despatch of autocratic monarchs. Thank goodness for that.

I do enjoy a good feed. And when it’s cheap and tasty, I like it even more.

Here are few places you can find decent tucker and some of the ones I’ve tried (and liked).

Kings Cross Kerb – I used to work fairly close to this place and there is a really good choice on offer. I’ve tried The Ribman, Kimchi Cult, Mother Flipper, The Bowler and an ice-cream vendor (whose name escapes me now but given the weather we are having, I would be astounded if they are setting up their cute little van at the moment).

Kerb also have other places they sell street food; near the Gherkin, a monthly slot at UCLU and Citypoint. There are lots of vendors and it changes all the time. Check out their website for all the details.

Brockley Farmer’s Market – This takes place every Saturday. There’s a good little range of food vans. Mike and Ollie’s wraps are good; I tried one with mackerel and a rhubarb sauce. It was so big it nearly defeated me.

Whitecross Street Market – Another place I used to work near. The array on offer is dazzling; curries, thai, salads, fish, tacos, Italian you name it, it will be there in street food form. The falafel from from Hoxton Beach are life-changing.

Brick Lane on a Sunday – Lots on offer. There is one room (just off Brick Lane near 93 Feet East) that is just full of the most amazing street-food. It has a slightly different vibe to some of these markets, as the stall-holders don’t have a Twitter presence or a ‘brand’ like some of them do (nothing wrong with having a brand or a twitter presence, though). You can get all sorts – Japanese, Eithopean, Turkish.  I’ve never left disappointed.

North Cross Road, East Dulwich  – This one is local to me. There are some fabulous hot-dogs, a new taco van which I’ve tried a few times and really liked, a guy doing those delicious Vietnamese sandwiches, a hog roast and some mighty fine pies.

Also worth a mention are the Pizza Pilgrims on Berwick Street in Soho. The pizza is good and authentic and delicious when served steaming hot on a cold day

If you want to learn more about street food in London, you could do no worse than check out this blog.

There’s also a festival happening on the Southbank this weekend which I may go and check out. Details can be found here.

Loafing, mainly

Last Saturday was my wedding anniversary. Six years of marriage. Although I am a big fan of marriage and the security it brings, for me the main ‘change’ in our relationship came when Fred arrived just over five years ago. Having a child (or children if you are so inclined) changes the dynamic far more than a fancy ring and a promise of ‘I do’. Of course parenthood brings joy, but let’s be honest it also means challenges and it’s how you overcome these that either strengthen or weaken your bond. Consider our bond officially strengthened!

So Fred was dispatched to the grandparents and we set about doing things that we can’t usually do. Namely, loaf about, do the crossword and drink a little bit too much wine in the daytime. And it was bliss, despite the snowstorm coming down outside.

We headed West to Notting Hill. I don’t usually hang out much in Notting Hill. There were a lot of Italian tourists there on Saturday. Portobello Road must get a mean write-up in some Italian guide-book or other as the Italians were out in forza. Mainly taking shelter in some of the rather nice drinking establishments to be found in this part of London.

We decided to try our luck at the Electric Diner. This has recently been refurbished and is now concentrating on the type of American junk food that is oh-so-popular at the moment. I had a burger and it was pretty good. But it cost £11. Notting Hill is not a cheap area. I’ve tried a few of the new burger places popping up in London at the moment (Meat Liquor/Market, Honest, Patty and Bun) and I would say this cheeseburger was comparable in flavour but not in price. But hey, we were celebrating. The salad of shaved vegetables, apple, blue cheese and walnuts was an exceptional salad. So good, I tried to recreate it at home the next day (nearly there but not quite but at least the Magimix got a work-out).

The Electric Diner is owned by the same guy who owns Soho House, Pizza East and The Dean Street Townhouse (and many, many more places in London and around the world). They are always beautifully designed and have lovely toilets. That is why I tried to capture the majesty of the bathroom in one of these photos (that and the red wine that had been consumed). As you can see, the subway tile is not going anywhere just yet.

We had a great day hanging out. You always appreciate it more if you can’t do it all the time.

And look what my husband got me as a present. I’m a lucky lady.

The Attendant

I am feeling a lot brighter today. Yesterday was just one of those days. Let’s just draw a line under it and move on.

I just spied a review of a new coffee place in Fitzrovia that looks interesting. Called The Attendant, it’s located underground and is a renovated public toilet. They’ve even polished up some of the old urinals as part of the decor. I am officially intrigued. Although I’m not normally one to hang out in public toilets, the review assures me that there are no lingering aromas. In fact, it all looks rather stylish.

Source: Uploaded by user via Peter on Pinterest

 

The review and more photos can be found here. The food looks delicious too. (And it’s right next to the Crown and Spectre pub which has always been one of my favourites, if you are in the mood for a beer after your expresso).

