Overhyped? Why underrated is way more satisfying
Plus: Swirl E10 wine bar to open in Leyton Midland, awesome Indian streetfood at Karak Chaii, the search for food bargains in E10 & E11 continues - and an incredible £6 gyro
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In a discussion in The Guardian comments section, under Grace Dent’s review of hit Soho pub The Devonshire last Friday, one reader piped up: “The current hype is apparently a Thai place in Leytonstone, which you have to book up to a year in advance.”
We all know which restaurant that is. But, while the comments raged about whether a place deserves its hype or not, it got me thinking about hype and our local restaurants.
Singburi aside - and we all know how difficult it is to secure a table there - destination joints like Burnt Smokehouse in Leyton Midland and Homies On Donkeys in Leytonstone are often roadblock at peak times (although, unlike Singburi, there are hacks, such as eating early at 5pm). Meanwhile, if my visit last Thursday is anything to go by, Francis Road newcomer Loop’s residencies are almost always booked out. Even the owners at a personal fave, longstanding dim sum cafe Panda, will shake their heads sadly if you dare to show up at 730pm on Friday. But are all these places hyped?
It’s probably a matter of opinion; I would argue that no, their success is hard-fought and entirely justified. In fact, the raison d’etre of this title for nearly a decade, and especially the newsletter, has been both to embrace bold new independent openings, as well as celebrate underrated places that are either (at least initially) lesser-known, or simply off the beaten track - also my rule of thumb as a travel and food writer for the last fifteen years.
With that in mind, paid subscribers will have followed my odyssey over the last six weeks sniffing out no less than 50 unlikely food & drink bargains across every inch of Leyton High Road and Leytonstone High Road. And it’s on this latter stretch where, during this week’s explorations, I stumbled upon the very low-key Pitta Maria. After eating there, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been in before.
Pitta Maria is nothing special from the outside, a small Greek souvlaki cafe on Leytonstone Road, just over the Waltham Forest ‘border’ into Newham. A cute spot which opened just before Covid in 2019, its island-white furniture is enlivened by dreamy seascape photographs on the walls.
There are tempting appetizers - say, tirokafteri (spicy feta), or classic Cretan dish Dakos salad - along with yeeros, skepastes (stuffed pitta bread) and even weekend specials like lamb priced per kilo and kokoretsi (a seasoned offal dish).
But the best-value dishes - incredibly filling too - are the mighty pitta wraps, pictured above. Even the bread, spongey and singed, is home-made, said the friendly chef-owner. My pork skewer - which, she warned, would take 15 minutes to prepare from scratch - was packed with meaty flavour, bathed in super-garlicky tzatziki, the pitta filled with market-fresh sliced red onion, tomatoes and salad. Not to mention super herby chips, perfectly sprinkled with thyme. At just £6, this is surely the bargain of the week.
A glance online reveals this place boasts high ratings all round, including by those who declare it home to the best gyros they’ve ever tasted. A caveat: if you’re thinking of a crisp white Greek wine with your dinner, park that idea now: BYOB is not an option, she said.
But don’t let that put you off. This is 100% worth the short pilgrimage to the Maryland borders. And, satisfyingly, not a whiff of hype. 185 Leytonstone Road E15, open Wed-Mon till 930pm.
Swirl E10: Leyton Midland’s latest arrival
Anyway, welcome to this week’s issue - and some more hot bar news from Leyton Midland. But first, if you’re one of the thousands of people reading the free version of this email, and enjoy what you’re reading, please do consider upgrading now. If you missed the news, here’s a link to why, as a freelance writer, I’ve had to install a paid upgrade to keep this newsletter going (subscriptions start at just 86p a week.)
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What’s in this week’s issue? After weeks of walking past, today I try three dishes (and the tea, of course) at Leyton Midland’s new Indian streetfood cafe Karak Chaii, uncover 10 more food & drink bargains along Leytonstone High Road’s most southern stretch to Maryland, contemplate the best public spaces locally to WFH, daydream how the Linear Park would look as a shopping parade, and offer a bumper foodie round-up in the weekly news and gossip section.
First up, who popped down to Arch Deli for the Partisan London residency last Sunday? With Clerkenwell restaurant Brutto’s sous chef Alan Williams at the helm, the small plates we tried included a candidate for best-ever beetroot dish, salt baked and topped with gooey Perl Wen cheese.
And now, some exclusive Arch Deli news. This week, owner Michaela Zelenanska picked up the keys for her forthcoming bar, Swirl, an exciting joint project she is launching in the Leyton Midland railway arches with Pandemonium Wines.