Tag Archives: E2

Viet Hoa Cafe & Mess | Lucky 13



Among the bevy of Vietnamese eateries clustered along the Hoxton stretch of Kingsland Road is one that always has pleased my palate nightly every time I’ve visited: Viet Hoa Cafe & Mess. I’ve been dining there since 2006. Opened by two refugees, Viet Hoa was just a couple of years old at that time but still one of the first restaurants – if not actually the very first – to start out on what is now called “Pho Mile.” Continue reading

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Cocktail Class at TT Liquor with Parmigiano Reggiano

How’s this for the ultimate cheesy cocktail event: a Parmigiano Reggiano tasting experience pairing dishes featuring Italy’s most famous cheese with drinks at celebrated Shoreditch watering hole, TT Liquor? Continue reading

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Bar 1821: Luxardo Pop-Up in Shoreditch

To celebrate the launch of its new Sour Cherry Gin, Italian spirits brand Luxardo has opened Bar 1821: a month long pop-up cocktail bar in Shoreditch. Continue reading

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Best London Cafes of 2017

My look at the best of 2017 continues with a shot of the tastiest coffee and preferred coffee purveyors in London. Continue reading

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Preview: Ales Tales Belgian Beer Festival at Oval Space, 21-22 July

Ales Tales, the UK’s first ever Belgian beer festival, is coming to Oval Space in Hackney. Continue reading

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Preview: The Greatest Spectacle of Lucha Libre, York Hall, Bethnal Green

Amigos! It’s time again for Mexico’s masked superheroes to fight it out in an epic battle of Good vs Evil at Bethnal Green’s York Hall. Continue reading

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Best London Bars and Pubs of 2016

London! You know how to quench a thirst. My Best of 2016 series continues with a taste of my favourite bars and pubs in London. Continue reading

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Dinner at Beagle, Hoxton

I love the space (and smart use of it). What’s doing at the bar is very much in line with how I prefer to imbibe. Service is friendly and helpful. And the food’s great. Based on my recent visit, I’ve no bone to pick with Beagle and can only bark about how smart a choice this Hoxton restaurant is for a quality meal. Continue reading

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Ant Beer Cocktails at Sager + Wilde Paradise Row | Happy Halloween!

Sager + Wilde Paradise Row and Wychwood Brewery have teamed up for a creepy crawly Halloween special: beer-based cocktails featuring Wychwood’s flagship beer, Hobgoblin, and ants (yes, actual ants). – Excuse me waiter. There’s an ant in my drink! – … Continue reading

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Woodford Reserve Lounge at Sager + Wilde Paradise Row

The Woodford Reserve Lounge at Sager + Wilde (at Paradise Row restaurant/bar/terrace not the Hackney Road wine bar) offers a subdued earth tone retreat from the world with a lofty perch above the Bethnal Green bustle. Continue reading

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Best London Bars and Pubs of 2015

London has been a great place to drink for many a year. This year, for me, it seemed even better than before. My favourite watering holes continued to please while a handful of new or bars and pubs otherwise previously unknown to me caught my attention with great service, comfy digs and – most importantly – quality quaffs. Continue reading

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Preview: The Greatest Spectacle of Lucha Libre at York Hall, Bethnal Green

I’m heading to this “greatest spectacle” on Saturday night and cannot wait. I’m not sure if it will live up to the experience I had catching a night of lucha libre at Arena Mexico a few years back in Mexico City, but I have no doubt the evening with be an action packed blast. If you’ve never had the pleasure of witnessing the awesome force that is Mexican professional wrestling, do yourself a massive favour and make this off kilter event your weekend priority. Continue reading

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Meaty New “Bunsmiths” BBQ Menu at Sebright Arms: Oh Hell Yes!

