London Self-Made Wine Tours

It can be dry or sweet. It can taste as citrusy as a lemon, as buttery as cream or as floral as a box of berries. I am talking about wine, isn’t it sublime?

If there is something I’ve noticed on my 8 years living in London, it is the increase of good quality wine bars and wine stores. It used to be rare to find a specialized wine shop that would have a wide enough range of options to try out. It wouldalso would be rare to find a spokesperson at the forefront of said shop that would be willing and knowledgeable enough to talk about these wines. Don’t you remember when warm white wine at the pub was the only thing on offer? Luckily things change and cities evolve.

Now we are here, it’s a #hotgirlsummer and I, for one, have been enjoying the glorious sunshine in London. And I have been enjoying it even more so, because I’ve got not one but at least six wine stores in less than a 2km radium (walking distance) from my lovely flat in Haggerston. If that isn’t paradise, please tell me what is.

Wine lovers out there, you’ll appreciate this. After having many friends ask me around where to go for vino, I thought this was a necessity for many. A little map that shows you all the goodie goodie wine bars across London. Perfect for a little stroll in the city. And trust me, rain or shine, wine you’ll find.

TCB xx

EAST LONDON

• Female run and female driven wines: Finley’s (Hoxton)

• Urban winery: Renegade (Bethnal Green)

• Affordable and cool: Dan’s (Dalston), Hector’s (De Beauvoir), P Franco (Clapton)

• Upscale: Binch (London Fields), NewComer Wines (Dalston)

NORTH LONDON

• Cheap and cheerful: YieldN16 (Stoke Newington), The Sampler (Islington)

• Affordable and cool: Cadet (Stoke Newington), Top Cuvee (Finsbury), Must & Lees (Islington)

• Frenchie: Authentique Epicerie & Bar (Kentish Town)

CENTRAL LONDON

• An Institution, Upscale: Noble Rot (Clerkenwell & Soho)

• An Institution, Affordable: Gordon’s (Embankment)

• Easy-going: The Drop (King’s Cross)

• Frenchie, friendly and the most affordable in central: Le Beaujolais (Soho)

WEST LONDON

• Pretty and affordable: Mother Vine, Brinkley’s (Chelsea), Franklin’s Wine, Love (Notting Hill)

• Champagne-focused: Amuse Bouche (Fulham)

• Low-key local (italian): Ombretta & Ante’s Winehouse (Fulham)

SOUTH LONDON

• Affordable with a rooftop: Tap & Bottle (Borough), Forza Wine (Peckham)

• Low-lit and upscale: 40 Maltby St (Bermondsey)

• Wine in an Old WC: WC Wine & Charcuterie (Clapham)

• Low-key locals, cheap and cheerful: Unwined (Tooting), Peckham Cellars (Peckham), Le Chevalier (Peckham)

The East London Series: Dalston

The Hackney Series

Dalston, the neighborhood that tries to never sleep

If you’ve been reading our entries for quite some time, you’ll know that Dalston is a place very close to our heart. We’ve spent nearly three years in this bustling neighbourhood, and it wasn’t until recently that we moved up the street to our now much beloved Stoke Newington.

If you happen to be around the area or are looking to spend a day out East, here are our recommendations for a perfect day in this ends!

Start your day

with good coffee and a pastry at AllPress HQ on Dalston Lane or else head to Dusty Knuckle to indulge in the best bread you’ve tried to date. Dusty Knuckle started as a little truck shop in a back street off Arcola theatre, mostly catering to restaurants and neighbors and now is being sourced pretty much everywhere in London. Rightly so.

If you want to spend some time just walking around and discovering the area, our favorites nearby are HJ Haris Antique & Café Shop and Dalston’s Eastern Curve Garden. The first is a quirky little corner shop that provides phenomenal coffee and hidden gems, all at a very competitive price. The latter is one of the most enchanting garden/ little forests in the middle of the city. On Tuesday nights they host music & entertainment nights while indulging on some pizza and during the weekend they tend to run workshops and serve all-day food.

If you only had a cuppa and now are ready for a proper brunch,

then Brunswick East or L’Atelier should be your choices. I mean, look at these pics!

Now you are fed and ready to continue, you can immerse yourself into Ridley Road Market or go clothing shopping around the numerous thrift shops on Kingsland Road. Towards Haggerston you’ll find Oxfam and St Vincent and towards Stokey you’ll have Pelican & Carrots serving you a more curated selection of luxury goods or Traid and Beyond Retro for superstores on vintage.

Is it time to drink yet?

God, the options are endless for that here. Dalston really is like a playground for adults, and when it comes to nightlife and entertainment it provides the most.

• If you are after wine, then we suggest you try Spanish Deli Furanxo or the more classy Austrian shop Newcomer Wines. Both are fab.

• If you are after cocktails, then the choices are obvious: Untitled for the fashion victims and Three Sheets for the cozy bar lovers. Both serving the best cocktails in town, in our opinion.

• If what you want is a beer and some friendly environment, then The Victoria, Three Compasses or Farr’s School of Dancing are your pubs of choice.

Dinner time

is reserved for Angelina if you are going for a fancy evening out. New kid in town Attawa or Voodoo Ray’s and Del74 are also wonderful cheap and cheerful options.

It’s now nightime

and the drinking shall continue so grab a few cheap drinks at Ridley Road Market Bar whilst listening to some 90’s R&B before heading out. Night out at LGBQT club Superstore is always fun and unexpected though we love mingling with the most fun yet crazy DJ while sipping the cheapest drinks in town at Jazz Bar.

TCB xx

The North Series: Crouch End

Crouch End
Day Tour

What to do and not to do in this northern part of the city

I’ve been told Crouch End has never really been a destination, but if you happen to stumble upon that direction, you sure can have an awesome day out!

Get rid of that terrible Saturday hangover by feeding your palate at Beam. Great for brunch lovers, with plenty food choice, from shakshuka to the traditional eggs benedict or avo toast, and delicious freshly made juices, coffee and teas.

If you need home deco, then you’ve reached a great area. We’ve managed to score a couple of great gems in the area: Junk N8 Disorderly for fabulous vintage/ antique furniture and Jealous Gallery and Print Studio for very funky art.

One of the things that we liked about this neighborhood was just walking around discovering new little shops or stopping by to admire quirky things like the clock tower in Crouch End’s main road. There’s plenty of little cafes and bakeries, but Dunn’s is renowned in the area as it’s been providing fellow citizens with bakery since almost 200 years ago! Legends.

Another little shop close to our heart is Soup Dragon’s Toy shop. Family run, offers great and unique pieces for kids. A perfecto stopover if you are heading to some family event and don’t want to come empty handed.

As the ease into the evening, it’s time to relax. Book yourself into a Fierce Grace session (closest one is in Muswell Hill) to unwind all the week stress and finish your night trekking to Alexandra Palace (‘Ally Pally’) for a rewarding post-hot-yoga beer whilst seeing the sun go.

What a wonderful day that was!

TCB xx