Qype: De Beauvoir Town in London

London

De Beauvoir Town covers an area, formally an estate owned by the family of that name, stretching from the canal to Ballspond Road. In 1821 William Rhodes acquired a building lease, without stipulations of what was to be built. He planned a layout involving a grid pattern, with a central Octagon and with streets going out to four circular squares around that.

However development was piecemeal and there were legal problems with the De Beauvoir family. As a result only parts of his original plans came to fruition, with some roads visible on the diagonal to the general grid, and De Beauvoir Square, originally intended to the be South East square, being the only one that actually exists. I’ve put the flag on what would have been the octagon. Though many of the streets have lovely old houses of various ages, size and design (a favourite for those that want the prized N1 postcode, while appreciating Hackney rather than Islington prices), to the South are some of the most depressing council estates around.

It’s a lovely area to wander around, as long as you stay North of Downham Road. Northchurch road is closed to through car traffic, but not bikes, so can be full of whizzing commuters at certain times of day! St Peter’s Church, on the corner of De Beauvoir Square, has a café in the crypt. The N1 Garden Centre is definitely a hidden gem.

A much more in depth story and maps can be found at the website given. Another slant on the story is given at http://www.benyonestate.com/page.jsp?ID=2

Only just written, but just had to add… this area was also until recently home to the Mole Man: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2006/aug/08/communities.uknews and was apparently used in the filming of 28 Weeks Later.
Check out my review of De Beauvoir Town - I am moonrising - on Qype

Qype: McDonald's Restaurant in London

London - Restaurants - Take Away

Visited recently, though to be honest I can’t remember what I had. Probably a double cheeseburger grabbed on the way to an appointment…

What I did notice was the décor. While this has had a makeover to the new McDonald’s colour scheme, it’s rather noticeable that there’s not a comfy sofa or posh chair in site… Is that a comment on what McDonald’s expects of Hackney central? LOL
Check out my review of McDonald's Restaurant - I am moonrising - on Qype

Qype: The Plant Room in London

London

Funny the things you discover a road somewhere as you are passing… In this case it’s one of the major roads coming into Old Street, but not a very pedestrian one. I was walking along, when beyond the speeding cars I noticed firstly some rather good graffiti art, and secondly a load of plant pots around the bottom of a billboard hoarding. I nearly passed on, but was just too tempted, and braved the crossing.

On closer inspection I found a little corner of land, enclosed with a high wire fence, and in the shadow of a huge hoarding. Here rows of shelving have been set up, holding row on row of large pots. Those pots contain a massive variety: some are empty, others contain flowers, other vegetables. I wasn’t sure what I was looking at: a garden centre maybe?

A sign on the fence revealed all. It’s actually a clever twist on allotments, with local residents being able to hire a row of pots to grow what they like. What a great idea!
Check out my review of The Plant Room - I am moonrising - on Qype

Qype: International Cheese Centre in London

London

Fabulous little shop specialising in cheese of course. If you want to get some Stinking Bishop or a genuine Swiss fondue kit this is the place. Or for some bloomin good Cheddar…

They don’t just do cheeses though. They have a mouth watering selection of chutneys and preserves. Loads of pates (including Fois Gras… I’m hoping it’s the ethical version… I don’t want to ask…), port, and even Kendal Mint Cake. If I had to sum up this place I’d say it was a British Deli, if such a thing exists, and allowing for the occasional Swiss and French cheese…

They also do an excellent range of sandwiches. With the exception of a token turkey sandwich they all include cheese. And of course it’s not just cheese, but specified types of cheese, whether cheddar, brie or soft, in ploughman’s, with chutney, with ham… etc. All fresh cut and simply wrapped in clingfilm. Prices start under £3, so very competitive too.
Check out my review of International Cheese Centre - I am moonrising - on Qype

A Brief Diversion On Food

Having discovered a few old favourite ingredients (see review of The Grocery, below), I thought I’d write down a couple of favourite uses for them. I should make clear I am not Gordon Ramsey.

1) Take a mug, half fill it with raw couscous. Crumble in two thirds of a Kallo tomato and herb stock cube. Nearly fill with boiling water. Stir. Add a few chunks of nice rich flavoured cheddar. Stir again. Wait till the couscous absorbs the water then eat with a spoon.

2) Make a sandwich with hearty brown bread (one with bits in is ideal), avocado, miso and raw garlic.

