To market, to market: a walk around Spitalfields

It’s not often that I get a lunch break, but yesterday I succumbed to the sunshine’s siren call and went for a wee walk around the block (I also wanted to buy some squid ink spaghetti for a dish that is coming soon to LoveRichCashPoor). With just over a month to go until London 2012, I thought a little sneak preview was in order…

1) Nicholas Hawksmoor’s Christ Church, and adjoining garden: the beacon of Spitalfields and a great place to stop and stare on a sunny day.

2) Fournier Street, E1: this stunning terrace was originally home to Huguenot silk weavers, the entire street is perfectly preserved.

3) Fournier Street, E1. The original loft extension: the Huguenots constructed glazed lofts to house their silk weaving operations

4) The Town House, Antiques, Gallery, Coffee and Cake. I have always wanted to peep inside one of the houses on Fournier Street and now I have, courtesy of the fabulous Town House. This antiques emporium has been here for 10 years, apparently, but LoveRichCashPoor only noticed it yesterday; it has just opened its doors to the wider world, with coffee and cake served in the small but perfectly formed courtyard garden. Every single item in this two-storey shop is gasp-makingly beautiful. I would move in tomorrow if I could… it’s clearly a common problem, to the extent that Town House is now accepting paying guests on the upper floors. Thank god I cut up my credit card on Monday is all I can say.

5) The Town House (cont)

6) Old Spitalfields market, London E1. A treasure trove of boutiques, street food and market stalls. Thursday brings a host of antiques traders to hawk their wares inside.

7) Food glorious food: tucked inside Spitalfields’ perimeter, there’s a magnificent array of food emporia: cheese at Androuet, felafel at PilPel and John Torode’s Luxe — my go-to for after-work drinks or working lunches (on expenses, you understand). Across the road, St. John Bread and Wine is our venue of choice for a feast (again, not on my tab).

St. John Bread and Wine

8) Adnams Cellar and Kitchen: enamelware and real ale, what’s not to love? Seriously, this is a real gem, with wonderful cookware and kitchen accessories in the basement, a wide selection of beers and wine and there’s always a little tipple to sample…

9) Spitalfields. For some reason best known to itself, Spitalfields is divided into two parts, with two different websites. I’m generally to be found on the Old side, but the New side has lovely open squares, great views over the city, art installations, regular concerts and events and Patisserie Valerie.

10) Crisis Skylight Cafe: a coffee with a conscience, this award-winning café serves great food  with a side of optimism; it’s run by the eponymous education, training and employment centre next door.

Home comforts: chez maman in France

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Seven things I loved about France

1) Everywhere LoveRichCashPoor looked, there were roses, climbing, tumbling, rambling roses.

2) Coffee, French style: a simple but immaculately presented café crème at La Table, St Jean de Cole

3) St Jean de Cole aka paradise

4) Garden inspiration at Bordeilles: these are the borders LoveRichCashPoor aspires to

5) A room with a view: Bordeilles

6) Reduce, reuse, recycle: digging for treasure at the recyclerie, Le Tricycle Enchante, Bordeilles

7) The silver-plated servers I bought for five euros (even better, mum polished them up for me)

You can find me in the hood: Stoke Newington top 10

East, west, home is best… Here’s my favourite haunts in my beloved Stokey.

1) Nook

Covetable cookware and home accessories. Reader, I succumbed to the tea towel. I just couldn’t stop myself.

2) Abney Park Cemetery

Not as spooky as it sounds, this gorgeous nature reserve is a little green haven where the city and traffic fades into the distance and all around is green.

3) N16 flowers

Plants and cut flowers galore, run by a lovely lady who always says hello as I pass by. We buy our Christmas tree here every year, and Mr LoveRichCashPoor proposed by the Christmas tree!

4) Meat N16

Upmarket butcher run by former meat buyer at Harvey Nichols. Okay, so LoveRichCashPoor has only bought bacon and posh ketchup from here, it being slightly beyond our budget – but it was the best bacon sandwich of our lives.

5) Homage interiors

Stunning home accessories and designer fabrics.

6) Homa

When we first moved here, this stunning townhouse was a grimy bar and pizzeria. The owners of Homa have transformed it beyond recognition, the interior is to die for and the food is fabulous.

7) Stoke Newington Green Fruit & Vegetables

I used to have to cycle down to Newington Green to visit this superlative grocer. Now we have our very own branch. It sells everything fruit and veg under the sun, and is extremely reasonably priced.

8) Cobbled Yard

Antiques, curios and vintage furniture – we’ve picked up some gems from here: an old chest, we use as a coffee table, my bedside console and some old printing blocks I have hanging in the hallway. I now have my eye firmly on a Chesterfield.

9) Search and Rescue

It’s as if someone has delved into my mind and created a shop from what they found, there’s gorgeous stationary, lovely kitchenware (I really, really want the porcelain measuring cups and spoons I saw in there yesterday) and all sorts of cool bits and pieces.

10) Rasa

South Indian vegetarian curries and delectable dosas. Mmmmh!

I’ve just realised that restricting myself to 10 just isn’t feasible, to be continued…

The red carpet treatment for less: Amsterdam top 10

The best things in life are free: wisteria and townhouses in Amsterdam

There’s so much I love about Amsterdam. The wisteria that winds up the facades of 17th-century canalhouses. The townhouses themselves—especially their big windows, which allow for some serious rubbernecking. The food, the people, the sunshine (not guaranteed, you understand)… I could go on. Instead, below are my very favourite spots—most of which, you won’t find in the guide book.

