The Old Street is a hub of creativity and hipsters. Strolling along Shoreditch is like visiting Woodstock on any ordinary day in Cape Town. Street art and graffiti wash the walls, gourmet restaurants line the roads, and it is also a new area – recently converted from old factories to an up and coming hipster joint. It felt like home.
Chris took off work after a meeting to take us to a Vietnamese restaurant called Keu.
“It’s like a delicious baquette” he explains. “Vietnam is a french colony so the food is a fusion of local cuisine and french bread.”
Chris and Ruan at Keu.
…and he was right!
The baguette was perfectly crunchy. The bun was toasted to a good texture, and the pork was deliciously crispy. A bite of the sandwich unleashed the taste of tomato, cucumber, celery and pork-belly with a mix of unique spice and sauce. I had quite the surprise when a chilly exploded in my mouth and left my palette burning for several minutes. All in all, it was a damn good dish.
Once we dusted the crumbs off our laps, we set off with the purpose to find a place to enjoy a drink. After we roamed the sidewalks and gathered our wits, Chris recalled a place he wanted to take us to. He looked right at home in this neck of the woods. His NY flat cap, dark beard and clean collared shirt buttoned to the top slotted him into the trend.
The streets we took to our destination were cobbled. I can imagine it was used for horse carriages not too long ago.
My cousin was insistent on introducing us to Monkey Fingers. I could smell the sour vinegar as the dish was placed down in front of us on a patterned red and white serviette. Gnarled crispy light brown strips sat thick in front of us, coupled with a creamy sauce.
A tentative bite set off my senses. An acid burn shot up my throat to my nose. My cousin asked my opinion:
“It’s delicious,” I stammered, which was true. There was something delightful about the crunch and the sting of the vinegar. I had only discovered it was deep fried chicken by the third bite.
We enjoyed this unhealthy treat while sipping cocktails in the dingy bar called Meat Mission. It was dimly lit, and the roof was coloured in a bright stained glass pattern. It smelt like Long Street.
The interior of the Meat Mission – not what I was expecting either.
“Ok, laaste ding. Do you guys want to try some really good coffee?”
“I never say no to a good coffee!” Ruan replied.
We stopped at a rustic looking coffee shop which sat above the train station called Shoreditch Grind. This felt like a scene in Cape Town. We sat sipping our cappuccino’s and flat white’s on wooden benches with our view framed by graffiti on the left and construction on the right. I could have been convinced that we were anywhere else in the world, save for the odd British accent that piped up in some conversations.
Make a stop here for coffee in Shoreditch, London.
We also got a quick tour of the street art splayed on the walls.
We separated from Chris at London Bridge station. The plan was to take a walk along the southern bank of the River Thames. However, in this heat, we were quickly distracted by a search for ice cream and followed our feet to the Borough market. We feasted our senses on the gourmet food stalls that is reminiscent of the market at the V & A Waterfront and The Old Biscuit Mill in Cape Town. Large crates contained so many fruits and vegetables they spilt over the side. Cheese had been cut and displayed in a way you have expected Jerry to be happily hiding in there from Tom. Home baked bread and tasty ham tickled our noses as the fresh scent wafted through the air.
But we found our smoothie place and enjoyed a delicious pink berry mix. As if we didn’t look like a couple already!
The southern bank of the River Thames is a beautiful walk. We curved between old buildings, under bridges and around bustling restaurants. We stopped at the Tate Museum to admire the art exhibitions which ranged from Surrealism to Contemporary.
Ruan and I also walked half way across the Millennium Bridge to fully appreciate the London skyline. The bridge was opened in the year 2000 AD to join the north and the south. As my brother pointed out, there were at least five bridges that did the same in just this short stretch along the Thames.
Fun facts about the bridge: It featured in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince where Death-Eaters made it collapse, and in Guardians of the Galaxy where the final battle on Xandar took place.
Me having my moment on the Millenium Bridge, London.
We walked towards Tower Bridge to enjoy our ferry trip back to Waterloo Station, only to discover I had lost the slip along the way. Instead, we enjoyed a mocha frappuccino from Starbucks while walking further east along the bank.
A day well spent. It was lovely seeing younger people and hearing more local accents at Shoreditch. Evening plans may include going out – but we will update you on that tomorrow. Goodnight from London.
What’s up, Tower Bridge?
