Spitalfields City Farm

I absolutely love this place! Since moving to East London in summer 2015 we have probably spent a disproportionate number of afternoons at this little oasis of tranquility! 

Spitalfields City Farm boasts an array of barnyard animals, our personal favourites being Watson and Holmes a pair of kunekunes ( a type of pig from New Zealand - the kind that can be glimpsed at Laketown in the Hobbit movies!). 

You would never imagine to find such a beautiful little farm, complete with farm shop selling fresh produce, just striding distance from Brick Lane! There's something deeply satisfying and truly bizarre about seeing wooly, bleating critters nonchalantly doing their thing to the backdrop of the city's iconic highrise towers! See below.

Other animals to observe and fuss over include sheep, cows, rabbits, guinea pigs and apparently ferrets although we've never sighted the snoozey little fellas! 

The staff are friendly, the atmosphere super relaxed and they offer great food as well! I'd recommend their hearty tomato, ginger and coconut soup served with bread and butter. The coffees not too shabby either.

The peace and quiet are periodically shattered to make way for all sorts of fun-day events happening throughout the year, such as the hugely popular Goat Race which is held to coincide with the Oxford - Cambridge boat race! Check out their events page for details!

The Spitalfields City Farm has so much going for it, if you have a spare afternoon east of the city be sure to drop in - it's free to visit and open everyday apart from Monday when the animals have a day off!

All opinions are my own.

Recharge Café, Bethnal Green - Turkish/English fusion in East London!

Scrambled eggs on sourdough with sucuk, avocado and halloumi

Under five minutes walk from Bethnal Green tube station you'll find Recharge Café, an exquiste little local eaterie offering a delightful fusion of Turkish and English mid-morning fare. The balance between modern East London chic and no fuss British brekkie is handled masterfully with just the right amount of scattered herbs and pumpkin seeds topping a generous dollop of no nonsense hearthy ingredients.
There is a choice between fancy full English (served with hash browns and black pudding), trendy Turkish (which includes halloumi, avocado and sucuk - a lightly spiced Turkish sausage) or a veggie option which is kind of a combination of the two, minus the meaty bits!
There's also a ham, feta and spinach omelette on the menu and all manner of tasty treats on sourdough, including roasted butternut squash or smoked salmon! They also do an excellent flat white, for all you coffee lovers!
Everything is so fresh, full of flavour and lovingly prepared we just can't help going back for more time and time again! This place is so East London right now but, probably due to its unassuming location, manages to side step any pretentious, hipster vibe - what you get is a relaxed local atmosphere with a refreshing, international take on the classic brunch menu.
Friendly staff, great coffee and well priced - everything is between £5 - £7! Highly recommended!

All opinions are my own.

Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium

Revamped with a bright mural in Summer 2015 after some knucklehead sprayed Free the Cats, Free the $ across its shutters, whatever that was supposed to mean... Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium is a hugely popular independent café and something of an East London institution.

Located on Bethnal Green Road right on the edge of Shoreditch, the Emporium was able to open in 2014 thanks to a massive crowdfunding response from local residents and offers a truly unique dining experience.

Booking ahead is advisable as it is incredibly popular, although apparently there is a walk-in service available as well. 

I booked for my girlfriend's birthday treat and would definitely recommend this quirky little café to any lovers of animals and/or quaint English tearooms; for us it ticked both boxes! 

The decor is very cute, and the ambiance is warm and restful; every inch is covered in cat paraphernalia and the walls are covered with cat pictures and knick-knacks. For me it was like being at my Nan's house, albeit a more tasteful and less cluttered version! The cats pottered about indifferently or simply snoozed away on specially made fuzzy sleeping shelves, doing what cats do best. One decided to run like a maniac for a time on a large custom-made hamster wheel (cat wheel) which was certainly different! The atmosphere was so calm and relaxing that time seemed to slip past at a different pace to usual; an hour flew by without us even noticing. 

The food was really good too. I was delighted to see that bagels were on the menu; harking back to the area's Jewish roots. We both demolished sloppy, relish smothered cheese and meatball bagels, which were served with a sprig of salad and a side of crisps, and followed by a traditional cream tea, properly served with loose leaves in the pot. They also sorted my girlfriend out with a birthday pack, available from the website, containing a tote bag, card signed by the cats and a sugary little cupcake with a candle. 

The staff were friendly and well trained; one girl tried hard to energise the cats with treats and toys. Do bear in mind that cats will be cats... in other words don't expect them to put on a show for you, they aren't natural entertainers! Don't let this put you off however, they were certainly adorable and were clearly well loved and looked after by everyone involved with their wellfare. I really can't recommend this original little café enough; get yourselves along and soak up the satisfaction of some serious feline down-time! Cats, bagels and scones; what's not to love!

 

Purrfect!