Pub grub never looked so mouthwateringly mountainous! A new (not pop-up) menu at Sebright Arms pub off Hackney Road brings some of the finest “low and slow BBQ cooked meat served fresh and fast in delicious buns” to the table to be washed down with something sudsy from one of London’s more carefully considered lists of craft and quality beers. Continue reading

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Best Restaurants in London – 2014

Most of these ‘best of lists’ I’m doing have been compiled with some degree of difficulty often leaving me feeling guilty for excluding somewhere excellent that for whatever reason was nudged out by another place. However, making a concise and definite list of my favourite few London restaurants visited over this past year was an absolute breeze as five fantastic eateries clearly did stand out from the rest with respect to quality of food and overall dining experience. Continue reading

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Best Coffee in London – 2014

What a fantastic year! I’m going to wrap up 2014 with a series of “best of” posts highlighting some of my favourite sights, bites and more from the past 12 months. As with so many important endeavours, I’d like to start off with one of the most fundamental resources known to humanity: coffee! Continue reading

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Sunday Night Jazz at Beagle, E2

Much lauded Beagle restaurant and bar in the railway arches next to Hoxton Station has launched a December series of intimate jazz sessions featuring musicians from The Thames Delta who have played with such notables as Amy Winehouse, Sam Smith and Kelis. I had the pleasure of attending the premiere show this past Sunday. For a chilled out (and not so pricey) Sunday evening of live music and quality drink, keep Beagle in mind. Continue reading

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#PukkaPimms Pop-Up Curry House – Saturday 6 December, Bethnal Green Road

A cold winter’s night, a warming spicy curry … and a refreshing glass of Pimm’s and lemonade? Wha … ? Believe it or not, these elements come to together in a moreishly complimentary way as I discovered last night at a preview of the #PukkaPimms pop-up restaurant near the ‘top end’ of Bethnal Green Road. Not sure such a mix would actually go down well? Find out for yourself this weekend when the pop-up opens to the public with celebrity Hardeep Singh Kohli as front of house. Continue reading

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New Restaurant Review: INK, Bethnal Green

Definitely one of the most inventive and satisfying meals of the year, my dinner at newly opened INK was a sheer delight. Continue reading

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Nicos & Philthy’s Three Nights of Reef ‘n’ Beef, 27-29 March at Cambridge Heath Railway Arches

I am so bummed that this grubalicious pop-up conflicts with dates I’ll be out of town. But just because I’ve gotta miss Nicos & Philthy’s Three Nights of Reef ‘n’ Beef in Bethnal Green doesn’t mean you have to! Check … Continue reading

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Two Cocktails for £10 at The Liquor Cabinet, Hackney Road

There’s a new bar opened up in Shoreditch. Okay, that’s not really news, is it? But a smartly curated selection of spirits and a range of superbly crafted hand bottled cocktails make The Liquor Cabinet well worth shouting about. Plus, I blagged a way for my readers to get two cocktails for a tenner! Keep reading for more about this fantastic bar and to find out about my exclusive two-for-a-tenner cocktail special. Continue reading

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Cedric Christie at Flowers: When Painting Collapses, You Have Beautiful Sculptures

When Painting Collapses, You Have Beautiful Sculptures showcases two new bodies of work by Cedric Christie: his sculptural response to a gallery along with recent work developed during a residency in Kleve, Germany. The pieces on exhibit explore the artist’s ‘personal endeavour to transform one medium into another’. They exude confident in their simplicity and yield a sense of serenity as well. Continue reading

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Review: Fingers and Thumbs’ Seafood Shack

Last night I paid a repeat visit to a repeat opening of Fingers and Thumbs’ Seafood Shack. Yum. Following ye olde ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix’ methodology, I kept with what I knew I’d love: a big ole pot of lobster cooked with juicy prawns, mussels, clams, veggies and more. Complimented by n ample stack of rustic bread with home made cocktail sauce (which could have been a little better honestly), washed down with a few Kronenbourgs, and rounded off by a scoop of especially tasty vanilla fudge ice cream – it was a fun and filling meal. The damage? Around £55 total for two. Continue reading

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Fingers and Thumbs Seafood Shack Returns to Bethnal Green

I loved getting messy with a big ole bucket of lobster (and so much more) last time Fingers and Thumbs popped-up in Bethnal Green. So pleased to report they’re back this Thursday for three days of shellfish feasting. See you there? Continue reading

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Mezcaleria Quiquiriqui (Blue Tomato)