Source: Uploaded by user via Peter on Pinterest

Overwhelmed

This is going to be a pity post, so if you prefer your blogs happy and shiny then look away now. I’m not feeling particularly happy and shiny at the moment. I’m feeling overwhelmed. I have a million things going on* and I’m not doing any of them very well.

First of all, it’s this course I’m doing. I’m just about keeping up with all the work, but if I am honest, I’m not really enjoying it. I did the course because I wanted to improve my writing, but I’ve barely spent any time actually writing. Some of this is my own fault. I should be doing it off my own back, finding some work experience and getting down to it. But I have one day off a week and other things going on my life, so the work experience remains unsorted and the page remains unwritten. I also have lots of studying to do. So the writing is taking a back seat at the moment. I will plough on with the course as I’m not a quitter (and I’ve paid for it), but it’s not filling me with joy.

My little boy is not getting the time he deserves from me. He’s become more of a regular at after school club. I’m not there at the gates waiting for him at the end of the school day. And I miss that. I miss seeing the other mums and knowing what’s happening at the school. I know many working mums feel this and there is no simple solution. Time is so precious. I keep reminding myself that this will pass. My little boy will see more of me over the summer (and then he’ll probably drive me slightly mad as five year old boys sometimes do). This will pass…

This blog is also being neglected. I’m not loafing about as much. I’m not doing things that are worthy of featuring here. My ideas are still there and I want to improve the blog. But I don’t have the time. Argh! This will pass…

My friends are being neglected too. I haven’t seen some of my besties for ages. I miss them. They are busy too, of course. I need to make some time.

So that’s what’s going on with me. Sorry it’s a bit of a whinge-fest. I’m having one of those days and sometimes it’s better just to get it out there. The weather isn’t helping either. Come on Spring, start springing!

* I may be exaggerating here a little.

Normal happy, shiny service will resume soon, I promise. Next post will be a gratitude one. A big, fat, shiny gratitude one.

The banner in the picture can be bought from The Secret Holiday and Co.

March – On the Radar

Spring is definitely in the air. We had a proper glimpse yesterday. Oh the sunshine. Normal service has resumed today but at least it’s not freezing. There is always a silver lining.

So, what’s the plan for March?

– I would love to make a visit to Petworth House. There will be Spring flowers and cake, the National Trust always has cake. I was inspired by Artemis from Tales of a Junkaholic. The town looks gorgeous too. (And while you’re perusing her post on Petworth, take a look at the rest of her blog. Her baby, Pehr is just the cutest thing ever.)

– It looks like the Bowie exhibition at the V&A is going to be a sell-out. I really want to go. I love the melancholic beauty of his new(ish) song. He’s 66 and still has it in spades (whatever it is).

– Cooking. My oven has been broken for 2 whole months. We are waiting for our very own Mr Fix-It (ie my father-in-law) to come and stay, so hopefully he can work his magic. I do have a hob, a microwave and a slow-cooker so it’s not like we’ve been living off chips and gravy (mmm chips and gravy), but I miss my oven. In the meantime, I think I’m going to make some pulled pork this weekend. There’s a fantastic recipe in my gorgeous new cook book from the blog What Katie Ate.

– Lots of study. I’m learning shorthand at the moment. Argh! It is the aim to be at 100 wpm by the end of June. This means 2 hours of study a day. It’s not much fun but it has to be done.

– If I get the time, I also want to head up to Walthamstow to visit the William Morris Gallery. It’s not an area I’ve ever been to. I quite fancy a look at the David Bailey exhibition and it looks like they do plenty to keep the kids entertained.

What about you, any plans for March?

Light Show at the Hayward

On Saturday, we visited the Light Show exhibition at the Hayward Gallery. It’s the hot ticket in London at the moment. The thing to see. It’s a good one to take a child to, as the show is more about the ‘experience’ than knowing anything about the art. In fact, as I had an overexcited five year old leading me around the exhibition, I haven’t got a scooby-doo who created the artworks. All I know is that, in the main, I enjoyed it. There were a few stand-out pieces and a few that didn’t get us going, but overall it kept us entertained. Photos were not allowed, but I did manage to snap a few shots with my phone. What a rebel.

One of the artworks was a series of brightly lit rooms; you could walk from pink to green to blue. I really liked this one. Fred did too, he took the opportunity to do a bit of break dancing in the blue room. Oh to be five again…

Another piece consisted of a metal cage and a light moving across the room. The effect was incredibly dizzying. This can’t really be captured in a photo.

One of the best pieces consisted of a few fountains and a strobe light. It looked as though the fountains were ice sculptures in the moments they were captured by the strobe. Again, not the easiest to depict in a photo so I didn’t even try to take one.

Afterwards we strolled along the Southbank. The sun was shining and it felt *whisper it* a bit like Spring. There’s always lots going on around the Southbank; skateboarding, book-selling, Mexican food, people-watching, concrete architecture. It’s not a bad place to while away some time.