1) De Weldaad 

A treasure trove of vintage-style furniture and accessories. If I could move in, I would.

Noordermarkt 35-36, Jordaan, Amsterdam 

If I could move in, I would: De Weldaad, Noordemarkt

Fenan Klein Afrika

    2) Fenan Klein Afrika

Cosy, relaxed and utterly delicious. The aroma of zegni bubbling on
the stove will taunt you from the minute you walk in the door. Injera
piled high with Eritrean classics are served on a shared platter, no
cutlery allowed.

   Jan Pieter Heijestraat 147, Oud West, Amsterdam

3) Cafe George

This café literally has my name on it. Cafe George, Liedsegracht, Amsterdam

The perfect brunch spot: all-day eggs, delightful coffee and an industrial-meets-bistro interior to die for (I especially love the name!)

Leidsegracht 87, Southern Canal Belt, Amsterdam

The red carpet treatment reaches a whole new level: Cafe George, Liedsegracht, Amsterdam

4) De Kaaskamer

Every cheese under the sun and more: try the local Gouda on its own, or infused with truffle or cumin.

Runstraat 7, 9 Straatjes, Amsterdam

5) Cafe Gollem

Dutch bar snacks, Belgian beers galore—what’s not to love? Ideal for an aperitif.

Overtoom 160-162, Musuem Quarter, Amsterdam

6) JL 76

Cute, quirky and luxurious but not too pretentious, this boutique hotel has the comfiest beds ever—ask for a room with a jacuzzi bath!

Jan Luijkenstraat 76, Musuem Quarter, Amsterdam

7) Momo

The Nobu of Amsterdam. Seriously chic (if expensive) restaurant, bar and lounge for sushi lovers.

Hobbemastraat , Musuem Quarter, Amsterdam

8) World Press Photo

A fascinating exhibition of photojournalism from the past year—ideal for Amsterdam veterans who have ‘done’ the Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank Huis and Van Gogh Museum (not to suggest that any of the aforementioned are one-time wonders, of course).

Oude Kerk, The Old Centre, Amsterdam

9) Vondel park

..although strictly in broad daylight; at night, I understand it’s an altogether different place. When I went, there were meadows lined with lacy fronds of cow parsley, lakes and paths begging to be explored, with cafes dotted conveniently throughout. Bliss. Pick up a bagel from Bagels & Beans and enjoy it at leisure.

Entrance on 1e Constantijn Huygenstraat, Museum Quarter, Amsterdam

10) Pazzi italian slow food

For a takeout with a difference, head to slow-food joint Pazzi for wood-fired pizzas made with the finest ingredients.

1e Looiersdwarsstraat 4, Southern Canal Belt, Amsterdam

The lustlist: light up my life baby

Vintage vibes at De Weldaad Noordemarkt, Amsterdam

So the husband and I have been deliberating over what to do with our hallway. We live on the first floor of a two-up-two-down Victorian terrace and our hallway and stairwell gets no natural light. In the first set of renovations, the hallway was the last of our priorities—we painted, we added storage, we hung a couple of mirrors et voilà.

Now however, thanks to a leaking water tank, the ceiling has to be replaced. Great. It’s possibly one of the least exciting jobs ever… that is, if we just replace the ceiling. Yep, I wanna pimp up that hallway baby. My reasoning: in an apartment of four rooms, the hallway has to be more than a thoroughfare. It needs to wow.

For a long time, we’ve been considering a way to get some natural light flooding into the space—I’ve been hankering after a sun tunnel light tube (a miraculous refractive tube that beams light from the roof into a room) for a while and since we’re pulling down the ceiling anyway… Unfortunately, I was not prepared for an estimate to the tune of £500 + VAT + installation. Ouch. Plan B it is.

Plan B was originally to install spots throughout the corridor, but since our little mini-break, we’ve realised that is way too mundane.

Yes, the new Plan B—Plan C, if you will—is to buy a stunning, centrepiece light fitting. And the best part is, we can take it with us when we move. All we have to do now is choose one.

In Amsterdam, we were bowled over by the abundance of incredible, eye-catching light fittings. It seemed that everywhere we went there was another impressive chandelier. Paris Schmaris—when it comes to the ‘city of light’ title, Amsterdam could take you any day.

There was industrial chic at 360volt, expertly modelled in the Bloemenmarkt (flower market)

Industrial chic in the Bloemenmarkt, Amsterdam

Vintage gems and glass galore at De Weldaad—my new all-time favourite shop in the world.

Gorgeous glass at De Weldaad, Noordemarkt Amsterdam

And some incredible Turkish lanterns on Huidenstraat.

Luscious lanterns on Huidenstraat, 9 Straatjes, Amsterdam

It’s going to be tough to choose. Right now, our hallway is monochrome—white walls, black and gold mirrors and a huge copy of Leon Spilliaert’s Vertigo taking up the majority of one wall.

I’d like to embrace the gloom with a sexy, moody colour scheme. I’m thinking glamorous and atmospheric. The same black, white and gold, but super-charged.

I’d also like a gallery of photos, some coathooks, a place to put post and keys and a panel of beautiful wallpaper. We don’t have much space to work with—but I’m game for a challenge. Watch this space.