London | Postcards From Here and There

Honey & Co

I have eaten at Honey & Co in London’s Fitzrovia on several occasions since its opening in 2012 but it has been a while since my last visit. With a few hours to spare before catching a train from nearby Euston station it made the perfect location for breakfast.

Owners Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich have created a wonderful cafe/restaurant in which to serve their fantastic Middle Eastern food. its only small but it is now possible to make a reservation so that does take away some of the uncertainty at busy times. Just across the road is Honey & Spice, a deli/grocery shop where you can buy everything you need to create recipes from the three cookery books that they have now written. If grilled food is your fancy you can now head off to nearby Great Portland Street where they have opened Honey & Smoke. So you have plenty of choice in the area.

The breakfast menu may not be overly long but its not lacking in wonderful things to start your day. Spoilt for choice, we opted for The Big Breakfast and forgo the need for lunch while travelling.

Start with a breakfast meze including freshly baked breads, the smoothest, creamiest hummus I’ve ever tasted, labenah, tomato and feta salad and yogurt with berries and granola. It all looked and tasted superb.

While you are working your way through these delights your choice of egg dish is being prepared. These are also quite substantial so there is not much of a chance you will leave hungry.

A sausage roll of two Merguez sausages served with marinated tomatoes, harissa and a hardboiled Cornish farm egg.

Green Shakshuka. Two Cornish farm eggs baked in spinach and herbs, served with goat’s yogurt and a sesame bagel. This was fantastic.

We drank freshly squeezed orange juice and several cups of rather fine coffee. Honey & Co is cooking from the heart. We walked to Euston station rather slowly after such a magnificent breakfast. I heartily recommend a visit here.

Honey & Co. 25a Warren Street, London, W1T 5LZ

Monday – Friday 8am-10.30pm

Saturday and Bank Holidays 9.30am-10.30pm

Closed Sunday

Camden Street Art

Camden is a popular area of London for visitors with its vibrant market, restaurants, bars and shops. The Regents Canal also passes through Camden and gives a slower and peaceful view of the city than the hustle and bustle of the streets above. Not surprisingly with so much to offer it can become a busy place, especially at weekends, so finding a quieter time to visit may be better for some. There is a lot of street art in Camden but the good news is that it is fairly well concentrated around Camden High Street and Chalk Farm Road.

A good place to start is at Mornington Crescent tube station on the Northern Line. On leaving the station turn to the right and head in the direction of Camden Town following Camden High Street. The wall of the Koko club (currently closed for refurbishment) gives you some idea of what is to come.

The first stop is Miller Street which is on the left as you walk up Camden High Street and you will find a wealth of art to keep you interested.

While on this side of the street it is worth seeking out two sculptural pieces.

Urbansolid
Gregos

Crossing over Camden High Street you will find Plender Street and this work on the side of the Alexander The Great restaurant. It is by Italian street artist Alice Pasquini.

Continue up Camden High Street and turn right into Greenland Street and follow this with a left into Greenland Place before rejoining the high street via Greenland Road.

Continue up Camden High Street and pass Camden Town tube station. The Bucks Head public house on the junction with Buck Street has this piece by Aeroarts.

Head along Buck Street and then turn left into Stucley Place.

At the end of the street is the junction with Hawley Crescent where you will find this piece by Gnasher.

At the end of Hawley Crescent turn right back onto the main road and cross the Regents Canal. On the left hand side are Camden locks where you can join the crowds and while away a few minutes watching the canal boats.

The next stop is Castlehaven Road.

Hawley Street and Hawley Mews should be your next destination as here you will find a feast of street art.

The next piece, a collaboration between Himbad and Zumi, has been tagged but ii is still a remarkable work.

At the end of the mews you can see two pieces which are partly obscured by a small cabin. The insects are by Fanakapan whereas Batman and Robin climbing the wall is by SrX.

The colourful mural with parrots is by Graffiti Life and was quite difficult to photograph.

Hartland Road features a large piece by Dan Kitchener, tags now reduce its impact somewhat but it still remains an excellent piece.

Alongside it is a mural by Carmen de Sozer of iconic statuettes.

The final stop is one street further along towards Chalk Farm tube station. Harmood Street has two quite impressive and colourful murals.

This is by no means an exhaustive and complete account of the street art that can be seen in Camden but does show a wide range of work which can be easily seen with a walk between two tube stations. As with all areas the art on display changes frequently so as with all posts of this nature it is very much a snapshot in time.

The Sampler Putney

If I ever I was in South Kensington I would always try to make time to visit The Sampler on Thurloe Place. Sadly the store closed in 2017 but were soon to open south of the river in Putney and nearby Wimbledon. Neither store is as spacious but there is still a great range of wines and plenty of opportunities to taste from the Enomatic machines.

Navazos Niepoort White. 2016. Made from the Palomino grape with fermentation in stainless steel followed by ageing for 11 months in oak under natural flor. Not surprisingly it is very sherry like, dry, mineral and with a lovely freshness. It has a lingering finish. If you love sherry but want a little less alcohol this could do the job.

Chateau Lapuyade. Jurançon Sec. 2016. Lapuyade is a certified biodynamic estate and this fry white, made from Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng, is an absolute delight. Packed with citrus, stone fruit and a touch of caramel. Rich and with lovely balance. The finish is incredibly long. Fantastic value for money.

Novum Chardonnay. Marlborough. New Zealand. 2017. The amount of Chardonnay grown in Marlborough is minute compared to Sauvignon Blanc. This is rather good, Pale yellow in appearance with a delicate nose of citrus, stone fruit and a delightful floral note. The palate is dry with lovely balance and a fresh citrus finish.

Le Soula. La Maceration du Soula No. 16. A skin contact, orange wine made from a blend of Vermentino and Macabeu along with small amounts of Sauvignon Blanc and Malvoisie du Roussillon. It is also a blend of six different vintages with 2016 being the largest component (30%). Light orange in appearance it is very dry but with lovely flavours of orange and spice and some significant tannin. A really unusual wine.

Scholium Project. 1MN. Bechtold Ranch. California. 2016 Bechtold Ranch is a Cinsault vineyard plated in 1870 on ungrafted rootstocks where it was originally known as Black Malvoisie. Light red in appearance and with a slight haze. Nose is wonderfully expressive with red fruits. Dry with soft berry fruit and a touch of floral perfume. Very dry on the finish.

Inconnu. Lalalu Cabernet Franc. California. 2017. Light with fragrant red fruits. This is an easy drinking wine which doesn’t disappoint. Drink young to enjoy it at its best.

Domaine Binet Jaquet. Faugères Grande Réserve. 2016. This is serious stuff. Made biodynamically and a blend of Mouvedre, Grenache, Syrah and Carignan. It is packed with dark fruits and a subtle savoury spice. It is full bodied and very appealing. Wonderful.

Alpha Box & Dice Icona. Cabernet Sauvignon. McLaren Vale. Australia. 2015. Grapes were destemmed, crushed and left for two weeks on the skins. Following fermentation it was aged for 24 months in oak of which one third was new. Rich and opulent with lovely blackcurrant, chocolate and vanilla. Currently drinking very well. Jolly good stuff.