Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Star Express, 71 Chapel Market, London, N1 9ER



This is a good place. Nothing fancy. No historically significant design. Just a good cafe, a good business, good people. Refreshing to find somewhere like this so close to lower Upper Street.from Kieran
i used to work as a dispatch rider in london and went to hundreds of cafes and i've seen some of my old faves on your website. i wonder if you can help me find a real gem.... it was a small cafe run by an ex-boxer in his late 50's and had old b&w photos of boxers/fights/promo posters all over the place and i mean from skirting boards to ceilings. the food was good but the character of the place and the people there was awesome. all i can remember is that it was in it's own small building in the greenwich area on a desolate industrial estate. it'd be great to re-visit or see a review cheers and thanks for all that dedicated eating

Monday, June 15, 2009

Macari's Icecream Parlour, 246 Terminus Road, Eastbourne


I have a very good and old friend who lives in Eastbourne. Every time we've visited I've asked if there are any interesting cafes in town and he's always said 'no'. And then, on the last visit I stumbled past this place, and a couple more. And he said he'd just forgotten about them. And that, to some extent is the genius and the curse of a great old cafe. They're part of the civic furniture and they're easy to forget until they're gone

Sunday, June 14, 2009

guardian breakfasts


Very excited to have done some stuff for The Guardian today. There might still be time to get one at the newsagents if you're out and about. There's lots of eggbaconchipsandbeans stuff and some excellent words from Malcolm at the LRB. 30 years of reading it and finally I've done a bit of writing.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

The Islander, 5 The Maltings, Uttoxeter




Finding The Islander was like coming home. This is what I remember the East Midlands being like. This is the sort of place Shane Meadows would use as a setting and tug at your heart strings and make you laugh. Fantastic place.