Leytonstoner.

Everything you need to know about Francis Road Festival, Vela Vietnamese opens in Leytonstone, Leyton Engineer's menu, and East Village's best-value set dinner? Plus latest gossip & readers' polls

Hi everyone, and welcome back to Leytonstoner, with a slightly new look. And with autumn in the air (although hasn’t it been sweltering all week?), today marks the start of the next stage of Leytonstoner as we approach our tenth birthday. Yep, it’s been nearly a whole decade of documenting how this singular East London neighbourhood has changed.

In the tough indie-publishing wastelands of 2024, however, a totally free ad-driven model is - alas - no longer sustainable, so I’ve been (fretting, admittedly) trying to find a solution while continuing to satisfying the ever-growing readership. Don’t fear: while there’ll always be some free content available in each newsletter to all subscribers (which will also go live on leytonstoner.london, also remaining free-to-read), from now on I’m hoping you’ll value the work that goes into writing and producing each newsletter enough to consider a paid subscription.

Starting at just 86p a week - about the same as a pint of milk, right? - I hope the price feels like decent enough value to catch up on all the significant new food, drink and arty-cultural happenings in the wider area, not to mention a healthy dose of gossip and genuine opinion, especially via the popular readers’ polls.

The simple truth is that the greater number of readers who upgrade, the more stories, contributors and new features (such as interviews, and regular columns) there’ll be; the less need for ads or partnerships; and the more time I can devote to making this title special. Better still, this newsletter will arrive in your inbox on time every Friday rather than on a slightly irregular basis, as it currently is due to my multi-tasking workload as a freelance food and travel writer.

If you already kindly donate monthly, as many of you do (thanks so much!) the good news is you’ve now been added to the paid subscribers and, whatever amount you pay, you’ll automatically be able to read all paid content at the same price (even the many readers paying £2/month). If you haven’t been added, or have a question, or even an idea or two, simply email: stephen@leytonstoner.london.

So, onto today’s issue: first up, it’s the season’s last big outdoor local festie, and read on to get the lowdown on Aquila’s rebrand as Vela Vietnamese - and sneak preview of its new menu. Elsewhere I uncover a well-priced set dinner in East Village (as well as two hot new autumnal openings), scrutinize the new Leyton Engineer food offer, look forward to the Aldi-M&S juggernaut arriving in E11 - and reveal the results of the readers’ polls: you made it 100% clear how you want the Red Lion to move forward. Plus, of course, the usual round-up of observations, titbits and newsy gossip.

So, if you would like to support my work and help the future of Leytonstoner - or at least reach its tenth birthday in 2025 - do upgrade if you can (and it’s within your budget).

Thanks so much - Stephen (want to find out more about me? Click here).

Francis Road Festival is here

You’ll undoubtedly be aware of this already - but it’s pretty major. Tomorrow (Saturday 21st September) sees a unique free one-day family-friendly festival take over Leyton’s loveliest thoroughfare. Let’s hope those thunderstorms forecast don’t strike.

Run by the rather enterprising Francis Road Collective, this one differs from other Francis Road happenings as its focus is on the arts as well as food & drink. There’s even a main stage with an eclectic line-up of live performances from 1pm.

My musical tip, on stage at 4pm, is glam electro popster Vanity Fairy, who we enjoyed watching perform at Dreamhouse’s recent birthday shenanigans, while from 530pm-645pm there’s also Drag Queen Cabaret, from pioneering Francis Road boozer The Northcote, hosted by Chamonix Aspen.

It all ends with an outdoor film screening of 2021’s Oscar-winning music documentary ‘Summer of Soul’ - although there’s an after party till 1230am at (where else?) The Northcote - while other highlights are world-class breakdancing from Academy Breakin Convention, local South Asian artists Qazi & Qazi at 6.45pm, and a kids ceilidh (at 1pm).

Elsewhere is live music and a DJ or two in Dreamhouse Records, and DJs in the bucolic rear garden at Yardarm. As well as the many Francis Road food outlets, Leyton’s fabulous Deeney’s will have a stall, while Jerk & Juice will be dishing up Caribbean cuisine, too. The festival runs from 10am-10pm tomorrow: we’ll see you there.

Vela Vietnamese: we get a sneak peek at the exciting new menu

Buzzy little Hong Kong kitchen Aquila sadly closed their restaurant on Church Lane in August, accompanied by a rather unhappy Instagram post citing “significant mental and financial stress.” They also reported that their kitchen has “recently encountered severe hardware issues that require substantial repair investment.”