THERE are many reasons why London is one of the best cities in the world, but all of them come in second behind the fact that London never stops changing. And if you think a sluggish economy put a stop to that, think again; if anything, the pace is picking up, in no small part due to next summer’s Olympic Games.
Yet none of the changes coming to the city in the run-up to this momentous (and contentious) event — new rail links, a tarted up Leicester Square, what have you — merit quite as much attention to the grass-roots regeneration of East London that’s been gathering steam for some years now. From Brick Lane to Homerton, Spitalfields to Dalston and back again, it seems at times that everything Londoners are talking about is happening somewhere out here, east of Liverpool Street Station.
Want to see what all the fuss is about? Next time you come to town, set aside a day or two and get to know a whole new side of London. Here’s a handy little guide to an introductory (and rather leisurely) weekend in the new East End — go now, though; by this time next year, everything might well have changed all over again.
FRIDAY
Lunch Hop onboard a sleek new East London Overground train — transfer at multiple points from the Tube or Docklands Light Railway — and head for Shoreditch High Street; a few steps in any direction from this station and you’ll bump into some of the city’s most up-to-the-minute shopping, dining and nightlife. North of the station, on unobtrusive Arnold Circus, ring the bell at the old Rochelle School for access to Rochelle Canteen
, an almost-secret little café in what’s now an artist-studio complex. The proprietor is Margot Henderson; her husband Fergus is renowned for his cooking at London’s famous St. John restaurant. Consequently, the brief lunch menu (served from noon until 3 p.m. only) goes far beyond the usual, with finds such as tiny smoked sprats, brown shrimp salad and foie gras terrine served with chutney, not to mention the likes of macaroon ice cream for dessert.
Afternoon What East London lacks in iconic museums, it more than makes up for with its gallery scene, a sprawling, shape-shifting beast of a thing, often involving trips to places where there are no tube stations (Hackney Wick, for instance). As a casual visitor, though, you should start at the Whitechapel Gallery
, an East End institution that recently completed a $21 million expansion that nearly doubled the size of the 100-plus-year-old institution. The gallery has played a significant role in the careers of many modern greats, bringing their work before London audiences for the first time. Today, visitors come to view the Kahlo’s, Pollock’s and Rothko’s of tomorrow (free admission).
Evening No matter what time in the afternoon you get to Brawn
, the restaurant that’s heating things up culinarily on an increasingly gentrified Columbia Road, you’ll be welcomed in. They may not serve dinner until 6 o’clock but that doesn’t mean you can’t satisfy yourself with their fascinating booze list, which focuses on sustainably and organically produced wines from small growers around the globe. The same fanaticism extends to the menu — even for London, everything is obsessively sourced, from the smoked eel (Lincolnshire) to the oysters (Maldon, Essex) to the lardo (Tuscany) and beyond. This is at once both a small plates / wine bar type place and a real restaurant — oxtail & snail bourguignon, anyone?
SATURDAY
Brunch After the evening’s culinary adventures, the simplicity of Albion
will come as a relief; this smart rethink of the humble, all-day cafe is a highlight in sleek Shoreditch, an area that feels like London’s Soho without the sleaze, or New York’s TriBeCa with a little more grit. Bright décor, an open kitchen, big windows and piles of tasty baked goods in the shop at the front of the room all add up to the perfect day starter. Then again, with Terence Conran behind the scenes, you expect everything to be visually stunning. Luckily, the food isn’t bad, either — the roasted root vegetable salad is enough to make anyone wonder why they ever bothered with red meat.
Afternoon If the streets of Hackney seem a little bit quiet on a Saturday morning, that’s because pretty much everyone who’s out and about is either on their way to, leaving or in the thick of the Broadway Market
fray. Dating back to the late 1800s but for years strictly a local thing, seeing and being seen along this bustling street, book ended by Regent’s Canal and leafy London Fields Park, has become one of London’s most popular weekend activities. Cupcake bakeries, coffee roasters and other artisanal whatnottery rests comfortably side-by-side with old school farm stalls and the classic Cooke’s, a handsome old café known for its jellied eels. Nibble your way through the market, then stroll through London Fields on up to the center of Hackney. Stop in at The Wilton Way Café
; this little neighborhood hangout (from the gents behind the Notting Hill Arts Club) is just a short walk from the impressive art deco town hall. It is also one of the prime spots to observe just how deeply coffee fanaticism runs in London’s café scene these days. Everything is prepared with care, using beans from Climpson & Sons in the Broadway Market, one of the roasters of the moment; the small food menu has been assembled with the equivalent attention to detail.
