Spitalfields

[Vanessa]

Ashamed to say that I've never been there

Question: is it worth making the trip? Is there anything there that you can't get at Borough or elsewhere in London?

And, I had never heard of the shop 'A Gold' until a recent Evening Standard Thursday mag. Any opinions?

v

[Kikujiro]

Is there anything there that you can't get at Borough or elsewhere in London?

I've never been either, but for me it's slightly closer than Borough, so the question is not is it better, but will it on occasion do instead?

[Simon Majumdar]

Borough is much better, but many of the stall holders who are at BM are also at Spitalfields on Sunday.

Don't forget that Spitalfields is not just predicated on food, so there is a huge amount of interest apart from filling up on the good stuff. In the last few weeks, they have had a national Karom championship, a fashion show from the Guildhall Graduating class amongst others.

It does get packed, but I like to potter down there on a Sunday morning when it is still quite quiet

S

[Jon Tseng]

Is there a food mkt in spitalfields too?

didn't know that - just looked like an enormous rag and bone market when I went thru on a sun once - what food stalls are there?

re food not a great fan of the arkansas cafe, although i believe others have different opinions. pizza pomodoro does reliable, er, pizza

j

[Wilfrid]

If you've never wandered around the area, I'd recommend that too: the facade of Hawksmoor's Christ Church, the beautiful Huguenot houses in Fournier Street just beside it, the tangle of old streets between the market and Bishopsgate, and of course Brick Lane. Worth an hour or two of anyone's time.

[Vanessa]

national Karom championship

Karom - what the heck is that? Am I revealing some kind of embarrassing ignorance?

And Wilfred has just managed to remind me of when I was last in Spitalfields - 26 1/2 years ago: a memorial concert for my mother in Spitalfields Church.

v

[Simon Majumdar]

national Karom championship

Karom - what the heck is that? Am I revealing some kind of embarrassing ignorance?

And Wilfred has just managed to remind me of when I was last in Spitalfields - 26 1/2 years ago: a memorial concert for my mother in Spitalfields Church.

v

Karom is an Indian game of persian origins.

It is best described as a cross between snooker and draughts. It is played on square board about 2ft x 2ft and with pockets at each corner. There are black pieces and white pieces which are potted using a small shooting disc

It is hard to explain but highly addictive.

I have played it all my life and in fact have a board in front of me as I type

The market is pretty good fun on a Sunday. There are food stalls, a flea market and increasingly a wide range of high end stalls selling everything from clothes etc to art to furniture. It is very much on the tourist trail now and the whole area is packed fro about 11am. There is of course the lure of The Ten Bells where the ripper victims would spend the night drinking themselves into a stupour before heading to the Penny Hanger

S

[Vanessa]

Sounds like Camden in its earlier days - don't think I'll be hurrying there. No comment on A Gold I note?

Thanks for the explanation about karom.

v

[Wilfrid]

My goodness, Vanessa, I didn't mean to give you such a dramatic flashback. My family came from South Hackney, so I saw a lot of that area in my youth.

Simon, I used to conduct unofficial Ripper murder site tours, but gave it up because too many people found it in bad taste, even though my entire theme was to debunk the ridiculous media glamorisation of the whole affair. Pearls before piggies, as ever, I'm afraid.

[Vanessa]

No problem Wilfred, it was just your injection of a bit of culture that jogged my brain.

My only experience of Brick Lane was a Sunday morning a couple of years ago, when I was trying to impress a visiting friend with the trendiness of the area, and found everything shut and the only sign of life being old tramps wanking in corners. Most embarrassing.

v

[Wilfrid]

And first use of that phrase on eGullet. Well done!

[Vanessa]

v

[Tonyfinch]

the only sign of life being old tramps wanking in corners.  Most embarrassing.

And where,pray,should old tramps wank if not in corners?

Spitalfields is a fantastically historical and culturally fascinating area with more interest per square yard than many areas of London have per square mile.

The Arkansa Cafe,while being basic and uncomfortable,does serve up the closest approximation of American BBQ that you can get in London. Steak,duck breast and pork ribs have all been excellent in my experience.

Meson Los Barriles USED to be a wonderful Tapas bar with excellent fish main courses.I haven't been in a while but the word is that standards have slipped as the crowds have increased.

That's about it for interesting food options,although there are lots of other outlets. For more comfort and luxury you're only a stone's throw from all those Conran restaurants in and around the GT Eastern Hotel.

[Vanessa]

Thanks for the input. It was really produce-selling outlets rather than restaurants I was looking for feedback on, and it seems that nobody has come up with anything special there.

Feeling sorry for myself this morning. I don't have the disposable income of others around here and have developed an uncontrollable obsession with trying to book a table at The Capital next week (I blame e-gullet). Unfortunately this is incompatible with the state of my bank balance until pay day, nearly 3 weeks away.

v

p.s. wanking tramps don't trouble me - but they clearly troubled my friend, thereby causing my embarrassment!

[Simon Majumdar]

The Capital does a very good value lunch for around £30. Sam & Scott put me on to this and it is a real bargain.

The food stalls at Spitalfields are not up to Borough. There are some of the same people who show there, plus there are some good organic stalls, the bread stalls at Spitalfields are better than at Borough. There is the Square Pie Factory which is quite fun and there is a much better juice and wheat grass stall than anything at Borough ( although the woman who runs it is one of the most charmless haridans I have ever encountered ) and there is a German ( Austrian?) stall which sells the best cheesecake I have ever had ( the poppy seed one is worth the trip on its own )

I am not sure where you live but a short trip around the area including a stop off at Apostrophe for one of the best hot choc's in London plus a potter through ripperesque London is no bad way to spend a Sunday morning

S

[Kikujiro]

and there is a German ( Austrian?) stall which sells the best cheesecake I have ever had ( the poppy seed one is worth the trip on its own )

Now you're talking. I admit to some perverse glee re. the Foster encroachment, particularly given the tendency of supporters to refer to the market as 'Spitz'. But Sunday is now cheesecake day.

On the topic of market destruction, what's the latest with Borough? It now seems to be roughly as popular as Madame Tussauds, so I find it hard to believe it won't make it, but am I being na0Š7ve?

[circeplum]

there's also a stall that does the most sinful handmade chocolate truffles. the ginger and honey variety is cocoa-dusted sex in a bag. (and i don't much care for sweeties as a rule.)

[Vanessa]

The Capital does a very good value lunch for around £30.  Sam & Scott put me on to this and it is a real bargain.

Great price, but I have 2 issues: firstly I don't enjoy food/drink blowouts in the middle of the day, secondly it would involve taking a 1/2 day off work. So I'll try for the 12th in the evening, go into debt for a week and report back on the food in detail here.

v

[Audrey]

Vanessa,

A Gold is a lovely, old fashioned British delicatessen that stocks just British produce [they do concede to the French on the wine]. They have a wide range of tinned goods, toffees, British cheeses, meats, sausages, black pudding, smokies, breads, biscuits etc and the owners are lovely. In food terms, much like Spitalfields market itself, it's not worth the pilgrimmage and it is certainly nothing like Borough.

But Spitalfields is not a flea market as some described, instead it is probably London's best market, with crafts and great fashion. Young designers often make their start there and there are great bargains to be had.

There are no really great places to eat there though there are places in abundance.

But the market, combined with an earlier walk down Columbia Road flower market, wending your way to Spitalfields through Brick Lane market, and finishing off with a pint at the Golden Heart [a much nicer pub than the Ten Bells], is a great way to spend a Sunday.

x

[Vanessa]

Audrey - thankyou, that was most helpful.

v