I did say I wasn’t Gordon Ramsey… That first one is the equivalent of a pot noodle (and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone told me it’s no healthier). The second one is a lot better than you might be thinking, though not suitable before a night out of course! (I also got it off someone else).

I also used to make a stew with the stock cubes, though it’s a while… If I remember correctly the ingredients were the stock cubes, potato, plantain and unsweetened crunchy peanut butter…, and probably some garlic? (and yes, I do mean ordinary potatoes not sweet potato or yam! I am English…). Potatoes sautéed off a little before the rest was added, plantain a firm one so it didn’t turn to pulp. Maybe when I have a cooker…

Qype: The Grocery in London

London - Not yet categorized

I’ve several times looked around here, then, being flat broke, gone out empty handed. Being a little richer this month I was at last able to buy… bliss! I came out with three things on the ‘I haven’t had that for ages’ list: Kallo tomato and herb stock cubes, chocolate soya desert and jar of barley miso (complete with instruction not to worry if stuff grew on the top!). Wonderful! Yes, the prices are not exactly cheap, but I’m still not exactly rich, and I found a few things…

The store is also lovely. Old white supporting columns, brick walls and woodblock floor. They have a little café area where apparently you can get a massage several days a week (I think it was £10 for 15 minutes). There was also a cat wandering about. Any place that has a cat gets extra points from me.
Check out my review of The Grocery - I am moonrising - on Qype

Once You’ve Started You Can’t Stop

I’ve been poor for a while. On the whole I think it’s not so bad as people make out. People with the money to buy big cars and houses just end up struggling to find the money to repair them. Maybe it’s better to go around on public transport and live in a council house really.

But being really, seriously poor (well, by our country's standards anyway) does result in a wearing out of pretty important stuff eventually… I’ve been living for a while with the fridge with an ice monster that periodically wedges the door open and melts all over the floor. The loose screw in my glasses is held in with selotape (and when you are basically blind without them, that’s an issue). Then there’s the cold tap in the kitchen that won’t turn on, and the hot tap in the bathroom that won’t turn off, so that I have to keep the water heating turned off unless I actually need it. (OK, that’s not actually a money issue, being in a council flat, but getting them fixed means time off work, when I’m trying to save to sort the rest…). Not to mention the microwave that works, but makes and extremely loud noise crossed between whale song (and remember whale song travels thousands of miles…) and a car being crushed.

After a totally mad August in my new job as an alternative cat burglar, I’ve finally got a little money and a little time. At which point both my cooker and my computer broke down in the same week… New glasses and fridge will have to wait! And I’m wondering how long it is before the neighbours ask why I’m crushing cars in my flat, as the microwave is my only way to cook.

So anyway… I got the hot tap fixed on an emergency evening call. And a new computer is working well and looking good. My new tower, keyboard and mouse are natty black and silver. Unfortunately my old screen and printer are yellowed cream. There’s also the issue of my old speakers… Plug them in the back and play, right? Wrong… After plug in the computer presented me with a nice little menu of options. Definitely not a mic…. But were my speakers side speakers? Tried… no… next hole. This time I tried ‘Centre/Sub Woofer’. Now, personally, in my opinion the only excuse anyone has for having a sound system that makes the ground shake is that they are providing it for deaf people, or are mad enough to want to become deaf themselves. I have no intension of ever deliberately being in possession of a sub-woofer. However with only one cable, maybe ‘centre’ was the appropriate position for my speakers? Nope… still nothing coming out.

So I scratched my head, and thought a little about what has only one cable going to two sound-producing units… tried the option. Embarrassingly it worked.

Yep, I have speakers so crap my computer thinks they are headphones.

And I’ve added a new screen to ‘The List’.

The List will never die.

Qype: Planet Organic in London

London

I had to check out this new shop, just opened on Essex Road. There was a problem though… I had my bike with me. I looked around and the only place to secure it was a lamppost right on the edge of the curb. I’ve seen too many such lampposts with attached bikes that have fallen into the road and been mashed to be happy about that… I looked back at the shop. Nice wide aisles, not too crowded… and decided to take the bike in with me. Something I have done in other shops with mixed results! It’s sort of not done is it? But when have you ever seen a ‘no bikes’ sign?

