Lennies Snack Bar – A very special place

My most memorable dining experience in London has nothing to do with Michelin stars, fancy wines & waiters…

Lennies Snack Bar in East London (just next to Shoreditch Church)  is like no other Thai restaurant I’ve ever been too. Its life and soul is owner Irene who is the most welcoming host anyone can imagine. Eating at her restaurant is like coming home or visiting your favourite eccentric aunt.

Irene does all the cooking herself and will often sit at her customer’s tables and chat for a while, ask you how you’ve been or tell about her jet lag, her long life in London or the next party she’s planning to attend, dressed like Dolly Parton.

There is a varied menu to choose from, but we normally let Irene decide for us. We just tell her what kind of food we’re interested in and she’ll conjure up a wonderful mix of Thai curries, noodle dishes, fish etc. A lot of the vegetables come from her own allotment.

This is a BYO place, meaning you have to bring your own drinks. You don’t even pay extra for that and you rarely end up paying more than £ 10 per person for the food.

I really can’t recommend this place enough, I just love everything about it: from the kitschy cosy interior with red checkered table cloths, string lights and paintings of naked women to the fresh and well-prepared food. Hell, I even love the dodgy toilets.

But mainly I love this place because of Irene and her knack for creating the warmest and most welcoming atmosphere in East London.

Lennies Snack Bar, 6 Calvert Avenue,  London E2 7JP.
Tel: 020 7739 3628 ‎ (it’s a good idea to book ahead)

Fancy a Sunday curry in East London?

One of the main reasons why I love London so much is because it’s so multicultural. Every day you meet people who have come to live in this city from all corners of the world. It’s quite rare to meet a “true” Londoner, born and bred here.

Another reason why I love London is because of its many amazing “ethnic” restaurants and food. So why not combine the two and spend a Sunday afternoon sampling Bangladeshi, Indian & Pakistani curries at the Brick Lane Curry Festival in wonderful East London? I’ll be there that’s for sure.

Vietnam nam – Song Que Cafe

Photo: Mette Bassett

Nogle af Londons bedste Vietnamesiske restauranter ligger klynget sammen i en radius af 500 meter i Shoreditch i Østlondon, nærmere bestemt området omkring Old Street og Kingsland Road. En af vores favoritter er Song Que Café, som er en autentisk udgave af den sindssygt over-priced Le Le Nha Hang i København.

Hos Song Que Café er der også altid kø udenfor, men det går hurtigt med at få plads i det højloftede, cafeteria-lignende lokale. Betjeningen er en smule fortravlet og ikke super venlig (men som dansker, der er vant til Københavns ubehøvlede tjenere, er dette det rene paradis).  Og maden er billig og lækker, plus de har alle klassikerne på kortet, inklusive nogle af mine favoritter: Pho (suppe), Ban Xeo (sprød pandekage med fyld), Bun Thit Nuong (kolde nudler med fx. grøntsager, forårsruller og grillet svinekød). En hovedret koster 7-8 pund.

Og så skader det heller ikke, at de har den vildeste kitsch, mintgrønne bar med et par giga plastic-hummere klasket på. Som min (designer)veninde sagde: “De kunne se rigtig cool ud på en hat.” Helt enig.

Song Que Cafe, 134 Kingsland Road, E2 8DY. Se kort.

English: A lot of London’s best and cheapest Vietnamese restaurant lie side by side in Shoreditch in East London and most are on Old Street and Kingsland Road. One of our favourites is Song Que Café. There’s always a queue of hungry customers waiting to be let into the big cafeteria-style room. You rarely have to wait more than five minutes though before you’re pushed towards your table by a rather stressed waiter

Rushed service aside, the food is cheap and yummy and the menu has all the Vietnamese classics such as Pho (soup), Ban Xeo (crispy pancake w. meat and veggies), Bun Thit Nuong (cold noodles w. spring rolls or grilled pork). A main costs around 7-8 pounds.

It doesn’t hurt either that they have the world’s coolest kitsch bar: mint green and inhabited by a couple of giant plastic lobsters. As my (designer)friend said: “They would look cool on a hat.” I couldn’t agree more…

Song Que Cafe, 134 Kingsland Road, E2 8DY. Map.

Photo: Mette Bassett

Galibardy – affordable bling with a twist

Photo: Mette Bassett

For et stykke tid siden blev mine øjne lokket til af en smykkestand lige ved indgangen (i enden med madboderne) til det dejlige indendørs søndagsmarked i Østlondon, Sunday UpMarket.

Bag standen stod ejeren af smykkemærket Galibardy, og jeg endte med at gå derfra med Bambi her til omkring 21 pund. Firmaet har specialiseret sig i spøjse halskæder, brocher og ringe med alt fra dødningehoveder til pantere, en kanin i en hat, bittesmå grønne æbler og bier.

Priserne er lave, men de fleste smykker er lavet af messing og de ser meget dyrere ud, end de er. Galibardy har haft en stand på markedet, hver gang jeg har været forbi, men du kan også shoppe online på www.galibardy.co.uk.

English: A while back I was visiting the lovely Sunday UpMarket in East London when my eyes were drawn to a stall selling jewellery with a quirky twist. Behind the stall was the owner of the company Galibardy, who has  specialised  in affordable, modern jewellery with humour and a story to tell.

I ended up buying the Bambi necklace in brass, price: 21 pounds.

You can shop at their stall in East (it has been there every time I’ve been there and is located right by the entrance, before the food stalls) or online at www.galibardy.co.uk.

Photo via galibardy.co.uk

Photo via galibardy.co.uk

Photo via galibardy.co.uk

Photo via galibardy.co.uk

Photo via galibardy.co.uk