Tag Archives: Brick Lane

THOROUGHLY MODERN MAN: Pukka Pimms

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Just a brief message this time dear reader. Last night I had a delicious curry. Nothing remarkable in that, I hear you cry. Except as I struggled into the pop-up location out of the Baltic winds, I was greeted with a Pimms. “But Jamie”, I hear you cry, “that’s crazy talk, summer is but a distant memory, as we shiver here in the despairing depths of winter”.

Well that’s where you’re wrong. Like curry, but hate beer? Sounds like you’ve been stuck in the past over what to drink with your jalfrezi. And far from using your drink as a shield against your food, “taking the edge off the heat” or “calming your mouth down”, the blend of fruits and herbs that makes our national fruity indulgence unique marries perfectly with beautiful complex curry spicing.

Don’t believe me? Well you can go and see for yourself, because this Saturday they’re giving away cans of Pimms and serving Indian-spiced snacks to see if you agree with me and the good people at Pimms that it really is Pukka. #PukkaPimms is located for today only at the top of the Brick Lane “Curry Curve”, 133 Bethnal Green Road, and I would urge you to get down from 12pm to 6pm and turn make an Indian summer of this horrible winter.

Written by a Thoroughly Modern Man, James Bomford.

THOROUGHLY MODERN MISS: Fika, Brick Lane

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Located on Brick Lane, Fika is a great place for a coffee, 3-course meal or after-work cocktail. The exterior of Fika makes it stand out from its more shabby, less-chic neighbours on Brick Lane.

The interior décor is Swedish log cabin meets Shoreditch pop-up gallery. Among other things a vintage typewriter, a set of binoculars and an old tanned-leather suitcase adorn the exposed brick walls. My personal favourite was the faux-grass aardvark drinking from a tea cup on the wall to my left – wonderfully random.

The service echoed the décor – subtle but not overbearing. Our waitress (Swedish, of course) was stylish and softly-spoken. After being seated we were handed a rolled up map of ‘New Penzance Island’ and whilst unsure at first (and half expecting a cup of broken Crayola to follow) the scroll worked well for their playful menu.

The menu was reasonably priced with a 3 course meal consisting of the most expensive of each dish coming in at £26. Here’s what we ate:

Starters:

Tomato Kingdom

Heirloom tomato carpaccio, pickled wild mushroom and popcorn £6

Darjeeling Gravad Lax

Home cured salmon with Darjeeling jelly £6

Mains:

Pitch Perfect Meatballs

Swedish meatballs, apple cider sauce and lingonberry jam £10.20

The Expedition

Bed of greens with poached salmon, crayfish and tiger prawns £11.90

Desert:

Kladdkaka

Swedish sticky chocolate cake £4.60

Peanut butter and Jelly Sandwich

Toasty, grilled heaven £4.60

The Tomato Kingdom was light and fresh (although the popcorn seemed unnecessary). The Darjeeling Gravad Lax was a novel idea but neither my dining partner nor I were able to discern any hint of Darjeeling in the jelly. This was probably the most disappointing part of the meal – served with an undressed salad and 2 slices of French baguette it somewhat lacked the finesse of the other dishes.

The ‘Pitch Perfect Meatballs’ were certainly pitch perfect – small, perfectly formed and delicious they came with sweet, meaty gravy and some skin-on mash. The Expedition salad had a fantastic set of ingredients – tiger prawns, pea shoots, brined crayfish tails, poached salmon, round lettuce, green beans and wild rocket but rather like the Gravad Lax lacked cohesiveness and needed some kind of dressing to bring it together.

NOW FOR THE BEST BITS. The Kladdkaka (Swedish sticky chocolate cake) was presented in a beautiful rose shape, had great depth of flavour and was even more gooey on the inside than the chocolate pudding in the ‘not just a chocolate pudding’ M&S campaign – so pretty oozy. The highlight for me, however, was the Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwich (maybe she should have take the crayons you silently judge). The PBJ sandwich really was hot, sweet, slightly salted, crunchy and perfectly balanced grilled (as in fried) sandwich perfection. This is something I will definitely try to recreate at home but I would strongly recommend a pilgrimage to Fika first, to truly realize the potential of the humble PBJ.