Anyway I got most of the way round the shop, looking at the veggies, the hot food counter… found myself a jar of miso (so much more practical than sachets) when a woman came up and asked me to take the bike out, as it was a health and safety hazard. I asked her how exactly it was a health and safety hazard, was it going to attack someone maybe? Unable to come up with an answer, she disappeared into the back…

I was feeling sort of devilish, so when a guy appeared I was up for a good argument. I was informed that they just didn’t allow bikes. ‘You wouldn’t take it into the supermarket would you?’ Erm, actually my bike has been in Tesco, and anyway, as far as I could see I was actually in a supermarket right that minute. ‘You wouldn’t take it into a bank!’ Too right I would if there was no-where to park it. ‘It’s a health and safety hazard: if the pedal hit someone’s ankle we’d be liable’. I was being careful, but at last a halfway valid point. I did however point out that pushchairs, in that case, were just as much of a hazard. He shrugged, apparently seeing I also had a half valid point.. ‘You can’t leave a pushchair outside though’. Yes you can, you can take the child out and lock the chair up outside… (maybe I should have asked what he’d do about a bike with an occupied child seat…)

Anyway at that point he decided to stop arguing and just ask me firmly to take the bike out. I wasn’t quite done though, as I asked him how come a store that was supposed to be ethical hadn’t catered for bikes. He claimed they are applying for planning permission for bike racks. Seems a bit strange to me that they left it till after the store was re-built. Anyway, I calmly handed him my jar of miso and left, saying I’d be back when they got the bike racks. And spent quite a while after giggling to myself…

I don’t hate them for banning my bike, and I only argued because I was in the mood for a good debate. But it is a good point I think: what is a store like this doing without provision for bikes? Even the Tesco’s just down the road has loads of bike racks (where my bike has waited for me on several occasions). So one star lost.

What I really hate is stores that won’t let me go in with my cat in her basket…
Check out my review of Planet Organic - I am moonrising - on Qype

Qype: Newington Green in London

London - Food & Drink - Fruit & Veg

What a fabulous shop! I only went in for a peep, soon found myself buying stuff, and wasn’t unhappy with the bill! Prices were much cheaper than the supermarket.

In many ways it’s a traditional fruit and veg shop. Great mounds and trays of stuff, from which you can choose as much or as little as you want. But the variety is wonderful. All the basics of course, but they also sell bunches of herbs (and trays of herb sprouts), just about any fruit or veg you could come up with, and probably some you hadn’t thought of too. I got some fresh dates, which I’ve never had before. I was able to buy just a few to try (which is good, as I found them OK but not wonderful!)

It’s also environmentally friendly. Very few items are pre-packed, and they encourage you to bring your own bag. They’ll sell you a biodegradable bag if you don’t have one. Of course much of the produce is organic too.

The position on the map is close but no gold star. Start at Newington Green itself , and walk along Newington Green Road on the side with the shops (opposite the flag in fact…) and you’ll find it.
Check out my review of Newington Green - I am moonrising - on Qype

Qype: Tesco Express in London

London - Food & Drink - Convenience Stores

Updated Below....

This is a small, new branch of Tesco, but with a very well chosen stock and a location which seems a bit in the middle of nowhere but is actually good. It’s on the route for those walking or getting the bus from the city (and even better in a few years when it will be right next to a new tube station… clever…), and in an area which doesn’t have major supermarkets close by. The well chosen stock even includes some things that bigger stores don’t have: e.g. my favourite Tesco mid range yoghurts including a hazelnuts flavour which actually tastes of hazelnuts, not caramel like some do.

All of which is a bit annoying, because it’s a bit of a lottery if you are going to get your shopping out in one piece! All’s fine until you get to the checkout. They are those tiny little things with nowhere to put your own bag and I always seem to get a server who insists on packing for you and hasn’t got a clue. If you’ve got a nice soft loaf of bread or bag of salad that goes in the bag first (I actually asked once, and was told their system is largest thing first, duh). Heavy tins and a carton of juice get dumped on top squashing it nicely and sticking out at angles so the carton threatens to pierce the bag. A lasagne goes in on its side, so all the layers fall down and can’t be smoothed back so when you cook it you end up with a pool of sauce one side and dry leather pasta the other. Then they take those nice yoghurts and literally throw them in, landing on one of the protruding edges of the carton and ending up with a hole in the foil top. I’m not kidding, all this has happened, though admittedly not all at once... Then when I stop at a free checkout to repack they look daggers at me like I’m doing it just to annoy them.

