The delights of Shoreditch...

So Saturday was the day we took our inaugural trip on the new London Overground line. Crystal Palace to Shoreditch in under half an hour, that is as long as you're on time for the one hourly train! I felt as though I was re-living my teenage years in Lincolnshire when there were only two buses a day to the nearest shops. Anyway, we made it there & it all felt very civilised in our blissfully air-conditioned carriage.


To be honest, since being happily ensconced in the vicinity of Crystal Palace for almost 6 years & being well accommodated in terms of eating & drinking establishments, we've rarely ventured far from home during the weekends. I'm ashamed to say that I don't think we've been out in Shoreditch more than a couple of times since we moved from the Hackney/Whitechapel area back in 2003.


So we headed first to The Queen of Hoxton rooftop bar on Curtain Road where we drank Pimms & ate lovely & reasonably priced barbecued fare- £6 for grilled halloumi, veg, couscous, salad & coleslaw, £6.50 for a burger. Other options included jerk chicken with dirty rice & fruit salsa. Now, being a public toilet cleanliness freak, I was somewhat dubious about venturing to the rooftop loo. However I was pleasantly surprised & loved the fact that each loo was a garden shed with a brightly painted door & window boxes outside.


Here are a couple of pics...

By the way, if you're a fan of watching films outdoors (at a height), there's a rooftop film club five nights a week from June through to September. More info here http://www.rooftopfilmclub.com/

A good time was had by all, but by 7pm it was time to move on to the next venue, Lounge Bohemia on Great Eastern Street, which by the way is by appointment only. Apparently it's a favourite of Loewe's Stuart Vevers.


You could very easily miss this place, as the entrance is nestled between a kebab shop & an off-licence. Once you head downstairs, the interior is full of mid-century furniture & dimly lit with a jazz soundtrack in the background. 

This bar is overseen by Paul Tvaroh, who's originally from the Czech Republic (& reminded me of Toulouse Lautrec. See what you think, pic below!) 

Complimentary jugs of water & canapés arrived instantly as we perused the concoctions on offer. The menu was extensive but our selection featured, amongst others, this little line up (apologies for the vague descriptions, as I couldn't track down a copy of the menu). All were priced at £7.95:

• Sgt. Pepper- A refreshing vodka based cocktail, finished off with cracked black peppercorns on the outside of the martini glass
• D'n'B float- A dandelion & burdock reminiscent ice-cream topped wonder which arrived in a cone-shaped glass perched in a wooden stand
• An apple pie, cinnamon infused delight- I could even taste golden, rich pastry!

One we didn't try but will definitely be going back for was a Gypsytini, consisting of rosemary vodka, honey liqueur & prunes.

To finish, I noticed what I can only describe as a candy floss tree go by! Here's a pic...

This was closely followed by a "Holy Smoke" cocktail, which combines leather-infused cognac with frankincense & myrrh smoke. 

Overall a truly Heston Blumenthal style feast of the senses...