London: Tea Time in Wonderland

Honey, I have shrunk the street art! After Slinkachu and Isaac Cordal, Pablo Delgado takes a turn at making the world fit in our pocket. Look out for this one on Hanbury Street.

Keggie Carew imagined and created those poetic bubbles, suspended moments of happiness, pieces of freedom to take away and stare at for hours.
Wouldn’t it be comforting to get Alice’s drink me bottle, decrease in size and find shelter in one for those for a while?

Pop-up shop the world the way i want it
73 Redchurch Street
London E2 7DJ

Mutant monsters, meant to be scary but with a charming smile, a little chameleon like, the kind you expect to meet in the jungle…

Andy Warhol meets gothic revival!
Star parodies too – Andy Warhol meets Gothic revival!

It may loo smooth and simple but each piece meant hours of cutting and pasting. Have a look at the artist’s workshop in the central garden shed…

A fun exhibition, reminds me of the Gorillaz albums graphism. Stop by next time you’re around Brick Lane!

The Doomsday papers
Stolenspace Gallery
The Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane
London EC1 6QL
Until March 27, 2011 – free

On a stair step, at the corner of Ely’s Yard:

Fascinating Lily – her skills range from the most adorable cupcake to gothic, coloured, complex cake sculptures.

Always radiant, framed by a cascade of black hair, eyes twinkling with happiness, she could be an elfic princess in Tolkien. It is easy to imagine her in a kitchen-laboratory, adding a pinch of magic or reading a recipe in an unknown and poetic language…

The girl also is sparkling with ideas -  her latest one is to transcend the too classic idea of a piece of cake in a plate or too dusty afternoon tea. Forget scones and cup of teas for a minute, this is party time! Welcome to the finger-licking-good Cake and Cocktail Club…

A delicious and simple principle in the fab 98 lounge – one of those little secret addresses in Shoreditch which you will find by stepping down forged steel stairs… It feels a little like home, with a fun and slightly unreal decoration and look closely at the bottle at the bar – they will remind you of a chemistry lab!

On the menut? For £10, the pairing of one of her creations and a cocktail. The invite listed quince-brandy-cinder toffee ice cream… Red Velvet and Cherry Mini Layer Cakes… Courvoisier Carrot Cake… Individual Vanilla and Pomegranate Cakes… Don’t forget jasmine tea flavoured cocktail, nor the one using candyfloss or even the homemande humbug rum!

Seing the absinth fountain, I just could not resist -  this is my favourite drink -  and fell for the fascinating alliance of absinth-dark choc chips-mint in an ice-cream – refined, crunchy, extraodinarily refreshing, terribly addictive – please, please do this one in tubs quickly!

For a few minutes, conversation goes completely blank – everyone being hypnotised by their choice, discovering those amazing combinations of tastes… Once tongues are free again, it is sharing time, cups, glasses, plates go around, we settle further back: comfy sofas, dimmed light, time to reinvent the world…

Oh, the most adorable fortune teller was there too, typing cryptic messages that put a smile on everyone’s face…

More festive than a lonely desert, much funnier than a simple cocktail – a sweet and new way to start the evening! Mary Poppins used to sing of spoonfuls of sugar and her magical syrup taste of rum punch -  no doubt she will be there next time!

To join this private club, ask Lily for information: sendflours@lilyvanilli.com

Brick Lane.  You are at the center of Indiantown, whole collection of restaurants in view, waiters taunting you every couple meters. You are thoroughly tempted but where to start, how to differenciate one place from another? Clearly, you will not have the chance to get a quiet look at the menus. Easier to give up, avoid eye contact, even make a detour.

Result? 7 years in London and I still haven’t had lunch in that iconic street. Shameful, I tel you! So where I was given the opportunity to try Sheba, know as the best address around, I never hesitated a second. 35 years of experience: let’s start at the top….

As in all curry houses, decoration is relatively simple – white table cloth, red sofas. At the back of the room, a big screen plays exotic Bollywood videoclips, so cheerful and full of colours.

A quick look at the menu – so much choice! To be frank, I tend to keep to Tikka Masalas, Kormas and Biryanis. But this is a day to be more adventurous and while snacking on our crunchy poppadums, we decide to order an assortement.

Arrive first samosas (£3.10) filled with lamb or vegetables… Onion Bahjis (£3.10) flavoured with fresh herbs…. a Chicken Chat Puree (£3.95)  which wakes up taste buds with its lovely spices…  Garlic King Prawns (£4.95)… Great and savoury introduction. I personally have a preference for the Kebab Ke Karishma (£8.95, to be shared by 2), a wonderful assortment of kebabs : chicken, lamb, Kofte, lamb chops… Guys will not resist this!

This, my friends, is the mere beginning of the festivities. Little by little, the table gets covered with dishes in warm colours and inviting aromas. So much choice! Get your weapon: naan in hand, ready to be dipped in the nearest sauce…

Am, stram, gram… Fight your way to the Lamb Lucknow (£12.50), their signature dish. No need for a knif, the meat is so tender and well cooked a spoon would do! And what a creative flavour: cardamom, pine flower, saffron… A real poem.

