Essex's Road Hot Corner

Islington Screen Print, available on Etsy

If you leave in the Islington borough, you probably despise Essex Road. It feels polluted, full of traffic and there aren’t that many exciting things to get you walking in it. That applies to most of this long road stretch (that goes from Angel all the way to Dalston) with the exception of a corner where all the magic happens, between Cross Street and Pophams Street.

In this little Bermuda Triangle, not only you’ll find a cheap and cheerful butcher (James Elliot) and a wonderful fishmonger (Steve Hatt), selling sushi-grade fish and tuna, amongst many other beautiful fish and shell-fish, but you’ll also be able to have a delicious coffee while you wait (from Devotion Coffee across the road).

If that’s not enough, you can stock up on a great cheese selection at Neal’s Yard next door, and great delicatessen food and veg at Providores. Needless to say that any trip to this area must finish at Pophams, where you can indulge into the most beautiful and tasty pastries around the area. If you can’t find a spot where to sit and enjoy this, we would enjoy walking up to Asteys Row Rock Gardens, literally 5 minutes away by walk.

There you go, your groceries sorted! And they are all in the same corner.

P.S.: Do not miss the amazing street art tucked away in the street next to James Elliot, worth checking out!

Enjoy and stay safe,

TCB xx

Kentish Town Treasures

Its a Sunny Sunday in London and everybody is in a good mood. Inevitable, I felt inspired to write you about our lovely day in North London. One that you could probably enjoy too, in the future.

Going out for long walks and cycling has become the norm, and I must say we quite enjoy it. I do miss wearing heels, but those days will return soon. In the meantime, walking/cycling to a new cafe or restaurant, where we can grab some goodie goodies, is my new favorite pas time. And believe it or not, if the sun is shining, you could spend all day doing that. We tell you how.

09:00 - 11:00AM RELAX - Wake up and enjoy a Cuppa whilst preparing to go out. What are you going to wear? Where are you headed? How are you going to get there? It’s beautiful out there (hopefully)!

12:00 SET OFF - Today’s choice is Panadera, a filipino bakery from the owners of the infamous Mamasons ice cream parlour two doors down. I could go on and on about this place, but it’s better if you read our review here. If you’ve already eaten, just grab the ice cream. It’s totally worth it.

Now if you are not feeling your sweet tooth, you still have got choices around. E.Mono is a staple Turkish grill and kebab restaurant in the area and Franco Manca’s pizzas never fail to disappoint.

13:00 PICNIC - Once you’ve pick up your goodies. Where are you going to eat? If you are walking, we suggest heading to Primrose Hill, whilst if you are cycling, we would suggest heading to The Hill & Pergola Gardens off Hampstead Heath. It’s off the beaten track and it’s a beautiful spot where to sit back and relax.

15:00 TIME TO HEAD BACK

15:30 PIT STOP - Did you think that was it? Surely you still need some more goodies to take home? We are becoming quite the cheese, wine and charcuterie connoisseurs these days and the Autentique Epicerie & Bar in between Kentish Town and Tuffnell Park is a nice stop where to grab some of these. If that isn’t enough, a few blocks down you’ll also encounter the Theatre of Wine, a quirky wine shop that is also a fabulous place to taste some delicious stuff.

Enjoy and stay safe

TCB xx

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