Night Tales

Last weekend was the battle of the street food market openings. I decided to try out the new kid on the block - Night Tales in Dalston. Run by the guys behind Dalston Roof Park, Night Tales has described itself as 'A charming venture combining fine food, experimental bar culture and nightlife'. 

My visit was on Friday - their second night in action. I took along my new flatmate assuring her that street food markets were all the rage in Dalston and to be honest East London generally. After a short queue to get in at about 8pm my first shock was a £3 admission fee... Since when do you have to pay to get into a food market? Never in the history of Street Feast, Red Market... all the food markets have I paid entry, so I was surprised. Especially since I knew that the new Hawker House run by Street Feast is charging after 8pm but I wasn't prepared for Night Tales. Anyway £3 paid and in we went. The girl’s at the door were getting excited as a pregnant woman was feeling faint – thus them assuming they were about to have an opening weekend live birth on their hands.

Night Tales is under a large sort of marquee tent thing with outdoor heaters to keep you warm. As expected for opening Friday the place was absolutely packed. We shuffled our way to the bar for a couple of glasses of vino to help us with our food decision. 

The area is pretty small and includes 3 bars: a Negroni bar, a Mezcal bar on a mezzanine level and a normal general bar. My mother would be hitting up that Negroni bar like noone's business as it's her favourite drink... but alas I went for plain old wine. 

The food choices are: Bao, Patty and Bun, Rainbow, one which was selling ribs and wings, and for those with a sweet tooth, Le Petit Paris. I wanted to try Patty and Bun - I really did. But the queue was about 30 people long and I was starving. In the end I went for the one who'se name I sadly missed and we both had a bowl of good old Mac'n'Cheese. I would have gone for the ribs which looked amazing or the chicken wings but as there was no space to sit – decided that the sight of me trying to shovel meat into my mouth with one hand was a treat for no one. 

The Mac and Cheese  at £4 a bowl was just what you need on a chilly November night. The right amount of cheesiness and with a slight kick from what I’m guessing is cayenne – it warmed us right up. 

My main issue with Night Tales was the music. They have a DJ on the site who was pumping out electro beats. I have no problem with this. The problem is when it’s so loud the two of us couldn’t have a conversation. And call me a granny but 8pm, whilst I’m huddled in a corner shovelling cheesy pasta into my mouth does not seem like the right time for mega loud house music. 

I will definitely go back to Night Tales before they go and give them another try. Hopefully the queue for Patty and Bun won’t be quite as long next time. As for the music? Well lets just say I can understand why that pregnant woman’s baby was trying to get out. 

Night Tales
Arcola Street Car Park
Dalston
E8 3DL

Reilly Rocket

On Saturday I was running around in the pouring rain trying to gather bits and pieces to take with me to Kent for a country weekend. Sadly one of these bits and pieces was my ridiculously hungover sister. Once I had popped to the lovely fishmongers The Fishery in Stoke Newington, gone to Ridley Road Market for lemons and limes then Sainsburys for the remaining bits... it was time to feed Amelia if I had any hope of getting her into a car. 

I had been told by friends the brunch at Reilly Rocket on Kingsland Road was a treat so off we went laden with our bags to have a quick bite to eat. Reilly Rocket is on the corner of Kingsland Road and Tottenham Road just by Dalston Junction. The entrance is on Tottenham Road so if you haven't paid attention, you might have never noticed the place.

 

The cafe itself was busy full of Saturday brunchers and has a nice light and homey feel to it - a welcome sanctuary from the miserable weather outside. It also made for excellent people watching which was a good thing as the hungover mess that was my brunch partner was hardly the best company.

The menu was in 2 parts - firstly the breakfast items, then the 'After 12.00' bits which were more sarnies and the such. As we were there at 12.30 I was momentarily panicked that I couldn't satisfy my craving for eggs but was soon reassured that they serve the breakfast items all day. Phew.

Sadly that creature who's head is collapsed on the table is my sister.

Despite a slight wait for the drinks, the food arrived pretty quickly. In the family hangover cure style, Amelia went for a spicy Moroccan Shatshouka eggs. Our family hangover cure is chilli garlic pasta - pasta with just chilli, garlic and a load of oil. The theory is that anything spicy will liven you up! Her 2 poached eggs were in a spicy tomato soup with whipped feta yogurt. The tomato sauce/ soup was lovely and spiced - a good way to liven up your morning. the only criticism was perhaps it needed either more or chunkier bread to deal with the amount of sauce. Apart from that delicious!

For once I wasn't craving Eggs Benedict - which was a good thing as it isn't on the menu here. I wanted avocado and luckily for me Reilly Rocket delivered. The dish was 'smashed avocado, feta, lemon and dill with poached eggs on toasted sourdough and rocket'. Now I can't say I tasted feta, and in fact until re reading the menu for the description, I hadn't realised it was meant to be in there - but in my opinion this was no great loss. The smashed avocado was fresh and chunky and the sourdough bread were gloriously covered in butter. Next time I come, I'm sticking to this.

We left Reilly Rocket happily fed, and by the time we left even the rain had stopped. I mentioned earlier that Reilly Rocket could be missed if you don't look out for it - it can be missed... but certainly shouldn't be!

Reilly Rocket
507 Kingsland Road
Dalston
E8 4AU

Tramshed

The Tramshed. I am fully aware that I am not the first person to blog about this place nor I imagine will I be the last. It’s amazing how a dead cow with a dead chicken perched on top of it in a vat of blue liquid makes you want to pick up your camera and tell everyone about it despite the fact that everyone already  knows about it and has probably seen it. Still.. here I go.

My visit to Tramshed last week was a spontaneous one. The normal Shoreditch Vietnamese got passed up when trying to decide where to go and then Tramshed was suggested. Did I really fancy chicken and chips? Not really... Did I want to see the Damien Hirst taxidermy/ aquarium piece... absolutely. 

 

The room is cavernous but then again, it’s not called the chicken coop. It's an enormous echoing space which gives the impression of being in a school canteen. Or what I imagine the Grand Hall in Hogwarts to sounds like minus the floating ghosts.

As we had already had a few glasses of wine and nibbles at the lovely Sager and Wilde on Hackney Road we decided to share a chicken and chips between the 3 of us with a couple of small starters. Starters were Yorkshire Pudding with whipped chicken livers and a golden beet and goats cheese salad. At around the £3.50 mark, the Yorkshire pudding and chicken liver sort of pate was very good value for money. One of my companions said the liver mouse was too salty, the other completely disagreed whereas I thought it was just right. It was like a slightly more offally version of Goldilocks and the 3 bowls of porridge. 

Then the chicken arrived. No one can deny that for some reason an upside down roasted chicken with long claws pointing in the air is an impressive sight. One of the waiters came to help carve the animal before serving up the legs (feet included) to the other two. It was a very good roast chicken. I rarely order chicken in restaurants for the fear of miserable dry meat – but this was perfectly cooked.

I enjoyed Tramshed. Next time though maybe I’ll order a steak too and a chicken to share with a group, just to try both. Plus I think at 25 quid for a whole chicken and chips to share between 3 is pretty bloody good value. Hix is planning a sister to Tramshed on Bishopsgate, I imagine to stop those poor city boys from having to get all the way to Shoreditch to make cock and bull themed jokes. Maybe I will try that one... then again it will be full of city boys... maybe not. 

Tramshed

32 Rivington Street

EC2A 3LX

0207 749 0478