Brick Lane
A friend of mine came to visit last weekend and we decided to go to Brick Lane for dinner. She has been to London but it is ages ago and showing her something different than the usual tourist attractions seemed a good option.
We started off with some drinks and headed towards Piccadilly where we met some more friends. Piccadilly is really not a good place to hang out in the evening, so we made our way away from the crowds to find a nice pub. The Leicester Arms is close by but you don’t feel the crowds out there. It is cosy and was definitely a good place to kickstart the evening!
The Leicester Arms
44 Glasshouse St
London, W1B 5DP
020 7734 7641
Look it up on the map
The second one we went to was also nice, although I can’t be entirely sure whether it was the pub or just the company I was in. I can’t bring myself to remember the name, but it was close to Liberty, a great store for fashion - so I’ve been told - on Regent Street. It was just around the corner and I made a mental note to go and check out the store as soon as I can.
After we said goodbye to the friends who had joined us for drinks we finally headed towards Brick Lane. I have never been there before and was curious what it would be like. Unfortunately they were doing some work on some parts of the street, but it was still quite a buzzing atmosphere. Brick Lane is full of mostly Indian restaurants and they will try to lure you in whenever you stop somewhere to have a look at the menu. They will also start to offer you discounts and especially if you are in a larger group that might come in handy.
Normally I don’t like this “fishing for customers” but in this particular setting it was enjoyable and interesting. We walked along the street, stopping here and there to have a closer look and finally settled on one where you could buy your own wine at the store next door and bring it with you. This is done in Sydney very often as alcohol licenses are expensive and it brought back sweet memories of starting the night in a bottle shop where you can take your time to choose your favourite wine, before heading to the restaurant. I don’t have to mention that this is much less expensive as well!
The restaurant was packed with people it was loud and the air was already filled with the scents of Indian spices. It was exactly what we had in mind. Don’t go there if you like fancy surroundings - this is a very simple place and not much care is given to how the tabel is set. But it is just the right place to have a relaxed night out with friends.
The food was absolutely fabulous! I had my doubts to be honest. My Chicken Boohna was delicious and we had a Balti Lamb dish (I don’t remember the exact name) which was great as well. I also recommend the Sag Aloo - in this case I have had better, but it was still tasty and it remains my favourite Indian side dish. The portions were generous and the three of us paid for a starter which we shared, three main courses, a vegetable side dish, two portions of rice and one naan only about GBP 25,-. I think that is a very good price for a dinner out in London!
And when you go and buy your own wine: Try the Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay! Since my time in Sydney I have this thing for Australian wines and this is one of my favourites!
Preem
Restaurant and Balti House
120 Brick Lane
London, E1 6RL
020 7247 0397
open seven days a week
12 noon till midnight
Look it up on the map