Friday
Ill head to Mother Kellys in Bethnal Green (251 Paradise Row, E2 9LE, motherkellys.co.uk) to pick up beer for the weekend. This bottle shop has a wall of fridges stocked with a massive selection, and some of the best craft beer and cider on tap.
Ill walk down Hackney Road and stop off at Rocket Barber Shop (401 Hackney Road, E2 8PP, 020 7613 1604, rocketbarbershop.co.uk) for a beard trim and a buzz. Passing St Leonard Shoreditch Church, I swing by Present, above (140 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JE, 020 7033 0500, present-london.com), which is part mens clothes shop and part coffee shop. Ill browse some of their gear and drink some Prufrock coffee.
Photo: Andrew Meredith
The evening proper starts with a few cocktails at the Ace Hotel, above (100 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JQ, 020 7613 9800, acehotel.com/london) with my girlfriend Máire and some mates, followed by dinner at James Lowes restaurant Lyles in the Tea Building (Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ, 020 3011 5911, lyleslondon.com). We all head over to White Lyan in Hoxton (153-155 Hoxton Street, N1 6PJ, 020 3011 1153, whitelyan.com) for a nightcap; the team dont use any ice, sugar, fruit or branded products they pre-make everything and finish the drinks per order.
Saturday
I love walking through London Fields towards Broadway Market, stopping for a cup of great coffee at Climpson & Sons Café, above (67 Broadway Market, E8 4PH, climpsonandsons.com,). Sometimes Ill grab some fresh fish from Fin & Flounder (71 Broadway Market, E8 4PH, 020 7998 4929, finandflounder.co.uk), which is one of the most knowledgeable local fishmongers around; and they sustainably source all of their quality fish. I also pop into Hill & Szrok butchers (60 Broadway Market, E8 4QJ, 020 7254 8805, hillandszrok.co.uk) to buy a few rashers of delicious bacon for Sunday morning.
For lunch Ill wander over to Lucky Chips Netil Market trailer (Netil Market, E8 3RL, 07876 378 060 phone orders for collection, lucky-chip.co.uk) for one of their awesome burgers, after which Ill fancy a proper pint at The Cock Tavern (315 Mare Street, E8 1EJ, thecocktavern.co.uk), where craft beer brewers, Howling Hops, have a microbrewery. After a few of their wonderful brews, Ill see if theres a decent band playing at Oslo,above (1a Amhurst Road, E8 1LL, 020 3553 4831, oslohackney.com).
Sunday
Photo: Ben Brannan
I go for coffee and a croissant at Look Mum No Hands!, above (125-127 Mare Street, E8 3RH, 07985 200 472, lookmumnohands.com), and then head to Columbia Road Market to check out some of the independent shops and stalls. Typing Room (Town Hall Hotel, Patriots Square, E2 9NF, 020 7871 0461, typingroom.com), on the site that housed Nuno Mendes Viajante, is a great place for lunch, with really intricate, delicious dishes from Jason Atherton-backed Lee Westcott.
After lunch Ill take a walk along the canal and pop into Lime Wharf Kitchen, above (Lyner Street, E2 9DJ, 020 8980 8080, limewharf.org/kitchen) for a coffee or beer on the canal. Then Ill make the essential short trip to Bottle Apostle in Victoria Park Village (95 Lauriston Road, E9 7HJ, 020 8985 1549, bottleapostle.com/victoriapark) to stock up on wine for the week.
Looking at all the lovely bottles tempts me to go for dinner and drinks at Sager + Wilde, above (193 Hackney Road, E2 8JL, sagerandwilde.com), where they have amazing charcuterie, cheese, and the best grilled cheese sandwich in London; not to mention an unparalleled wine list.
Bump Caves is a dive bar and distillery which opened this week. Created by Charlie McVeigh, Founder of Draft House, it was inspired by the late-60s psychedelic movement.
Max Chater, distills his own spirits here using a rotary evaporator (above) , and creates syrups, liquors, vermouths, infusions as well as beer and spirit pairings, matching house-distilled and rectified spirits (bumps) to Charlies ever-changing beer list.
