So today I went for a ride around Stamford Hill looking for Jewish bakeries (it’s a Jewish area). I love to ride my bike and I love Jewish bakeries. I was totally unsuccessful however, there don’t seem to be any really authentic ones or at least I haven’t found any apart from perhaps Sharon’s. I [...]
Before Andor Bureau came about this spot was a series of greasy spoons ranging from great to awful, it was only a matter of time before it became somewhere that sold Victoria sponge cake rather than fry-up’s though with the art gallery infested Vyner street opposite and The Last Tuesday Society shop of weirdness next [...]
A peaceful little spot with not too much coming and going and Spanish music playing in the background, it’s not your typical ‘overindulged girl who loves to bake cakes’ kind of place although it does seem to be very buggy friendly and my tranquility has been disturbed by Rainbow, a vile 5 year old who’s [...]
There is something about this café which feels different for Hackney, there are no push chairs which is weird, every nice café in Hackney is rammed with push chairs and the decoration is a bit eccentric. On top of that it feels exceptionally laid back, no immaculate piles of fancy cupcakes or cakes on glass [...]
So I’ve recently moved house, my flatmate got a cat that peed on everything, I couldn’t handle it so it was a ‘me or the cat’ situation. The cat won, I moved out. Oh well it worked out better in the end as now I’m nearer to good places to go for breakfast, a couple [...]
The best places always tend to be the secret places I think, the ones that only attract the same sort of people and friends of those people. I’ve got to be honest, I’m not a fan of diversity. I like what I like and who I like and that’s that. Anyway, one day a friend [...]
Things are changing around here. Not so long ago I would with true devotion avoid going south of the river at all costs. However, slowly but surely I’m beginning to realise that all the good stuff really is cropping up way down…there, south of the river. I like to think that north of the river [...]
The Tooting Social Club gets full marks for decoration I can tell you that. The location is another story though. On the one hand it’s in such a far-flung and how do I say diplomatically, ‘vibrant’ area (translation hellhole) that it can’t help but have a “we’re not joining the Shoreditch bandwagon” vibe about it, [...]
I give Tamsin credit for this one, it was she who told me about Brixton Village, my greatest find to date, an amazing warren of cafes, shops and restaurants all housed in an old covered market. We kept meaning to go along to ‘Pudding Club’ which happens usually every Thursday at the Relay Tea Room [...]
I found Book Mongers totally by accident when I was looking for Brixton Village. Brixton has many great places, give it time and no doubt it will be what Shoreditch has become, although I think it has a few years in it yet. Book Mongers is the sort of place that anyone who has a [...]
Blitz feels like a little piece of New York City. I couldn’t tell you what it was exactly that makes me say this, perhaps it’s the sophistication and service? Excellent service! super friendly, American style, the store assistants look like an extras from a Russ Meyer film, where do they find these people? Best described [...]
Nightjar is the kind of subterranean speakeasy people love to tell their friends about, probably (unfortunately) because places like this are few and far between. Sandwiched between two awful sandwich shops next to Old Street Roundabout, the entrance to Nightjar is little more than a heavy wooden door with a small gold plate with an [...]
It’s 10am and I sit down ready to write up a bunch of new places. Not without making a cup of tea first though. Ok now I’m ready, I’ll look up Tom Wolfe for a little inspiration just to get me going. I can’t think though, the person sitting next to me, he’s distracting, his [...]
Hello all, I’m Penny and what you have found here is a guide for those of you that love sitting in cafes, eating in restaurants and shopping. What I’ve done is put together a collection of places of significance and places that I just think are really great. I’ve picked a few different categories featured [...]
The Enterprise is something of a Camden institution. I came here quite a bit in my art college days, that’s the type it attracts. The Enterprise has a spacious downstairs with an upstairs offering an intimate gig venue for aspiring bands and musicians. I’ve seen many bands here that now either work for the council [...]
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