Friday Night
Street Feast - by Gaz Fraser
Friday night is all about Street Vin my new pop up wine bar at Street Feast in Dalston (347-349 Old St, E8 3DU, 07944 556 654, streetfeastlondon.com). It brings great wine to street food with a proper list including English sparkling, bin-ends, a Magnum of the Week and the return of Lambrusco. Its still new, but so far, so good. I hope it brings quality, interesting wines to people in a relaxed and informal manner, and whether you buy a bottle to drink in, or a glass to wander around with, it adds another element to the whole experience. Street Feast is much more than just a place to eat. Ive got a great little space on the site, with full cover, which gets lovely and cosy as the evening goes on, with lots of the Street Feast team and traders stopping in for a nightcap before we pack up.
Friday nights are long and busy but its great to see people enjoying wine in this way. We close at midnight but I wont be out before 1am. As with a lot of things, its far less glamorous than it sounds much of my job is about lifting boxes, cleaning glasses and creating the space. Its not all tasting and talking!
Clove Club chefs at work - by Yuki Sugiura
Before Street Vin Id often spend Friday night at the new Clove Club in Shoreditch (above)) 380 Old St, EC1V 9LT, 020 7739 6176, thecloveclub.com). It's perfect for drinks and bar snacks, or, if you want more of a treat, the set menu in the restaurant. The food is delicious, beautiful and not too heavy, and they play good music, so youre guaranteed a good time. Or Id settle in at the Quality Chophouse in Clerkenwell (92-94 Farringdon Rd, EC1R 3EA, 020 7278 1452, thequalitychophouse.com) with a couple of winey-food-loving friends and get stuck into to a bottle or three, with a plate of charcuterie to start. Its got character, perfect service and well-chosen wine - what more do you want?
Saturday
For the time being, Saturday is Street Vin again. Street Feast is open from noon til late today. Its a nice chilled vibe during the day with people coming in for coffee, the papers, brunch and lunch, getting busier into the evening. I really enjoy the days at Street Vin - more time to talk to people about wine and get them trying new stuff. Ill be able to take a break and eat from some of my favourite food stalls. If the Cooking Cooks (Westgate St, Shoreditch, 07551976060, cookingcooks.com) are there I always have their fresh pasta often better than you get in a restaurant and, of course, Italian food is perfect for wine. For something different I go for the naan wraps from Rola Wala (@RolaWala) or some light and healthy gyoza from Rainbow. Then Sorbitium (@Sorbitiumices) for pudding. There is something for everyone. Itll be another late night...
If Im not running Street Vin, I try and get some exercise. Im training for my second aquathlon in London Fields with Henry Dimbleby of Leon. A run along the canal and some lengths in the London Fields lido (020 7254 9038, @LondonLidoLove) brushes the cobwebs away. We did one last year and survived but were trying to take it a bit more seriously this time.
I might pop into town for a bit of shopping a rare thing these days. Within minutes Im bored of clothes and shoes so Ill head into Hedonism (above), a new wine shop on Davies Street (Mayfair, W1K 3LD, 020 7989 0085, hedonism.co.uk). It is quite extraordinary, containing what is probably the best public wine collection in the world. Its got a cool interior and is remarkably informal. You can taste from the enomatic machines, while ogling the oversized bottle and Mouton Rothschild collections. The staff are friendly and with around 600 bottles under £30 theres still a fair selection if youre on a budget (like me). Ill take a break from shopping and refuel in either The 10 Cases on Endell Street (16 Endell St, Covent Garden, WC2H 9BD, 020 7836 6801) for a quick glass and catch up with Ian and Will who run the gaff, or Picture on Great Portland Street (10 Great Portland St, W1W 6PQ, 020 7637 7892, picturerestaurant.co.uk) who have a great little menu of tapas sized dishes.
Come the evening I might catch a film the Soho Curzon ((above) 99 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 5DY, 0330 500 1331, curzoncinemas.com) usually has something good on. Im notorious for falling asleep in the cinema, so a double espresso and a hit of chocolate cake from Konditor & Cook ((below) 99 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 5DY, 0844 854 9367, konditorandcook.com) is essential.
Sunday
Sundays are definitely my day of rest. Breakfast out is a treat, I love the homemade crumpets and Moroccan eggs at Railroad Cafe on Morning Lane, Hackney (E9 6LH, 020 8985 2858, railroadhackney.co.uk). After a quick trip back to the Street Vin site to pick up the remnants of the night before, its time for the papers and a relaxed lunch. Trullo on St Pauls Road, Highbury (300 St Paul's Rd, N1 2LH, 020 7226 2733, trullorestaurant.com) does a set Sunday Italian lunch (nice change from a roast) or The Dock kitchen (below) in Kensal Rise (342-344 Ladbroke Grove, W10 5BU, 020 8962 1610, dockkitchen.co.uk) good to get out of East London occasionally! Theyve got a big decked area overlooking the canal, its a lovely spot to catch up with friends who live over that way. Im rarely happier than with friends, food and wine, so this is perfect.
Sunday evenings tend to be pretty lazy. I hardly watch telly but recently Ive been enjoying The Top of the Lake and the Madman box set (yes, I know I am the last person on earth to see this!). Ill also prepare for the week ahead, which at the moment is a lot about organising the first Wine Car Boot (Netil Market London Fields, E8, @WineCarBoot) a new outdoor wine tasting event on the 1st September, which brings local independent wine shops to a car park for a big tasting with some street food and music thrown in. There is lots of paperwork to do for these things but well worth it to get people drinking new wines from independent shops.
My brother and his family have just moved to Arizona so Ill Skype them and also have a quick chat with my Mum, to reassure her I am still alive and well. Im sure she thinks Im mad doing what I do, but Ive never had a regular lifestyle, so for all the funny, long hours and at times chaos, it kind of suits me.
Ruth Spivey runs Street Vin at Street Feast on Fridays from 5pm and Saturdays from noon (Hartwell Street, Dalston, E8 3DU) , the Thursday night tasting Flight Club at the Climpsons Arch (Arch 374, Helmsley Place, London Fields, E8 3SB) and has launched the first ever Wine Car Boot, taking place 01 September at Netil Market, Westgate Street, E8). Follow on twitter @legslonglength, @streetvinwine and @WineCarBoot. Buy tickets for Wine Car Boot from winecarboot.com and book for Flight Club on legslonglength.eventbrite.co.uk.
