Gourmet odyssey

It was at the gastropubs where I had my first dining experiences in London, as they fitted into my budget. I remember eating fried pig’s head, a must-try dish at The Anchor and Hope. The Eagle has the famous steak sandwich, which has been on the menu everyday since it opened in 1991. There’s also the utterly divine fish stew at The Cow in Westbourne Park.
A fun night out is guaranteed if you head to Brick Lane, especially if you throw in a trip to the nearby Old Spitalfields Market to shop for some vintage clothing and vinyl records. The lovable part of Brick Lane is the glittering string of Bangladeshi restaurant signs, with proprietors in traditional kurtas making wild claims that they invented chicken tikka masala. The air runs thick with the scents of sandalwood and clove from burning incense, while colours of saris help the weariest traveller forget the mundane shades of brick that depict London. If you are lost at night in Brick Lane with just eight pounds in your pocket (which rules out taking a cab to anywhere you can’t see in the distance), you might want to spend it on the incredible Hot Salt Beef Bagel from the 24-hour Beigel Bake.
Another area that transports you to different time and place is Ridley Road Market. It has an Afro-Caribbean vibe: the colours and smells intoxicate the senses. The food stalls offer everything from Nigerian dodo (fried plantain with palm oil) to Ethiopian injera (a yeast-risen flatbread) with chicken stew. The variety of produce on offer is largely unheard of to the Antipodean ear—they belong to parts of an animal one would feel strange mentioning at the dinner table. The boom of Caribbean raga, which bounces through the canvas-lined stalls, is rivaled only by the banter from the stallholders.
Excerpt from the June issue of epicure.