Wahaca

Wahaca is a chain restaurant that has been expanding really quickly within the UK. My friend Alice took me there before we went to see her boyfriend in a play. The best thing about this restaurant is that its set up like tapas (Spanish small portions "snacks") but with Mexican food. The menu is on the table cloth and everything is labelled with a title and then a good description. 

Alice and I chose to get 2 dishes each, and then 3 sides to share, we also split a dessert a the end. I chose steak fajitas, and chicken tacos and then we shared a sour-cream and black bean side, corn on the cob, and sweet potatoes. It was a full blown out meal. The end of the meal was incredible too though, we shared churros and I had a Mexican hot chocolate, which is non dairy, and has a little chili in it for fire. Everything tasted incredible. 

The design of the restaurant is also really cute. Their catch phrase is "Mexican Market Eating" so the inside of the place is made to look a bit like a Mexican street, with colours and different shapes and booths for larger parties to sit in. The tiles on the floor change and some how everything still matches. They have a wall of different bottles reminding us all that yes we do want a cocktail with lunch. 

I know I'm going to eat at Wahaca again, because there's so much more on the menu I need to try! Here's their website: http://www.wahaca.co.uk/

Beach in the East

Beach in the East is/was a really cool pop up store my friend found online. It was in a less busy street of Shoreditch and you had to follow a few signs to get to the actual store. The moment you step in though it seems like you really are at the beach. 

They had windsurfing sails tied to the ceiling, blow up beach toys near the entrance, and the whole store was set up in a fake swimming pool. The clothes were really displayed well because you could see the different colours of the clothes pop from the background colour of the pool. There was even a fake ladder that would have helped you get in the water if you needed to.

The clothes were a combination of jeans jackets designed very differently from your ordinary jeans jacket, and swimsuit in interesting bright prints. They had a pair of ripped jeans I would have killed for, but they were very very expensive. Kristin tried on a jeans jacket that was painted with what seemed like white lacquer paint, and it looked really good on her. However the cool design of the paint made it hard for her to move so it was the kind of jacket you needed to break in. 

Here's a link to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Beachintheeast?directed_target_id=0

The Deli Downstairs

The Deli Downstairs is a really cute organic shop in Hackney, near Victoria Park. In the summer they have red stools and tables to eat outside. Its decorated really well, with space for all the different types of food, the meats, sauces, cheeses, vegetables and even other food. 

Its not cheap, cause no organic store in London is. Its just the kind of place that give you a really good vibe, and makes you want to buy their food. There are loads of different organic brands that they carry as well as having un-labelled fresh fruit and vegetables, but pretty much anything you need or want is there, and you definitely leave without any guilt. 

What I really liked about it is the amount of fresh cheeses they had as well as their own pesto, hummus  and tapenade. All their food really looks incredible. I want to go back to buy fresh pesto, cause I hate hate hate eating pesto from a jar. 

Here's their website, if you want to go enjoy their incredible food: http://www.thedelidownstairs.co.uk/

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/