A good one to keep in mind for contemplative and/or convivial sipping in the early evening and for getting drunk ‘n’ sweaty later in the night, Quiquiriqui is worth adding to any list of easy going East London watering holes. … Continue reading

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Fingers and Thumbs Pop-Up Shellfish Restaurant, Cambridge Heath Road

Just back from a fun dining experience at the Fingers and Thumbs Pop-Up Shellfish Restaurant near Cambridge Heath Station. £40 got a bucket for two filled with Canadian lobster as well as a lot of mussels, clams, razor clams, prawns, … Continue reading

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Fingers and Thumbs Pop-Up Shellfish Restaurant, Cambridge Heath Road

I know what I’m doing for din-din tomorrow night: the Finger and Thumbs pop up shellfish restaurant at Arch 289, Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9HA. Sounds yummy, right? Offering “BIG buckets” full of mussels, clams, razor clams, king prawns, crayfish, … Continue reading

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Drink Mezcal in London at Quiquiriqui (CheapOair)

And now there’s a newly opened Mezcaleria Quiquiriqui in East London’s Hoxton that’s stocking an impressive lineup of two dozen or so mezcals…and graciously little else. Read my complete review at the CheapOair blog. 

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Mezcaleria Quiquiriqui Brings Oaxacan Spirit to Hoxton

Tequila. That’s such a nought-y spirit. If you really wanna impress your boozing compadres while getting your drink on all feliz like, you must update your taste buds. It’s time for mezcal. Newly opened Mezcaleria Quiquiriqui in Hoxton stocks an … Continue reading

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This Bright Field (Blue Tomato)

This Bright Field is a welcome addition to the East London dining scene. Sourcing British regional produce to create straightforward and prettily presented seasonal dishes, head chef Matt Casey (formerly of Koffman’s and The Whitechapel Gallery Dining Room) and his … Continue reading

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Vinnie Nylon: POPTIMISM at High Roller Society

Another great show’s coming to High Roller Society: Vinnie Nylon: POPTIMISM High Roller Society 10 Palmers Road, E2 0SY 8 September – 7 October 2012 Vinnie Nylon has been involved in the street art and graffiti movement for over 25 … Continue reading

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Best Meal in Ages! @ThisBrightField, Bethnal Green

Saturday night, Kemey and I went to see one of the best movies I’d seen in ages, Ai Wei Wei: Never Sorry. The engaging documentary about Chinese artist and activist, Ai Wei Wei, was inspiring to say the least. Not … Continue reading

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Street Artist Skewville Adds Brooklyn Flavour to East End Gallery: Check it Out Tonight! (Londonist)

Street Artist Skewville Adds Brooklyn Flavour to East End Gallery: Check it Out Tonight! Londonist, March 18, 2011 at 17.30 pm Walls apparently aren’t enough for Brooklyn-based street artist, Skewville, who took over the windows, floor and whatever other space … Continue reading

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Exhibition Review: Having a Dig: Sweet Toof, New Paintings and Shan Hur at Arch402 Gallery (Londonist)

Exhibition Review: Having a Dig: Sweet Toof, New Paintings and Shan Hur at Arch402 Gallery Londonist, January 12, 2011 at 15:00 pm Do a mental mash up Henry Chalfant’s “Style Wars” with … oh, let’s say … Constable and you might get … Continue reading

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Exhibition Review: Rising Stars in Bethnalham at High Roller Society (Londonist)

Exhibition Review: Rising Stars in Bethnalham at High Roller Society Londonist, December 4, 2010 at 16:36 pm Rising Stars in Bethnalham opens today at High Roller Society with an eclectic mix of art inspired or otherwise derived from London’s East End. … Continue reading

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Like Breakfast for Pudding at Lennie’s Snack Bar in Shoreditch (Qype does London)

Like Breakfast for Pudding at Lennie’s Snack Bar in Shoreditch Qype does London, September 4th 2010 As the steamroller of gentrification and hipster insistence burns its way through Shoreditch, the presence of Lennie’s Snack Bar becomes ever more relevant and … Continue reading

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