For some reason I try and avoid this place. But it’s just too convenient. Arrrrgggghhhh!

*****UPDATE********

I wasn’t exactly delighted by this place originally. It scraped two points because it was convenient and stocked yoghurts I like. Well they’ve stopped stocking the yoghurts, and I now find it very inconvenient that they are occupying the space a better store could be using. I’ve also narrowly avoided being seriously short changed on 3 occasions. I managed to raise a fuss and got my money on all occasions, but it’s too much.

First time I was given change for a fiver instead of a tenner. Second time involved mis-labelled Pringles. They had two types on the shelf, but only one price label, just over a pound if I remember correctly. So I went for the ‘normal’ ones to be sure of getting the low price. Needless to say at the till I found myself getting charged about £2… I raised hell, thinking I was getting charged for the expensive type, only to be told the label was an old one from a promotion and wrong for both types of Pringles and I’d have been charged even more for the others… LOL! I did end up getting shelf-advertised price. But check out this blog…

Final incident I was expecting to get £6.03 change from £10. I was not happy when I got handed 3p….

I can’t help wondering how many times I’ve been ripped off without realising!

I quite like some Tesco stores… but I never want to enter this one again.

Check out my review of Tesco Express - I am moonrising - on Qype

Qype: The Offside Bar in London

London - Pubs & Bars - Bars - Sports Bars

I think sports bars are for people who like football. I don’t like football. I once tried very hard to like football because someone I like likes it. I watched two whole half games. One was very boring as it just involved people running backwards and forwards after a ball and not very much happening. Really rolling a ping pong ball around in a tray would have been as much fun. The other had lots of fouls and was much more interesting. I can’t help but think that if a game is more interesting when people cheat, maybe something is lacking from the game.

I have a strong suspicion that for most fans it’s more about the other fans than the game. It’s a group ritual. More specifically, it’s a generally a male ritual.

So there’s me, stopping off to top up my phone on the way to the Qype 1 year birthday party. So while I was there I asked if they knew the Offside Bar. Yes they did… ‘You mean the sports bar?’ in a tone that said very clearly that I did not look like the regular clientele. Having confirmed I was indeed going in the right direction I headed on. I bet they thought I was a kissogram or something.

Anyway, the bar… City Road is pretty bleak. The bar has bright green bits outside. Bright green has a tendency to remind me of the Tommy Knockers (as in Stephen King). Here it also has absolutely nothing, as far as I can see, to do with the Irish. Inside the bar is verging on bleak as well. If it was empty it would be a huge gaping space, with bar at one end and a raised area with comfy seating at the other. I have no idea how full it usually is, but for us it was ideal. That big space was full with lots of tables. Most folks got seated, which is good for a pub if you ask me.

I only actually visited the bar once. I had my doubts when they said they were out of cider… but the staff seemed nice, and did rustle up a can of Diamond White, which was nice. They also put on a massive spread of food. Quite varied too, with stuff for fry fans (e.g. onion rings), via posh (prawns on sticks), sandwiches (ham and pickle) to salad. I think some of it came out of packets, but if so they were good quality packets and very tasty. The ladies loos had seen better days, with one door being minus a lock and loo roll on the top of the cistern rather than in the holder. Clean though.

As to the famous photographs… Yep, very good. I’m not a massive sports photography fan, but some of the photos were interesting. I did have a bit of a laugh over some in the loos. They have mirrors with pictures superimposed. E.g. one with some footballer, sprawled seductively, with his ball resting between his legs. LOL

I’m not exactly qualified to award stars to a sports bar, but I have to try… To be honest coming back here on a normal day to watch football appeals about as much as eating gravel. But on our night the atmosphere was great, the staff was friendly, there was plenty of seating (yes, we ran out, but there was more proportionally than you’d get in many pubs I reckon), and the place has individuality thanks to the photography. So I’m giving it a 4…

Check out my review of The Offside Bar - I am moonrising - on Qype

Back It Up!

Things I have learnt this week:

1. As soon as you get out of the habit of backing up your files, you'll get the dreaded 'master hard drive fail' message. Bye bye files...
2. Libraries are quite useful for emergency internet access.
3. That message doesn't always mean the hard drive has actually failed...

In my case it looks like it may actually be the motherboard, and I may be able to plug my old drive into my new computer, and get the files off. But the message is the same: go back up your important stuff NOW!

Meanwhile, sorry for the silence while I wait for my new computer to arrive...