Street Food Europe

On my first day back in London I wanted to do something special and different. So I dragged my flatmate Charlotte and my friend Darrell with me to a street food festival in Dalston. It was called Street Food Europe and it was sponsored by Tweat Up and British St. Food. I had bought the tickets online before, but you could get some tickets on the door. The online ticket came with two free drinks, an Aperol Spritz and a Meantime Beer.

We got there at about 8pm, and it was full. We gave in the tickets, got a drinks card, and then got a stamp on our hands. We walked through this parking lot that had been transformed overnight. There were little caravan stands for each of the different food they were serving. Charlotte and I shared a prawn and pork bun, it was incredible. Definitely the right type of surf and turf. We also tried a vegetarian wrap which had "Indian cheese" in it. Very yummy. 

I do have a huge sweet tooth so I enjoyed the ice-cream we got towards the end of our meal. I got a flavour that was a mixture of salted caramel and peanut butter, Charlotte and I were both sad when we finished eating them. But we were consoled by our second free drink.

The music at the event was amazing too, the DJ mixed so many different vibes together, it was worth it being there just for the positive ambiance. Everyone seemed to be having the perfect Saturday evening, I was just smiling to myself the whole night. I hope events like this continue to happen because it gives a sense of community, and we all share a love for food. 

Here you can see what stands there were: http://britishstreetfood.co.uk/awards/awards-2013/finalists/

(One of the fun things for the vendors is that they get votes for their food and have the possibility to win awards) 

Birthdays

Every first Saturday of the month the Dalston bar "Birthdays" hosts a "vintage sale". Its not really a vintage sale, its where individuals choose to sell their old clothes at a really really cheap price. I found a Zara top I wanted from 2 years ago there for 5 pounds. They have some designers stuff, some high street clothes, and some quirky individual make clothes. 

You walk into the bar and you can order coffee or food, and browse through the racks of clothing and accessories. Some people were selling clothes that were really summery and weather appropriate whereas others were selling clothes for all types of different weather. On the ground floor there are loads of different sellers lined up around the "edge" of the room. You then go down a set of stairs where the bar's dance floor usually is and there were more racks of clothes. The colours of the clothes were harder to see downstairs because the lights aren't very bright but there were more unique clothes in the downstairs section. 

Sadly, I didn't find anything, but hopefully I'll be going back on the 1st of June to see if they have anything better. I also want to go there at night cause my friend Daniella said that there was a really good vibe there the last time she went. Also, I really like the venue's logo, its so cute, I love that font! 

I heard of this event through Facebook, but you can also find it on the Birthdays website: http://birthdaysdalston.com/

LIFT

Lift (574) is a cool relaxing place near Dalston. The interior is really nicely decorated with small details giving the place a lot of personality. I went there with a few friends on Saturday the 4th of May, just for a cup of coffee. A latte costs 2,35 pounds, and a double espresso is 2,50 pounds. You go up to the bar to get your food and drinks, and you can watch them make your coffee if you like. They also do freshly squeezed juices and smoothies. 

We sat on some cute stools and a red couch, just chatting away with our coffee. The music in the background is really mellow so its doesn't distract from conversation. In the back room of the "restaurant" there is a pool table, so you can probably spend a whole evening there without getting bored. 

Overall, I just really liked it because I was able to have a good conversation, sitting down, without the rush of London surrounding me. I'm really happy we sat inside because it started hailing while we were drinking our coffee so that would have really put a downer on our day. I'm probably going to go there again just because it gave me a really good vibe, and they have free wifi, so I could always take advantage of that. 

Here's their website: http://lift574.com/

Dalston Eastern Curve Garden

Across from Dalston Junction station there is a really cute garden. This garden is called "Dalston Eastern Curve Garden". It was created in 2010 where there was an old train station. There are beautiful daffodils and tulips around the seating area in the shade at the start of the garden. Further into the garden there are fatboy bean bags layed out for you to enjoy the sun.

There are children playing, people chatting, and even people alone trying to do work in the relaxing environment. One thing I really liked is that pretty much anyone can go there to enjoy the garden even if its not a public garden. There's also a little cafe set up at the entrance so that if you wish to have something to drink or eat you can. I got fresh green tea, and I personally got to see the woman preparing it for me taking the mint leaves off the plants that they grow in the garden.

The garden also has adult and children workshops set up throughout the year so that they can raise money and do more. Their current project is to build a pineapple house. A sort of green house to grown exotic fruits and normal vegetables so that they can provide for themselves all year round. I'm thinking of volunteering at the garden next year, because its always good to help and I really like what they've been able to do, and I'd love to get involved and help them grow. Here's the garden's website: http://dalstongarden.org/