Category: An Italian vegetarianish in London

…they wanted Shoreditch back

Only in London: Manga Shakespeare!

And an Imperial Star Destroyer crashed just behind the Tate Modern gallery…

PS: went to see the Sonia Delaunay exhibition.
At 16 quids, a bit meh.
The lady did nice work in abstract paintings, but showed no great sign of evolution for a whopping 40 years of career. Her fabric patterns were a bit more complex but less garishly coloured than the Marimekko ones. Marimekko btw, are also still repeating the same patterns since the seventies 🙂
The paintings I liked better where the very first ones, portraits which could easily be described as “Not quite unlike Picasso, with bright patterns in the background”. Picasso btw, was exposing GUERNICA at the Paris exposition in 1937 while the Delaunays where displaying brightly coloured canvases with motor parts and technical drawings. Talk about being abstracted from reality…

What would the Londoners do if they did not have an event every weekend as pretext to go out, picnic, have beer and chat? Surely invent another event!

Today was “record store day”, so I strolled across London, north-east to south-west, to go listen to some Ambient House mixed by none other than Alex Paterson from The Orb, at a very small but friendly shop in Northwood. A bit of a shame that it is so far away from my daily home – office commute that I won’t be coming back often.

In the end, I bought no vinyls (did I mention I do not own a turntable?), but still did not came home empty handed. The book selection seemed hand curated, and the owner’s taste fell quite in line with mine. Time to fill some gaping holes in my classics!

One of the nice hidden neighbourhoods of London: Hackney wick. Where industrial buildings and warehouses have been transformed into art studios and skate parks.

Geographically close to the Olympic park, but, luckily, miles apart in every conceivable way.

Two sure signs that spring has arrived for real:

Cherry blossoms everywhere! 🙂

Brick Lane is so packed on Sundays that people actually have to sit outside of windows…

PS: while talking about Brick Lane: it seems that it boasts the most hipster coffee shop of the whole city!
Beating hands down ‘The CoffeeWorks Project’ in Angel and the Talkhouse in Portobello Road, you can line up here to get:
– an overpriced espresso (no single shots, 2.2 pound minimum)
– plenty of time to admire the cool customers, while the baristas take about three minutes per brew
– a friendly race to grab the stool which occasionally frees up for 3 seconds

…cherry trees fully agree with you and would be delighted to blossom…

…but ITS F***NG FREEZING!

As promised, I began my hunt for Udon joints, and I was not disappointed.

Udon are japanese noodles, round and thick, like fat spaghetti. They usually come with some broth and various seasoning. I am in love with them ever since eating them from a huge, steaming wooden bowl in Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku in Japan.

The first London restaurant recommended for Udon, but even more for sake tasting is Zen Mondo, in Islington (pics)

The atmosphere is quiet and cosy, the waitress bows and smiles constantly, the udon, sushi and tempura are good, and there is a nice selection of sakes available, all of the bottles carrying a short explanation in english. Prices are affordable (menu online at www.zenmondo.co.uk).

Could a japanophile ask for more?

One of the many things the brits do different is wiring homes for electricity. Where else in Europe would you see such contraptions?

It is possible that the best strategy to educate dog owners is by humour rather than fines?

A GREAT shop hidden in a corner street close to Angel, filled to the brim with material for drawing, painting, creative activities and whatnoot: CASS ART

Of course there are a lot of nice-looking shops in Liverpool road, so singling one out feels unfair. It has to be said though that most of those have incredible prices. Take twentytwentyone for example: it must be the only design outlet in the world where Scandinavian furniture costs more than in Oslo!

One the least hipster-looking places in Hoxton, within walking distance of my cozy small flat, is F. Cooke’s “Pie & Mash” parlour.
So far I had not managed to try it out, maybe because there’s no menu on the door and I’m a bit scared of getting a pastry stuffed with eel, or because there’s no opening times written, either, and I tend to pass by late in the evening or on sundays.

This time I carefully planned my visit for a Saturday afternoon, hungry like the wolf after having dutifully swam my weekly kilometre.

Results:

Atmosphere: 9 – everyone seems to know each other (except me).
Food: 6 – maybe this is the best pie in London, maybe not. I think I am not a great fan of pies after all