Do try the King Prawns Malabar (£12.50), which presents juicy prawns in an aromatic sauce. Coriander, chilli, curry leave, coconut cream and, more surprising, mustard seeds, an amazing touch. Softer in spices, the Tandoori Korai King Prawn (£12.95) allies prawns, onions, peppers, coriander and can almost be eaten by spoonfuls…

The menu lists a wide selection of fish recipes such as the Kofte Jhinga Bhuna (£12.95), a Bengali specialty. A cheerful mix of tomatoes, herbs, spring onions, melting on the mouth and very addictive.

If you are a Korma-forever type, though, go for this great alternative:  the Modhucash Murgh (£10.50), a creamy honey and cashew nuts chicken is sure to win your heart. I ate most of my naan just digging into the sauce…

A good address fr veggies too. Dahl (£3.10) with a yummy garlic note, delicious Saag Aloo (potatoes and spinach, £3.10) which I will discreetly finish the plate, roasted aubergines (Begun Bahji £3.25) to die for… There is something for everyone!

Amidst the fun of tasting here and there, we quickly forgot which dish was what. Up to you to mix, pile up, rearrange and create you own curry combination… or steal the last prawn or lamb piece from your neighbour’s plate if they are not looking…

Verdict : with this delicious address in my books, why would I even bother to try any other restaurant on Brick Lane?

Sheba
136 Brick Lane
Shoredicth
London E1 6RU

You know, one of the first expressions I learnt in English was « it’s raining cats and dogs ». Well, it was one of those days. The wind made the icy water twirl. My umbrella was threatening to fly away without me. My shoes were so soaked that I flick-flocked along and wondered whether there still was a point in avoiding puddles. I pushed the door of the first café in view.

I feel taken years back instantly. In between lessons in high school, we used to go to the local bistrot, play pool or cards, reinvent the world around a coffee rather than go through our textbooks… This place has the same cheerful, relaxed atmosphere.

Here, table football is king – warm colours, vintage style posters, ball-themed objects… In the background, the clicking noise of lead players, the ball bouncing around, the soft sliding of tokens to count goals, the noise of chalk writing players names and teams…

The kind of place you happily spend your whole Sunday afternoon with a band of friends. Nice little dishes on the menu: pistou soup, platters to be shared, chorizo sandwiches, beetroot and halloumi couscous… and a daily Happy Hour, from 16.00 to 19.00!

Bar Kick
127 Shoreditch High Street
London E1 6JE
Why not try Café Kick in Farringdon?

Bar Kick Place page

127 Shoreditch High St
City of London E1 6JE

At the centre of the Printmaking Today show, Roa is extending his stay in London and adding a few more mascots to Shoreditch.

A kind message from Street Art London in my Twitter box, a whole article on Spitafields life… The web is buzzing with excitement! The piece is an imposing size and takes several days to finish – a dream occasion to see it being painted…

I enter timidly the Foundry, sitting as discreetly as I can at the back of the yard. How fascinating to see the heron come to life, white and grey background first, a few lines and suddenly an evidence. The artists steps back, judges the dimensions, adds a detail some contrast, smiles at me – the guy is ever so friendly. His drawing is so very precise that for a minute I thought he was using a black felt tip rather than a spray can.

A touching family scene really -  almost tender compared to the Blak Rat Press pop-up. Roa explained he like to alternate between hard and soft pieces.

Higher ladders are to be brought in and the mural to go another level up on Sunday and Monday -  go and tip your hat off to the artist!

The Foundry
84-86 Great Eastern St
London EC2
Entrance to the back of the building is just after the weasel (A Roa piece too) and Eine’s RED letters.

Having glimpsed Roa a few days ago, I just couldn’t wait to see the final work…

A mix of Lovecraft and Dan Hillier, very this-is-the-end-of-the-world. Fantastic play on illusions, mirrors, stairs-like effects.

Sadly, the pictures can you give you the full scale of the angles – fascinating, take just a step aside and you will notice new details. I must have gone around it 20 times and came back after the lncuh to enjoy it without the crowd.

A whole side plays on interaction: little pannels an be opened or closed depending on the effect you wish: fur? organs? X-rays?

Printmaking Today also regroups prints from other artists. Banksy, Hirst, Lucian Freud…

… Pure Evil…

… D*Face, who has recently give the V&A logo a modern twist…

… Candice Tripp – oh, so very refined!

… and Swoon, defying the sense of time, moving, thousands of precise lines drawing a human touch, adding a tribal touch…

The Black Rat Projects
Printmaking today
Through Cargo garden
83 Rivington Sr
London
EC2A 3AY

This neigbourgood always reminds me of a magician’s top hat. You think you have seen it all and a surprise appears.

Blackhall street is out of the way of the usual stroll through Shoreditch but always has a few gems. lately it has been home so Alicé’s work, an italian artist. Based in Rome, she brings the finesse of her Beaux-Arts studies and the fluidity of her job as a graphist. We love her female characters who create an immediate emotion, a link with the passer-by and why you can easily picture in a Manga.

Her carreer brought her to work with C215 – a few pieces also can be found in that alley:

If you fancy a real firework, go straight to the Cordy House on Curtain road to enjoy David Walker’s painting -  a lovely approach with no brushes.

Have you seen more pieces by Alicé or David Walker in London? Let us know!