One thing that must be said for FIKA is that its ingredients were impeccable. Every dish tasted fresh and exciting. The portion sizes were perfect – filling but leaving me wanting slightly more – so avoided the ‘I need to be rolled out of here’ feeling.

Fika offers some fun but well-made cocktails, as well as a variety of Swedish beers, Swedish ciders, Akvovit and Snaps. On the non-alcoholic side there are some creative home made ice-teas and a great selection of teas and coffee. We both ordered from the cocktail menu – my friend ordered the ‘Zissou Negroni’ which he described as very well balanced with all Vermouth, Gin and Campari easily discernable. I couldn’t help but to choose the ‘When I Kissed the Teacher’ cocktail – made from milk, Absolut Vanilla and gingerbread snaps. It was delicious, best described as an alcoholic and chilled version of Starbucks’ Christmas Gingernut Latte (yes, I’m feeling slightly embarrassed right now).

Fika doesn’t take itself too seriously whilst delivering sophisticated food in an intimate yet playful surrounding with great service. The restaurant is open for breakfast (on the weekend), lunch and dinner and will give you a wonderful introduction to some traditional and contemporary Swedish dishes.

More information here: www.fikalondon.com

Written by a Thoroughly Modern Miss, Crystal Eisinger.

Andaz Liverpool Street Hotel

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The Andaz Liverpool Street Hotel could not be in a more convenient place for commuters and business travellers, adjacent to the great train station. This hotel is not just for work focused guests however; the accommodation is smart, trendy and luxurious, a lovely venue to spend the weekend, certainly not just a place to rest your head.

On a very soggy Friday night I was delighted to step inside the warm and welcoming entrance lounge of the Andaz, to be greeted immediately by friendly staff. We were offered wine and invited to sit in the smart waiting area. The hotel has an intriguing and interesting history dating back to 1884 as one of the original London railway hotels. Formerly the Great Eastern Hotel, this beautiful Victorian redbrick building has a feel of timeless elegance and hidden secrets.

Although classed as boutique, this five-star hotel feels enormous inside; with high ceilings and clever ultramodern design, it is spacious and airy. There are numerous meeting rooms for businesses to use during the day and five restaurants on site connected by street entrances. The Andaz Health Club offers a retreat from the buzz of the city. Guests can enjoy 24 hour complimentary use of the advanced gym equipment and steam room, with massage and beauty treatment bookings also available.

Our room was gorgeous – decorated in sultry black and red, it had a very glamorous edge. With a large living area and huge bedroom, the floor space would have been sufficient for a small yoga class. Every detail has carefully been designed to offer guests maximum indulgence. The Andaz rooms indicate the hotel’s obvious interest in art and design – with quirky furniture and attractive artwork adorning the wall, it is luxury with a creative twist. The bedroom was heavenly, a king-size bed standing regally against the wall topped with a plush duvet and endless plump pillows. Current fashion and architecture magazines were included at the bedside for edification and entertainment.

The bathroom was glorious, a sparkling fast-fill bathtub and power shower and a heated towel rail with endless thick cotton towels and Yukata robes. Plentiful REN toiletries and eco-friendly flushing toilets and large mirrors make this bathroom functional as well as lavish. The endless amenities in our room got lots of use the next morning. A state-of-the-art Nespresso machine and fully adaptable work desk filled with stationery were my favourite extras. We had two huge TVs one by the bed and another in the living area. There is everything you need for a weekend, you need not even leave your room.

It was a real treat to be allowed to use the minibar for free… everything but the alcohol is complimentary for guests, an unusually kind gesture that we made full use of. Mini macaroons and lemon posset were also arranged on the desk, ideal before bed snackettes.

Breakfast in 1901 restaurant downstairs is a banquet of continental and cooked dishes. We were slightly overexcited by the feast and loaded our plates high with appealing crispy bacon, toast, croissants, fruit, cheese amongst other things. The breakfast is made with high quality ingredients and tasted fresh and healthy. We left energised and refreshed and spent a lovely morning wandering down Brick Lane and Columbia Road visiting the independent shops and cute cafes.

A boutique business hotel with style and flair seems like a real impossibility, the Andaz Liverpool Street has accomplished it all. I was impressed and I think you will be too.

More information and book here.