Mural on Grimsby Street |
The rain had let up; it was grey but the skies were holding. We had a reservation for Sunday roast at the noted Hawksmoor restaurant near Spitalfields Market, but we wanted to see the sights first.
Grey skies, but no rain so far |
Brick Lane Indian restaurants |
Salt beef and bagels |
It was tempting, but we knew we had a big meal ahead of us, so we resisted. We continued down the street, past the vintage shops and hipster fashion.
Beneath the railway, the open-air food stands were set up, including Mr. Spicy, selling curried goat and jerk chicken.
We ducked into the junk shop and looked at some old chairs, architectural salvage from Victorian buildings, and browsed through a box of vinyl LPs.
The Brick Lane Bookshop is a nice place to check out guides and books about the history of the East End.
Brick Lane Bookshop |
We peeked into one market space and were once again tempted by delicious food. Here stalls with Vietnamese, Burmese, Moroccan, Cuban, Indonesian and Mexican food displayed their offerings. Just click to "embiggen" the photos of all this deliciousness - and then admire us for being strong and resisting!
Sri Lankan food |
Vietnamese food |
Moroccan food |
[The Man I Love] had a nice cup of hot mulled cider while I tried them on.
The Spitalfields Market has been here since 1638 when King Charles I authorized sales of fish, fowl and food to be sold here. The historic buildings date from 1887. We first visited here in 1998 or so, and it was funky and shabby.
A renovation since then has slicked the place up - now, in addition to stalls of budding fashion designers and cheap T-shirt sellers, there are retail shops for MAC cosmetics, Doc Martens shoes, and fancy souvenir stores for the tourists. It's all fun, though, and worth taking some time to browse.
We arrived at Hawksmoor in plenty of time for our lunch - our appetites whetted by all the delicious scents and sights from Brick Lane.
It was a substantial Sunday Roast for both Max and [The Man I Love]. Rare roast beef, potatoes roasted in duck fat, Yorkshire pudding and vegetables. This is serious stuff, but my guys were up for the task.
I opted instead for a crab salad and a side of macaroni and cheese - but I got to taste a bite of their Sunday Roast.
We did a little Christmas shopping afterwards, and then ducked into a pub.
The Ten Bells is a famous joint, perhaps over-promoting its connection to the notorious East End villain Jack the Ripper. Victims Mary Kelly and Annie Chapman are linked to the pub, supposedly plying their trade on the pavement outside.
[The Man I Love] at the Ten Bells beneath the tile mural |
The contemporary mural |
View from the upper level of the 388 bus |
As I was reading this, I wondered if you were in the area I visited way back in spring 1992. When I saw the picture of the pub, I immediately thought it reminded me of the pub we visited while on a tour of Jack the Ripper murder sites. Sure enough! It seems much fancier now than it was back then.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you're having a wonderful time! (Oh, and I love those boots...)
I'm playing blog catch-up today...
ReplyDeleteI was going to commend you for having the fortitude to pass up all that amazing looking food until I saw the GIANT yorkshire pudding on that plate. Wow.
Really, you should consider being a travel and food writer. These posts are wonderful.