'I wish it was Sunday...cos that's my funday'
How to max out the last day of the weekend. Plus: Lea Bridge Road, Pinch La Deli, Leyton Engineer's small plates reviewed, 10 more Wanstead bargains - and E10's best Sunday lunch lands in E11
Does anyone else think they’re good at doing Sundays? Personally, I thrive when there are No Official Plans. No Sunday lunch booked. No friends to meet, or timed gallery visits to honour. And as for battling with weekend Tube and Overground closures? Hell, no.
Yep, when nothing is on, the day hovering in clear sight, uncluttered, there is nothing more life-giving. And my preferred activity is a spontaneous urban walk, with no specific destination in mind. Not only can it turn into an epic day of local (or not-so-local) discoveries, by the end of it, 20k steps in, you can kid yourself that it was all in the name of exercise. Not a pub crawl at all, honest.
The other Sunday, we found ourselves drifting over the waterways to Millfields Park in Clapton, the green space that connects Chatsworth Road with the Lea navigation. It had been years since my last visit to the Hare & Hounds - famously Leyton’s “oldest pub” - so we took a detour up Lea Bridge Road just at the Welcome To Waltham Forest sign. (I’m always surprised how far Waltham Forest extends to the west).
Is this long artery the most maligned thoroughfare in our part of East London? And yet it’s not without interest. There’s actually a roll call of sights, from the Lee Valley Ice Centre (recently rebooted with a £30 million revamp) and wildlife haven the Waterworks Centre to Lea Bridge station itself, closed for nearly half a century before it reopened in the mid-teens. Then there are Argall Avenue’s eclectic cafes and taprooms, Lea Bridge Library’s RIBA-award-winning pavilion and - one of my highlights - artists Ben Eine and Rachel Joy’s life-giving (and much-photographed) Stronger Together artwork, created for the London Mural Festival in 2020, during the depths of Covid.
In fact it’s about here where you’ll find the Hare & Hounds. This detached hulk of Victorian pub, pictured above, still stands alone on the lower Lea Bridge Road, making it easy to imagine it as isolated as it would have been in the 19th century. And it’s only a few minutes’ walk from Leyton’s underrated (and surprisingly bucolic) Jubilee Park.
Unusually, the pub was built by a copper, William Young in 1861. It’s a story brimming with enjoyable detail: apparently, he dragged his wife and two children from Old Street out here to the rural area of Leyton, a blissful idyll of fields and rivers. And he made so much cash from the joint he was able to sell up a few years later. Leyton has always been a thing, you see?
Over the next century, the pub changed hands many times, but fast forward to the 2020s and it’s now run by the same folk as a couple of hip Walthamstow pubs including The Duke on Wood Street. Its long worn history is still visible: that distinctive veranda, for example, was built originally for workmen to enjoy a pint in their workwear, without having to go home and change. Such details are - at least to me - gently thrilling.
Stepping into its capacious Victorian interior, admiring the scuffed wooden floorboards and ornate ceilings alike, we wandered, pints in hand, through the conservatory to the sheltered palm-filled garden, which evokes country-pub vibes slightly similar to the Heathcote in Leytonstone.
And taking a seat, the sun came out as - in a moment of serendipity - the Bangles’ 1986 classic Manic Monday burst onto the stereo: ‘I wish it was Sunday…cos that’s my funday’.
And now: how to do a fine local Sunday…
Welcome to this week’s issue - a sideways look at the all-important last day of the weekend. Today I spotlight the area’s unique Sunday lunch - soon about to launch on Leytonstone High Road, too. I also enjoy the chill vibes of Lea Bridge Road’s Pinch La Deli and round up the three best venues locally to squeeze out the last drops of weekend: yes, that includes live performances - and even having a wee boogie.
Elsewhere this week, it’s the eighth instalment of my search for excellent food & drink offers across the local postcodes (read the other 70 recommendations here): I cover the other half of Wanstead High Street (and reveal my favourite £5 hot lunch - no, it’s not M & S).
Plus: Leyton’s new sourdough pizzeria Slice ‘n’ Dough exclusively reveal their opening date, and there’s another bumper news and gossip section (including a forthcoming intriguing Indonesian pop-up at Leyton Midland). A new feature launches too, in which I ask subscribers to tell me where to eat next. And finally, I tried the small plates at Leyton Engineer with - how can I say this politely? - disappointing results.
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And now, a Sunday lunch with a difference comes to E11
Back in the summer I raved about my experience at what still feels like one of the area’s least herald kitchen residencies. And the good news is that from this week they’re now installed on Leytonstone High Road, too.
Sri Lankan chefs Kamu - the brainchild of former engineer Deshan - have been at the Coach & Horses for a couple of years now. And if you haven’t yet been, I’d argue that the cooking is up there with other, far higher profile local restaurants. It really is that good.
Especially recommended? Kottu, a Sri Lankan streetfood staple that’s fiddly to make, composed of thinly sliced and chopped paratha with vegetables and tossed with tender slow-cooked lamb. Also a must is the signature tangy Chicken 65, marinated for 24 hours with devil sauce and dried chillies.
And so it was exciting to hear this week that they’re expanding with a second kitchen residency at The Birds on Leytonstone’s increasingly ‘foodie’ stretch, alongside Homies, Eat My Pizza and Mum Likes Thai Food. A glance at the menu reveals it’s a slightly simplified offer than the Coach, with a short list of curries, wok-fried rice and noodles, kottu and sharing plates.
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