The Bow Bells: Becoming an Eastender

They say that you are a true cockney if you live within the sound of the Bow Bells, which are situated in a church in the City called St Mary-le-Bow, near Cannon Street, which it turns out is only a few minutes walk from my office in St Paul's. Obviously I was delighted, being a massive fan of the BBC series Eastenders. Recently, I moved to the East End of London, living in a townhouse with an old school friend who is also a uni graduate living on a budget. Of course, I had to check out what the new area had to offer. Victoria Park has a buzzing community and is near Mile End, Bethnal Green and Stepney, with pubs, delis, cute cafés and restaurants.

The first place I went to was 'Spit Jacks' which is to the north of Victoria Park. The little restaurant had a French countryside feel, and specialised in rotisserie - meat slow roasted on a spit. We chose spit roasted chicken which was delicious, with crispy skin and tender meat, accompanied by French fries. We also had roast leg of lamb with tasty little roast potatoes and salad. Another highlight was crunchy corn on the cob, in a chilli and lime butter which I will definitely be replicating at home. It was all washed down with a carafe of cheap but highly drinkable table wine. The cosy and rustic setting is one to be enjoyed by friends and couples alike. 

To the south of the park, near Mile End tube station and Bow Road, there is a brilliant restaurant called Greedy Cow. Specialising in burgers, they have a lot of different meats; the standards such as chicken and beef, along with some more exotic choices such as kangaroo and wild boar. I had the Mexican - a beef burger cooked to Medium, with salsa, sour cream, cheese and jalepenos. We also tried the beer battered onion rings which were probably some of the best I've tried (and I've worked in many quality pubs that also serve them). 

Another great place in the area is the Royal Inn on the Park which does a brilliant Sunday roast, served very quickly. The pub also serves Aspall Cyder from Suffolk which is one of my favourite drinks and complemented the pork beautifully. After lunch, you can take a leisurely stroll in the park, which has lakes, gardens, play areas, a skatepark and little cafés to get a hot chocolate to warn you up in the rapidly cooling autumn weather. Parks like this are often underrated with people choosing to visit the obvious ones such as Hyde Park, Regents Park, Hampstead Heath etc. However for a bit of a change, along with Vicky park, why not try out Battersea park which is next to the Chelsea embankment, or Brockwell park in South London which holds a country show each year and has one of the city's last remaining lidos. 

Another great reason for coming to this area is that it's only a short journey away from one of the biggest shopping centres in Europe - Westfield Stratford City. Being a shopaholic and beauty addict, I'm yet to decide whether this is a blessing or a curse. However, not only are there brilliant shops ranging from Mulberry and Primark, there are also some great restaurants. My new favourite is Cabana Brasilian Barbeque which is part of 'The Street', the outdoor shopping area. When inside you feel like you are in the centre of Rio, with Latin American music playing, bright decorations and the sound and smell of sizzling barbecued meat. We ordered marinated chicken and steak skewers which were smoky and flavoursome. However, my favourite dishes were the starters. One was Barbeque pulled pork in a cheesy dough ball. The other were magnificent king prawns in a Malagueta sauce, which was sweet, spicy and bursting with chili. If you're a fan of street food, I'd definitely recommend visiting here after a hard day's shopping. 

East London is becoming more and more popular, especially since West and Central London are becoming even more exclusive, with tiny apartments selling for a million pounds and cocktails costing 20 quid each. All the more reason to give the East End more than a passing glance. 

Yaasica Lucia XXX