New endz, new timez

It’s Claire here, I’m usually behind the scenes on the blog, selecting pictures, editing Iain’s ramblings, or being the butt of jokes. But no more! The editor has gone rogue. I thought it had been too long since we had posted on here, and it was time to take matters into my own hands. Not that we haven’t had good reason for being so quiet. In fact, we have moved house since we last posted, and that has been, as it always is, a bit flippin stressful. (I should at this point thank Rob for helping us move house, which was far preferable to having to be organised, and pay some men with ven.) 

Our new home is about ten minutes from our old flat in Bushdonia, in an area known to some as Wendell Park just west of the Askew Road. It is being renamed by Estate Agents with too much time on their hands as the Askew Village or the Askewniverse. Obviously I’m not entertaining either of those options, so Wendell Park it is.  It is still pretty much the same area, but it just feels a bit more (whisper it) suburban than our previous neighbourhood, being more part of the Chiswick/Turnham Green conurbation than Bush proper. In many ways this isn’t a bad thing, as while it is a bit less real, there are a LOT fewer sirens flying past, and the neighbours are more likely to have a screaming child than an all night disco party. (Iain- and The Clash formed just round the corner. WHICH IS AMAZING!) It's also nice that we have some friends who are neighbours (Hello Tom & Ellie!)

So while we haven’t gone far, it still does feel like we have moved to a new part of town, and this has inspired me to reflect on the four brilliant years that we had in the Bush, and the best, most bounteous things that it bestowed on us. So with no further ado, here are our favourite things from our old endz:

King Solomans, 300Uxbridge Road – This place makes chicken shish that makes me thank Jehovah that I was born with tastebuds, and that also somehow tricked me into thinking that a kebab is a healthy dinner substitute. I seriously have no idea how they make it taste so good. The guy who works there is, as well as chef of food that makes me cry with joy, also the nicest man in fast food. He always gives us a little wave when we walk past, and once he saved me from a weird man who accosted me on the street when I was walking home alone. THAT’S added value.

King Solomans - as my friend Sam described it when we moved to the Bush,  is "the king of late night falafel."

Esharn Khaw, 314Uxbridge Road – This is the best Thai food I have ever had (NB, I have never been to Thailand so this isn’t hyperbole.) It aint your Thai-by-numbers nonsense. The first time I went there, by some stroke of luck I ordered their North-East style chicken, a mad bitter and fragrant dish that I can’t describe very well.  It was badass, and I’ve never had anything anywhere near as good at another Thai restaurant.  They also know how to make a lotus flower out of a carrot AND a napkin. They are talented, what can I say?

Esarn Khaew - I pronounce it Eee sawn cow, probably incorrectly. 

Damas Gate, 81-85Uxbridge Road – Affectionately known to me and Iain as the “ass gate” is the greatest middle-eastern grocery. The veg are cheaper and nicer than supermarket stuff, and their spice section that has anything you could ever need. This is still a major fixture in our grocery shopping lives even though we don’t live around the corner anymore, and we go there to buy spices like Sumac for friends and family who don’t have the luxury of having such exotic ingredients available on their doorstep.

Love the ass gate, for all your obscure ingredient needs.

Nut Case, 352Uxbridge Road – The daddy of nuts and baklawa. It is basically the end of me if I get any baklawa from there as I will eat it until there is no more to be had. Many a time I have ruined my dinner in this way. Much like a child on Easter Sunday.

The gatekeeper of deliciousness.

A mini mention goes to Carribean takeaway Ochi (266 Uxbridge Road), where you can get an excellent lamb or salt fish pattie as a far tastier alternative to a Greggs sausage and bean melt on a hungover Saturday. And also I should mention John Snow, which was our surprisingly well stocked corner shop, where I used to go about twice a day on average. 

And from our short time in our new pad, a couple of places we are looking forward to spending more time are:

Adam’s Cafe, 77 AskewRoad – We went here on the day we moved into our new house. I was a little confused because we had been there before, but during the day, when it looks like a pretty standard greasy spoon cafe. In the evening it is turned into a lovely candlelit, white table-clothed dining room, with a massive menu of Tunisian dishes. I’ve never been to Tunisia, it is a bit uprisingy at the moment, but I’ve been to Morocco and it is quite similar to the food there (funny that eh), with lots of grilled fish or red meat, and tagines of stewed lamb and dried fruit. They have a set menu type affair, and it was really good value, I can’t remember exactly but it was something like two courses for £15 or three for £20.  Anyway, I want to go back as there were loads of things on the menu I wanted to try.
Duchess of Cambridge,320 Goldhawk Road – This is a bit of a cheat as we haven’t been here since we moved house but it is close to our new house, and somewhere I’m keen to return. I’m not a huge devotee of ales myself, but you have to hand it to these guys; you know that a pub takes their beer seriously when they buy in a special fancy rack to allow it to be gravity poured, not pumped, into your glass. That is a kind of dedication to the cause that frankly goes above and beyond my requirements as a fizzy lager drinking philistine. It was still newly opened when we last went there but I understand they now have a microbrewery, which is pretty cool. 

Ginger Pig, 137 AskewRoad – This place is a newish fancy dan butchers, which also has branches in Marylebone and Borough. It’s therefore a bit posh, but it is nice for a meaty based treat. Iain likes to go in for a bit of meat chat with a butcher, as much as buying some delicious animal flesh. We bumped into our friend Sam in there one Saturday. THAT’S how cool we are now.

Ginger Pig - neat for meat treats.

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for more pictures of food when we manage to get our new kitchen in order. See you down the Kate Middleton for a pint later yeah?