Kettle, Tyrrell's or the house brand?

from top left: cafe latte, croissant, cappuccino, sugar bowl and pecan & treacle pie

On my first trip to Bethnal Green, I was running a little late (as usual) and J had been scouting around the area for the lovely aroma of well-made coffee and a nice ambience. So when I got there, he knew the perfect place to bring me :)

I can't remember the name of the cafe now, but I will update this post when I get hold of it.  update: Hurwundeki :) J gave me the link of a review of it here It was a very quaint establishment. Chairs of all sizes were arranged in dishabille out in the front garden, and indoors was divided into a little vintage shop (where you could sit on some of the furniture and have your coffee and croissant) and the service area. The barista was quite a personality, although I couldn't place his country of origin. With salt and pepper curls and a healthily kept tache, his focus was intensely directed at the sole cup of coffee he was making at any one time. Ah, it is always wonderful watching someone who is so passionate about what they do at work.

image from www.hurwundeki.com

 

This was also the place I first made the acquaintance of the beetroot crisp. There'd been a few packets of Tyrell's crisps on the counter, and J was grinning about them.

"Have you tried? I like the parsnip ones."

I'm a junkfood junkie. Name a snack, and I've probably tried it. Prawn crackers, poppadoms, potato chips, tapioca chips, or perhaps the lone mealworm encased in a lollipop: been there, done that. But I'd never really considered the packet of vegetable crisps in the supermarket aisle :s Vegetables are so yummy fresh anyway, why would anyone want to deep fry them until they're all reduced to the same crispy saltiness?

So J bought me a packet to try. Tyrell's vegetable crisps consists of beetroot, parsnip and carrot chips, and my favourite was the beetroot. From the start, it stood out: the colour (deep purple-red vs. pale cream and orange), the texture (it was a lighter structure that made it incredibly moreish) and well, the sheer limited amount that was in the packet. But what truly did it for me was the taste: as a fresh ingredient in a salad, it was never a shy player. The beetroot asserts itself in colour and flavour, and even in crisp form, the high sugar content and a light dash of salt helped to bring out its natural relish.

Waitrose and Tyrell's vegetable chips (Kettle not featured)

And then I couldn't stop. Having tried that tiny packet, I felt like I had to sample the other brands just to see who did it better. So it was mainly a toss-up between Tyrell's and Kettle, and Waitrose! Kettle's vegetable crisps features sweet potato instead of carrot, whereas Waitrose covers all grounds by including all four vegetables.

The verdict? I think Waitrose's has the best value, not to mention a decent amount of beets in it. I'll be getting quite a big amount of my veggies in this form this week because both Tyrell's and the house brand are having a 25% off at my local Waitrose's. Woohoo.

image from www.hurwundeki.com

Hurwundeki

cafe.antiques

299 Cambridge Heath Road

London

E2 9HA

open: mon-fri 7am-6pm

sat-sun 9am-6pm

King & Queen of Bethnal Green!

A lovely friend, Missy, gave me the heads-up about this insanely cool store in the Hackney area, charmingly named King & Queen of Bethnal Green. "You have to go see it, I just ordered a jacket from Kim and I love it". And when I finally made my way down, true enough, it was fabulous.  

 The window display, which is given to budding designers to transform every few weeks

Situated on a quiet street,  you wouldn't imagine finding such a gem of a shop here. And above is the sight that will greet you first, but only if you make your way down soon, because various creative designers and artists are constantly being invited to give their take on it.

Kim and Paulo, co-founders of the shop and mom & dad to 5 month-old Gypsy, had always wanted to open a shop together selling the vintage and ethnic finds they picked up in their travels.  With Paulo's 20 years' experience with vintage items and Kimiko's fashion background (take a Central Saint Martins graduate, add a successful 7-month collaboration with Jean Paul Gaultier, and a well-trained eye for picking out the identifying detail in all sorts of garments and accessories), both were more than ready to showcase what they had. When they came across the newly refurbished shop space on Temple Street, they decided to take the jump, and London's all the better for it :)

At first glance, the store carries an eclectic assortment of accessories and garments, but if you look closely, it is quite apparent that each item has been singled out by the unique eyes of Kim and Paulo. You will be able to find anything from a beautifully restored vintage Vivienne Westwood dress for £700, to a cute red-beaded cuff bracelet for just £15. Definitely check out the gorgeously handcrafted leather pieces by Kim as well (www.kimikored.com).

Another awesome thing (there are so many, I know!) about the store's philosophy is their support for budding fashion designers, who are featured on a rotational basis to create awareness and help their labels take flight. At the moment it's the talented Kristian Steinberg, whom Kim studied with at CSM, a young menswear designer who produces very interesting shirts that incorporate japanese print fabrics and interesting detailing. Every item in the store teases you into trying it on, either with its history (Blackadder coat anyone?), detailing (thousands of sequins, trimmings or mother of pearl buttons), unique cut or silhouette. 

KQ-BG opens Thursdays to Sundays, eleven to seven. On the other days of the week, the shop is open by appointment, usually to photographers, stylists, artists and designers. As if this isn't cool enough (I'm actually running out of apt adjectives here) they are regularly approached by large fashion houses in search of vintage or sourced pieces as inspiration for the next season's collections!  

 

Doesn't it make you want to try them all on? I really liked the one with the shoulder detail.

To round off this post, here's a picture of me with Kim, Gypsy (isn't she cute??), and Juliet, interior designer and latest extraordinaire invited to takeover KQ-BG's windows. See you soon!

King & Queen of Bethnal Green

41 Temple Street
London
E2 6QQ

0207 729 0197

open: thurs - sun, 11-7
mon-wed by appointment