Evening Even the most ardent of London enthusiasts would have to admit that for years, eating out in the capital wasn’t nearly the highlight of a visit. That’s all in the past now, with meal after meal exceeding expectations. Perhaps no restaurant quite shows just how much London has changed than Hawksmoor
. Just a few doors up from the home office of retailer AllSaints Spitalfields, on grimy Commercial Street, Hawksmoor is a straight forward, simple place. It is a steakhouse, with meat sourced from one of the top butchers in town (The Ginger Pig). There are cocktails. The service is really nice. The whole thing feels luxurious and almost giddily American, except that the steaks are better by half than those served at some famous New York addresses, and the bartenders mix classics such as the Sazerac better than plenty you’ll sip in New Orleans, the drink’s spiritual home. Late last year, the owners expanded their empire to Central London, where most nights, a table is still nearly impossible to come by. At either restaurant, make sure to reserve.
Late night There are still plenty of places in London where the streets roll up after dark; Shoreditch is not one of them. A casual observer wandering through the nightlife zone around the bottom of Kingsland Road at 3 o’clock in the morning might get confused and think it’s still before midnight. (It’s not — you can tell by looking at how drunk everyone is.) Should you be feeling energetic in the later hours, repair to Mason & Taylor
, one in a handful of smart beer bars popping up around London. Here, staff are all about microbrews from both near and far. Their downstairs bar is open until 2 a.m. on weekends.
SUNDAY
Morning Of the handful of Sunday markets that draw tourists out to the East End each week, perhaps the best is the Columbia Road Market
. Famous for its flowers — so many flowers! — the market is a little further off the beaten path; it’s also a more charming neighborhood. Columbia Road has a High Street, Anywhere, UK, feel to it, visually, except that it’s home to one of the city’s best collections of one-off, independent shops dealing in everything from fashion to art to interior design. Devotees like to be at the market right when it gets started at 8 a.m.; if you’re afraid of crowds, early is definitely better. But for maximum people watching, sleep in a little. The market runs until 3 p.m.
Lunch Steps away from the action on Columbia Road and tucked away inside the pleasant confines of Haggerston Park, Hackney City Farm is one of the East End’s more charming little surprises. It’s here that city kids come to pet sheep and feed goats and watch pigs rutting around in the muck. It’s all very Detroit, this idea of urban farming (the abandoned industrial buildings across the road help set the scene as well). On premises, the simple but welcoming Frizzante
, a casual, family-oriented restaurant, feels a little like something at an Italian agriturismo, but with a less formidable language barrier. You’ve already spent an entire weekend having your impression of London turned on its head — why not have one more go?
WHERE TO STAY
East London isn’t exactly crawling with excellent hotels, but it certainly offers more choice nowadays than in years past, from the hard-to-get rooms at Shoreditch House
(a member of the ever-expanding Soho House group) to the Conran clan’s Boundary Project
, a collection of 12 artfully done rooms atop their popular Albion café on Redchurch Street — it’s actually just another piece in a mini-empire at this address that also includes a fine dining restaurant and a rooftop bar. Other entries include the now mostly-overpriced Hoxton Hotel
, the overreaching, pretentious RE Hotel Shoreditch
and the oddly located Town Hall Hotel
in Bethnal Green, notable mostly for being home to Viajante, one of London’s most talked-about restaurants. (A visit there, which you ought to consider, does not require that you spend the night.) Quite frankly, it’s hard to imagine a better hotel on this side of town than the Crowne Plaza Shoreditch
, which offers quiet, clean rooms at attractive rates, particularly if you pay in advance. Sexy it ain’t (though the décor is remarkably un-heinous), convenient it is, within walking distance from nearly everything we’ve recommended here. Plus, if you feel like cheating, the 242 bus stops right at the front door, whisking you into the West End in under a half hour on weekend evenings.