Changing Places

I started this blog for fun and have enjoyed writing it so much I have now progressed to my own website. 


Jimmy and Patrik at Suitcase Media helped me set it up and I have put all my original blogs there together with some new ones on travel, art and theatre. I have also started putting some of my favourite photos there.


If you've enjoyed reading these posts, do check it out. www.suesintonsmith.com


You can also follow me on Twitter @reuseisbest

Two Sugar Loaves

Queenie's was the bakers opposite our office. She was always very friendly and you could phone up and ask her to cook a bacon roll, then pop out and pick it up. Great. Simple, traditional food at good prices. I was very sad to see they had closed, due to ill health.


I was, however, intrigued when I saw work going on with the new owners creating a unique space for all manner of things. They impressed me with their hard work, doing a lot of it themselves and before long we had a brand new shop.


Two Sugar Loaves, 194, Balls Pond Rd, London , N1 4AA is a take away and shop with a couple of tables, so you can call it a cafe at a pinch. They usually have space for me to sit down at a reused school desk if I want a break away from my computer. Illy coffee is served at the moment but Monmouth coffee is promised soon.


A large range of organic, vegetarian food is stocked in a tiny space which they have used creatively. Farm produce is delivered on a Thursday and you can order organic meat from Church Farm. Bread is delivered daily and sandwiches can be made to order. We are arranging to have birthday cakes baked by Two Sugar Loaves to avoid preservative and sugar overload from supermarket cakes!


When I visited there was a display of photos by Kate Harahan 'Interpreting the Memories of Others'; very thought provoking.

There seem to be new ideas every time I go in. Last week I noticed an invitation to bring a book to swap. It's exciting to see the different stock while the owners decide what works best. I hope they do well.

A Little of What you Fancy

A Little of What you Fancy is another restaurant I thought I'd check out because of its name. It sounded a little bit indulgent which is just what you're looking for after a dull morning of paperwork. 


If you're looking for a treat you can't go far wrong here. The menu is small which means each dish is carefully prepared and beautifully presented. The selections are definitely superior to your standard cafe food as A Little of What you Fancy is really a restaurant, offering high quality fare to the lucky people who have had the foresight to book ahead for dinner.


I loved the simple interior; the counter piled high with fresh organic produce and fresh flowers are always a delight. A take away service is available and an imaginative private catering menu is offered. 

People outside Dalston will also have the chance to experience the delicious food as part of the pop-up experience Restaurants in Residence from 5th to 9th July. 


I am, however, a little intrigued as to why the sign inside says 'A Bit of What You Fancy' - a simple typo maybe? 


By the way, the coffee's great too. Why not spoil yourself.

The Scolt Head

When I first started working in N1 a couple of years ago, I did some exploring. I wanted to find some special places where I could feel at home and relax at lunchtime. The Scolt Head is my favourite pub around here. Not that I'm a great lunchtime drinker or anything! 


The Scolt Head is a real pub and is definitely a pub rather than a bar. It doesn't feel like a chain and has a settee to collapse on, a real fire in the winter and a lovely sun trap of a garden for the summer. Bliss.


The menu changes regularly and is interesting and very high quality. It's gastro pub food but the prices aren't crazy. If you're into football they show all the big games and have a room you can hire. Regular live music and a weekly quiz, there is something for everyone.

I love the original art work including a painting of Scolt Head in Norfolk, a brilliant bulldog and ... some tractors!


If you're lucky there may be real dogs visiting.

Indigo Coffee House

I visited Cambridge recently with some friends and we were looking for a cafe at the end of a long day. There are loads of cafes in Cambridge to go with the hoards of people. After all it's a great place to visit.

This particular afternoon we had walked from the Orchard Tea Rooms at Granchester http://www.orchard-grantchester.com/, along the river.  The Tea Rooms are unique, occuping a special place in literary history and therefore are very popular on a sunny Sunday. A beautiful spot which would be especially delightful on a quiet day, I will certainly go back.

I would guess that most people in Cambridge for a day don't really get a chance to explore and might miss out on some of the most delightful places. I love exploring cities I don't know well and invariably get rewarded by discovering somewhere new.

Around the corner, in St Edmunds Passage, we found a tiny cafe, Indigo Coffee House. http://bit.ly/m8NSbG This lovely cafe serves porridge, delicious cakes and excellent coffee. 

There were some poignant little sculptures on display, made from old cigarette boxes. Great example of recycling. They were based on ruined buildings the artist, Kimberley Herbert, had seen in Cyprus. 

Indigo like to encourage local artists so they change the exhibits regularly.

If you're in Cambridge, do check out Indigo, it's lovely.

Belle Epoque Patisserie

Stepping into the Belle Epoque Patisserie http://www.belleepoque.co.uk/ on Newington Green is like being on holiday as it's just like a patisserie in a town or village in France with its beautiful display of tartes and gateaux.

I wouldn't dare visit too often as their range of patisserie is irresistible. Today I had a fraisier which was wonderful and decorated with a personalised mini chocolate. As I like my coffee strong I was able to choose one with 100% arrabiata beans and an extra shot. 


