The quest for the area's best budget biryani
Plus: 10 more food & drink bargains, 3 weekend foodie pop-ups, Black History Month highlights, Northcote pizza picks, Leytonstone Farmers' Market and Jones & Sons open east
Ahhhh…warm late September rays streaming through the leaded windows at The Northcote last Saturday afternoon. A very serene moment - although just half an hour earlier, the pub had been mobbed before the Leyton Orient match.
It shows just how versatile this imposing Victorian corner landmark - nestled on the corner of Francis and Grove Green Roads - really is, with boss lady Tuesday Roberts one of the area’s most respected operators (you can read my very first Leytonstoner interview with her, back in 2015, here).
And while the pub, which has long served a strong craft beer game, is something close to the perfect neighbourhood boozer, I’m especially a fan of Sunday’s legendary drag nights, even if it means an - ahem - jaded start to the week on Monday.
But admittedly it had been a while since I’d eaten there, and so last weekend we popped by for some wood-fired pizza. Well-priced at around £9.50-£13, the Siciliana (left) was the highlight - less oozy than the meaty Diavola (right) but packed with umami flavours from a holy trinity of anchovies, pecorino and capers. And WFH-ers, result: It’s two-for one on Friday lunchtimes. Yep, that’s today.
Anyway, welcome to this week’s issue and a million thanks to the readers who last week kindly updated to paid subscriptions. While not yet sustainable, it feels like we’re moving in the right direction. If you missed the news, here’s a link to why I’ve had to install a paid upgrade to keep this newsletter going (subscriptions start at just 86p a week).
This week it’s all about bargains: I look for the area’s tastiest super-cheap biryani, pitching a classic takeaway in Leyton against a newcomer in Leytonstone. I also continue my wallet-friendly food odyssey around Leyton and Leytonstone, counting down at least 10 more essential offers and deals, this time on the stretch from St John’s Church to the junction with Cann Hall Road. A six-course meal for £14.95? Wowsers.
And it’s a busy weekend in the neighbourhood: the start of Black History Month is being marked tomorrow (Oct 5th) with a screening of the Aretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace. Originally scheduled outdoors on Fellowship Square lawns in Walthamstow, with the temperature now a chilly 13 degrees they’ve wisely now moved it inside the Town Hall (film starts 7.15pm, tickets from £8 at Stow Film Lounge here.) For three more BHM events, scroll down to the last section.)
Today, I also round up a trio of next-level foodie pop-ups in Leyton and Leytonstone - one handily tonight, one tomorrow and the other all day Sunday - and ponder why Leytonstone Farmer’s Market has shrunk of late. Elsewhere, I check out Jones & Sons’ new restaurant in South Woodford - and reveal the reopening date for the instant hit Leyton Midland cocktail bar Leyton Calling. Hint: it’s very soon.
Three ace foodie pop-ups this weekend
FRIDAY: Polska Kitchen at Arch Deli
Tonight sees Pavel from Polska Kitchen rocking up in the surprisingly tranquil railway arch just far enough away from the traffic along Grove Green Road’s singular curve. From 5pm they’re serving a tasting menu of pickled fish and vodka. The menu includes Polish smalec (a herby pork lard) and pickles, jellied herring, and cured herring, rye & trout caviar, with the option of a snack plate of all three. £2 from each shot bought goes to Ukrainian charity @aid.for.ukraine. Follow @archdeli_e11 and @polskakitchen
SATURDAY: Parma Medics at Libertalia
Another must-try this weekend is this Australian-owned streetfood ex-ambulance (yep, really) which rocks up and serves chicken and eggplant (or, as we would say, aubergine) parmas. A finalist last year in no less than the British Street Food Awards, they’re making their “first adventure out to the east side of London”, as they sweetly call it, tomorrow (Saturday 5th) at Tilbury Road’s finest taproom, Libertalia, pictured. They also say they can make dishes vegan by swapping the cheese for a plant-based variety. Follow @libertaliabrewingco and @parma_medics
SUNDAY: Arch Rivals at Stone
The former Winchelsea Road dons Arch Rivals are still alive and kicking on a regular basis at the wonderful Stone Mini Market. And their Oktoberfest menu, served all day on Sunday, 6th Oct, is looking damn tasty, with the likes of crispy pork knuckle fritter with sauerkraut, currywurst with curried tomato sauce and fries, and hotdogs with sauerkraut. The essential dish? I reckon the Käsespätzle, a little like an Austrian mac & cheese with crispy onions and chives. Follow @archrivals_e7
The quest for the best budget biryani: Leyton or Leytonstone?
As a freelancer often strapped for cash, I’m always curious about the biryanis advertised in the windows of establishments at what seems like crazily reduced prices of either £2.99 or £3.99. A closer investigation seemed long overdue: the first one to grab my eyes this week was newish Leytonstone High Road opening Saffron Spice (previously Butt Kebabish), with some seductively cheap takeaway offers for those on a budget.
On the apocalyptic Tuesday evening just gone, I ventured out, armed with flailing brolly, to brave the horizontal rain and order its chicken biryani at just £3.99 (takeaway only).