BackAmong the East Enders
Among the East Enders
PremiumAround the corner: A couple at one of the many coffee shops on Brick Lane.
Monica Ali’s book might have brought it international fame, but as a destination piece, it did Brick Lane no favours. Did anybody really want to visit a place that seemed like a poor cousin to Southall, different only in that it was inhabited by Bangladeshis rather than Indians, full of curry houses and shops that sold flashy saris and salwar-kameezes from the last decade? Add its location in London’s East End, and Brick Lane’s desirability was well into double digits. In the negative.
Masses of people surged around me, sweeping me along down the road, allowing me only short glimpses of boutiques selling vintage-wear, indie designer stores, and the many restaurants and pubs, outdoor food stalls and pavement sellers, before depositing me at Sunday UpMarket. It took a moment for me to catch my breath and my friend took the opportunity to give me a thumbnail sketch of the area.
Sunday UpMarket, where I had been debouched, was no exception. The weekly Sunday indoor market at the Old Truman Brewery draws the crowds because it has something of a reputation in fashionable circles, particularly in the area of food. On the fashion side, it has stalls with clothes, accessories and jewellery: some quirky, some cool. There’s also a smattering of art, and some home décor. But consider the shopping an appetizer for the main course, the huge section of food stalls that dish out cuisine of all sorts—Ethiopian, Spanish, Moroccan, Caribbean, Japanese. The snaking queue suggested that the Japanese stall was the most popular, and I joined it. This was my introduction to okonomiyaki: Who’d have guessed that a pancake made of cabbage could taste so good!
While it’s a major attraction, Brick Lane isn’t the be-all of Bethnal Green. On the main road is the Town Hall Hotel & Apartments, a hotel that opened in the erstwhile Town Hall in spring 2010. More importantly, it houses El Bulli-trained chef Nuno Mendes’ restaurant Viajante, which serves up tasting menus of three, six, nine or 12 courses and won its first Michelin star in January 2011 (no, you don’t get to choose your meal; no, you don’t know what you’re going to get; and, no, staring longingly at it is not helpful in scoring a table).
The towpath can be absolutely addictive, and walking further along it, I find a whole lot more of Regent’s Canal on view as I walk towards Victoria Park. Green, quiet and dappled with sunlight (it was my lucky day), the path almost let me forget there was a city around it. It was with definite reluctance that I emerged into Victoria Park, whose charms—especially those of the Pavilion Café—while many and undeniable, seemed too manicured in comparison.
Also See | Trip Planner/London (PDF)
That is also pretty much the appeal of East End: It’s one of the few places left in London where you can still find a surprise around every corner.
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