A choice of pizzas, quiches and a huge range of sandwiches and drinks are on offer as well as artisan bread and chocolate. You can even pretend you're in France by drinking citron presse.




The shelves are lined with loads of jam, biscuits and other French products you might not easily find anywhere else.

There is a patio area at the back of the cafe as well as seating on the pavement and you can hire the back room for parties.

You could even buy a breakfast basket and take it across to the Green for a morning picnic. Nice.

Betty's Coffee Shop

Betty's Coffee Shop is more or less brand new in the area as it only opened on 2nd April.  I literally stumbled upon it. Do go along and say hi.  It's just down from Oxfam Dalston at 510 Kingsland Road. Betty is very friendly and makes great Allpress coffee.


Betty's hasn't got a website up and running yet but you can follow them on Twitter @bettyscoffee  or Facebook http://on.fb.me/gHDRQs


I had a lovely toasted bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese and chives. Next time I go, I'm going to try one of Betty's homemade cakes, which look delicious.

House of Hackney

For four days only House of Hackney http://houseofhackney.com/ has opened a pop-up showroom in an empty house at 76 Stoke Newington Road. Always intrigued by the idea of pop-up anything, I thought I'd take a look. They're only there until 4th April 2011.

 The house has been beautifully decorated in the designer's three different styles: Dalston Rose, Queen Bee and Hackney Empire and is a perfect setting to display the intriguing and  unique collections.

It's such a fantastic idea to see the designs in an actual house, so much superior to any showroom.

And, as a perfect complement, Lily Vanilli's pop-up tea room in the cellar. http://www.lilyvanilli.com/# Lily's cakes, tarts and ice creams are all her own recipe and she has been adventurous. I sampled delicious Courvoisier and quince ice cream, lavender meringues and fruit tarts with pomegranate. Everything served on vintage bone china.

If you get the chance to visit the House of Hackney now or in another reincarnation, take it. We'll definitely be hearing more from Lily Vanillli too.

Trattoria Sapori

This bustling cafe/restaurant http://bit.ly/eunju4 is a real treat for people who love authentic Italian food.  There always seems to be something new to try, from delicious cakes to savoury pastries and now, beautifully presented salads.  This is in addition to everything you would expect to see in an Italian restaurant, ie pizzas, pastas etc.  It is very popular with families with an imaginative children's menu and they even have a story telling session once a week.

There is an outdoor seating area which is a lovely sun trap; tasty ice creams are a treat in the middle of the day. Fresh flowers are a delightful touch and reused furniture and artefacts help create the ambience inside.


Monday night is film night when you can enjoy a film, pizza and drink for only £10. The Trattoria is also very popular as a delicatessen, selling olive oil, Italian breads, pancetta etc.  

Garden Cafe Bistro

Okay, so it might seem like I was being lazy here, but it was raining on Friday and this cafe is so close to our office ... This is the third cafe to try and make its way in the two years I've been working here.  They deserve a shout out for the success they are making in a venue which isn't really in the main run of places.


The owners here took over from two unsuccessful ventures and have really made a go of this business.  Garden Cafe Bistro http://bit.ly/hfYOdW is popular with local workers and, more recently, families.


The staff are very friendly and the chef makes a lovely home made quiche and two types of pasta dish in addition to all the usual lunch choices.  You also get a very nice salad with everything.


For me, it's great to have a good cafe to pop out for a quick break when I'm busy or it's pouring with rain!

Tina, we salute you

I am thrilled to tell you about my first cafe, which is a real gem. I was drawn to 'Tina, we salute you'  http://tinawesaluteyou.com/ when I opened Foursquare to see what places were listed locally and was intrigued by its name.  It was also very handy, just right for a quick lunch time visit.

The cafe has a lovely relaxed feel about it, and there is a huge table with eight seats which reminded me of a family breakfast table with pots of jam and marmalade in the middle.  Coffee was great and I indulged in a piece of white chocolate and raspberry tart which was delicious.  There is an amazing, original loyalty scheme which you must experience.

The best thing, however, is the art. Every eight weeks, the walls are whitewashed and a local artist decorates the walls however they choose.  The latest art is by Edd Bagenal and is brilliant.








And the name?  Tina was the name of a woman, painted by JH Lynch.  More about him here http://www.jhlynch.org/
 

Tina

A New Venture

A perfect swimming spot, Croatia

Having written a quite specialised blog for the past four months, I thought I'd have a go a writing something which would interest a wider readership.


I will mainly be writing about cafes I've visited but anything that I think is interesting may get a mention. And possibly a photo or two.


I've recently been hankering for something a bit different from high street chains, for clothes shopping and for coffee.  I thought I would take advantage of working in London, particularly near Dalston, to explore some alternatives.  Twitter is great for pointing me in the right direction but the first cafe I visited was found through FourSquare.  I was intrigued by its name and it's near our office.


I'll reveal all the details next week.