Image above: A group photo at the end of Fareena and Abdul’s tour of the East End for Damien and myself. (L-R) Damien, Abdul, Baby Abdi, and myself. [Sunday 13 November] | [View all photos]
Following from a fab dinner at the Khana Commune London supper club back in August, I met up with Abdul and Fareena to take them up on their offer to show me some of the culinary highlights of their home area of Whitechapel.
Coming along for the ride was their gorgeous yet very drooling Baby Abdi and fellow guest Damien. First stop was brunch at the Pacific Social Club. Aiming for the opposite end of the spectrum to a modernistic cafe, this place was a cacophony of styles and features held together, abstractly, with an Hawaiian theme. Their music was esoteric but enjoyable and we did like that it was all played on vinyl.
Their menu was equally inventive and one that made you think of what to choose. The smoked salmon and avocado on rye with wasabi mayo sounded unusual but was fresh, light, and full of flavour. Whilst the roasted pepper stuffed with blue cheese really elevated the hummus on toast for the others. And as Fareena enjoyed the twist of paprika on her aged gouda on toast with Yucatan honey, Baby Abdi enjoyed slapping his Dad a bit too much!
Pacific Social Club | 8 Clarence Road, London, E5 8HB | Map | Nearest station: Hackney Downs
Next step was Violet, run by Clare Ptak, for dessert and more coffee. Hidden in a rather nondescript building was a fabulous cake shop. On one side was an enviable array of cakes to choose from whilst on the other side the chefs were abuzz making new creations. It was so good that I completely neglected to take a photo of the lemon squares before I wolfed them down. With the filter coffee it was great eating and chatting away outside as we took full advantage of the warm autumnal day.
Violet | 47 Wilton Way, London, E8 3ED | Map | Nearest station: Hackney Downs
Our final culinary stop was a brief visits to the E5 Bakehouse to pick up some organic bread. Housed in a cavernous space under a railway line the entire place had the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread. Best of all they do bread baking classes where you learn how to make four types of bread so that’s going on the to do list for 2012. Whilst we were there Abdul tried out some of their ginger lemonade which turned out to be quite refreshing.
E5 Bakehouse | Arch 395, Mentmore Terrace, London, E8 3PH | Map | Nearest station: London Fields
Fed and watered, we left the car behind and walked along Mile End Road. With Abdul being a history junkie (and generally a good asset for a pub quiz team!) we sought out the lingering remnants of the Sephardi (Spanish and Portuguese) Jewish presence in the area such as the Albert Stern House and the ancient wall that was the southern boundary of Alderney Road Ashkenazi Cemetery. It was a lot of fun getting lost trying to figure our way around without relying on our iPhones all the time.
Our goal was the oldest known Jewish cemetery of Old Velho which we eventually found in the grounds of Queen Mary University and its traditional flat tombstones showing that in death all were equal regardless of wealth or class.
My thanks to Abdul and Fareena for giving up their Sunday to take me around a part of London I hardly ever frequent and showing me a glimpse of what’s on offer – had lots of fun and ate so well. Am looking forward to getting out of Central more and seeing what else is around here in the new year.
related posts:
