We Asked, They Answered – Part One: Favourite Secret/Offbeat Places in London
Last year, we relentlessly stalked people until they answered our questions. Some of them answered, others filed law suits. To celebrate our efforts, we decided to round up the best answers for your eager consumption.
In this first dip into the archives, we remember what happened when we uttered those immortal words: “Hey, tell us about your favourite secret/offbeat places in London?”
Richard Thomas (Composer of Jerry Springer: The Opera): Brixton Village, Algerian Coffee Store in Soho, the Groucho Club and of course the very wonderful Soho Theatre. (Smoke. Ass. Blow.) More…
Bernadette Byrne (One half of EastEnd Cabaret): The 24 hour bagel shop on Brick Lane has been very good to us. The secret however, is knowing which one to choose, as there are two right next to each other. Beigel Bake (with the white sign) is the superior of the two with cheaper but also tastier bagels. The amount of salt beef they manage to fit into their bagels is beyond belief, just be careful when taking a bite or you will end up with salt beef all over you. More…
Victor Victoria (The other half of EastEnd Cabaret): This actually happens to Bernadette, quite regularly. She can be quite excitable when she is hungry. More…
Gabby Young (of Gabby Young & Other Animals): I am obsessed with The Everyman Cinema in Belsize Park – all the best movies, sofas not seats and drinks & popcorn brought to you! I saw Moonrise Kingdom there and didn’t want to leave. More…
Ma Butcher (from Gay Bingo): I am an East End girl at heart. There is an amazingly good, cheap Chinese place on Bethnal Green Road called Gourmet San which is nothing to look at but does classy Szechuan food at budget prices. I also love poking my nose in at Bethnal Green Working Mens Club – especially at Sink The Pink where you certainly get a bang for your buck. More…
Joe Lycett (Comedian): I have recently fallen deeply in love with Maltby Street in Bermondsey on a Saturday. It’s a food market, not dissimilar to Borough but smaller and less busy and they do the most incredible variety of beautiful cooked food. It’s such a creative experience and it’s a real treat for me at the end of the week. More…
Ophelia Bitz (Ringmistress): I love to loll about in a steam room and go most frequently to the Porchester Spa. It’s cheapest to go on Sundays with a friend or partner for £14 a head. Since traveling to Finland for work with The Champagne Circus I have become a bit of a sauna fiend and hear tales of a proper Scandinavian sauna somewhere in Rotherhithe. More…
Brian Pigeon (Twitter Celebrity): Generally us West End pigeons tend to hang where the people are (Trafalgar Square, Soho Square, Marble Arch etc.), but you can’t beat a curry throwaway on Brick Lane. More…
Hollie (Books on the Underground): For eating, drinking and entertainment, The White Rabbit, Bistrotheque, Cafe Oto and the Arcola Theatre are my favourites. More…
Clement (Star of Sink or Shpin): I’ve only been in Londres for a few weeks, so it’s difficile to say. I walked all the way from King’s Cross to Crystal Palace because it sounded so beautiful, but it burnt down years ago and now they just have a poor imitation of the Eiffel Tower. More…
Carl Sandler (CEO of Mister): A great place for cocktails is Town Hall Hotel’s bar in Bethnal Green. The name says it all. It’s housed in an old Town Hall and it’s very stylish. They also have two restaurants in there; Viajante and Corner Room, in case you hit it off and want to spend more time together). More…
Lorraine Bowen (the Casio Organ Queen): I’ve always been a supporter of the ‘Little Guy’, the small places that go on and on without advertising etc… so I’ll big up the small Turkish pizza places in Dalston where I lived for 20 years! More…
David Hoyle (Performance Artist): I’m a naturally reclusive person. You can’t get anything more off-beat than me when I’m feeling a certain way. I don’t have to leave the house to know that I live in permanent and perpetual hell. More…
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like: nice pubs, film marathons, not doing real marathons, bad comedy, plays/musicals with shorter second halves, and the Oxford comma.
