I’ve spent last weekend in London, meeting my friends Lakshmi and Bethan, for our mini Cuba reunion, sharing memories and discovering new places. Most of the people that go to London will limit themselves to see the City of London and Westminster, and maybe, if they have time, explore a little bit of Camden and Kensington.
So today I’m going to tell you about our experience in the East End – Shoreditch!
Shoreditch is a very hip and multicultural area of East London, with a lot of markets, cute cafes, independent shops, and trendy clubs. Many of the walls here are plastered with graffiti and many shops are selling quirky products.
We started out day walking towards Colombia flower market, a street that every Sunday between 11 and 3PM transforms in a colored oasis, with hundreds of different types of plants sold very cheap. We made our way through the crowds and enjoyed the smell of dried lavender, that was sweeping gently into the air. On both sides of the street, small art galleries and antique shops are inviting visitors to come in and take a look: vintage glasses, vinyl records, Victorian postcards, there’s even a rocking horse if you fancy!
Our next stop was the Brick Lane market. But first, we couldn’t miss the famous salt beef beigel for lunch, from the Beigel Shop. The queue was stretching until outside the shop, but it was going pretty fast. In the window we could see a lady carving big chunks of beef from a slab kept warm. The cost of the salt beef beigel is £3.70 and an extra 20p if you want gherkins. Three of those big chunks of beef ended up in my beigel, and it was so big that I couldn’t bite it whole in one go. It was absolutely delicious and very filling.
The Brick Lane market is great if you like shopping. You can find everything you’re thinking of here, including a shop that sells high street brands like Burberry or Valentino at discounted prices. Of course, you can’t miss the street food vendors, who try to allure you towards their stand by offering you a taste of what they are selling. You can find all kinds of different foods here, from Chinese to Italian, from Indian to Brazilian, from South Korean to the old curry wurst.
For out afternoon tea we stopped at Kahaila Cafe, a chilled out coffee shop with a wonderful all glass roof that lets lots of light coming in. This coffee shop runs as a charity, and donates all its profit towards the supporting the local community projects.
In the evening we crossed the line between Shoreditch and the City, and headed over to the Sky Garden. As the name suggest, Sky Garden is a “garden” on top of the “Walkie-Talkie” skyscraper, with fantastic views over London. Unfortunately the access is permitted only with a previous online reservation. The tickets are free but you still need to have one before you go because they only allow a limited number of people each hour. In the Sky Garden you can also find two restaurants and a bar, if you’re hungry or thirsty, but they are pretty pricey.
We left a bit disappointed and entered the nearby Folly Bar for a quick cheering up Cuban drink: Cuban Queen, made out of Rom, mint, angostura, lime, agave & prosecco. Yum!
On the way back to Shoreditch we stopped to admire the Victorian Leadenhall Market, where the exterior Diagon Alley scenes from Harry Potter were filmed. If you are interested in the movie you can go on a tour of the Harry Potter studios next to London.
We had dinner at Honest Burgers, a simple classic but delicious burger, accompanied with a lot of homemade rosemary chips, all priced very decently at £9.
And then, the highlight of the evening came. We reached the Heron Tower, passed through security and jumped into the all glass elevator that took us to the 38th floor, the home of Sushisamba. This Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian restaurant/bar left me speechless. The design of the place is amazing and it’s surrounded by ceiling to floor windows, from where you can see the panorama of London and iconic buildings like St Paul’s or Tower Bridge. We ordered a fancy cocktail and got out on the terrace. Even if the wind was blowing very powerful, the terrace is surrounded by shrubs that don’t let it pass through. In the middle of the terrace there is an outside bar, on top of which a big tree with orange leaves completes the design. We sat near the fire pit and enjoyed our drinks. It was such a great feeling being there, on top of the city!
Pictures taken with Samsung Galaxy S4
I love your photos! Sigh. I wish to visit London — no, the entire UK! — one day. I’d like to explore it and capture it as you do!
The UK is a very diverse country, with a lot of beautiful places. London is just one of them 🙂
I missed this whole area of LDN when I was there. Funnily enough I’ve only been to London once despite being a 40 minute plane ride away my whole life!
I have never taken that 40 minute flight yet either, but I would love to see Dublin! 🙂
Great stuff! Shoreditch is like hipster central, looks like you had a good time though!
Beautiful places, I would love to check them all out one day. The view is super amazing! Thanks for sharing! x
Your pictures are forever stunning! When I head across the pond I will be sure to have my friend Charlotte take me here. This actually reminds me a lot of my city here, Philadelphia. With the colors, buildings, and culture!
Thank you! You should definitely visit, but it has to be on a Sunday, to see all the markets 🙂
It looks interesting. That view is amazing! Can’t believe you passed through security hahah. I like the graffiti’s too. Thanks for sharing something a bit different other than London 🙂
Yes, you can’t go to the restaurant if you don’t pass through security, get scanned and show the contents of your bag. 🙂
I haven’t been back to Shoreditch for ages – i used to live in London (for 6 years) and I was obsessed with this area of the city! I’m planning a trip back in a few weeks and will definitely go visit again….mmmmh…the food looks delicious as always 🙂
It was my first time in Shoreditch, even if I’ve been to London many times, I never went outside the City. But now I will do more often 🙂
Oh I love your pictures, these scenes make me want to go there and see for myself. Love the picture with the light especially. So cosy
Sushisamba was so special. Just sitting outside, around the fire, listening to the wind and enjoying the cocktails. 🙂
This little excursion sounds so great! You get to see some Harry Potter filming history as well as try a new drink (Cuban Queen)?! Score! I jotted down the ingredients to that drink- definitely want to try it out. Thanks for sharing and the pictures looked great.
Cuban Queen was a very refreshing drink, you couldn’t really feel the alcohol – dangerous! Haha!
Sounds like a great day! Amazing photos as always. Shoreditch reminds me a little of Savamala in Belgrade (except there are no markets there) 🙂
I have only passed by through Belgrade, but I did have a nice coffee at the cafe from the train station, twice 🙂