At Chez Elles Bistroquet
Three centuries after the Huguenots arrived, there is a second wave of French immigration to the East End – coming in such large numbers that London is now the sixth biggest French city. The most visible evidence of their presence in Spitalfields is the newly-opened Chez Elles Bistroquet in Brick Lane, so gardening and food writer Patricia Cleveland-Peck went along to pay a visit accompanied by Contributing Photographer Jeremy Freedman and this is their report.
Nadia Brahim and Lili L’Hôte, Chez Elles
It comes as an unexpected joy to find this magical little French restaurant nestling among the curry houses of Brick Lane, but maybe it should not be a surprise because the French – in the shape of the Huguenots – were the earliest wave of immigrants to come to Spitalfields three hundred years ago. Now, in the shape of a pair of glamorous young women, the Gallic presence brings with it something bang up-to-date and very traditional at the same time – a little bistro or bistroquet with an authentic French flavour.
Chez Elles is the creation of Nadia Brahim and Lili L’Hôte, two old friends who came to England eight years ago, working together on the Eurostar train. Drawn to each other, as Nadia confessed to me, “Because we are both food addicts,” they spent time travelling the world together. It was Lili who discovered Spitalfields first and rented the flat on Brick Lane above a curry house that would become their bistroquet. Shortly afterwards Nadia moved in, and – when the curry house closed and the premises became vacant – they decided to seize the opportunity and pursue their dream of opening a restaurant.
“We both worked in the industry,” explained Nadia, dressed with impeccable Gallic chic in a little navy and white spotted frock, her long dark hair tied back with a scarlet scarf, “But of course we had a lot to learn – not only about the business but how to do things the English way.” She handles the administration – the catering and employment regulations, planning permissions etc. No mean feat in a second language, although both girls speak excellent English.
Lili appeared at this point, also prettily dressed in a little white and black dress. She is the one responsible for the charmingly idiosyncratic décor, having studied design at Central St Martin’s School of Art. Attention to detail is apparent everywhere – in the art nouveau floral tiles behind the bar, the old French advertising signs and posters, the lampshades in the form of cages of stuffed birds, the pink plush banquette and the wine map of France chalked onto the big black board – contributing to the joyful and charming ambiance of this sweet little place. There is even a flower-covered wrought iron arbour over one table, creating a perfect discreet bower for amorous liasons.
So what of the food? The menu – as French as a 2CV – comes in a shorter version for lunch and a more copious one for dinner. On offer at lunchtime, we found croques monsieur, omelettes, savory tarts, salads and a plat du jour. I chose soupe à l’oignon gratinée which came with a plenty of cheese in a little pot. It was scrumptious and took me back to those halcyon days when, as a student in Paris, a bowlful was the dawn finale of a good night out. My husband Dennis chose moules marinière which came with delicious crispy thrice-fried frites, a number of which I stole to eat with my smoked herring salad. For pudding, neither of us could resist the crème brulée vanille-pistache – sublime!
Throughout the meal we enjoyed some very-acceptable Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the pleasant feeling of being in a place where people were so obviously enjoying themselves. There were couples, family groups and lone diners. Some were lunching, others enjoying a glass of wine at the bar or simply a cup of coffee. French was being spoken all around us and Nadia revealed that approximately thirty per cent of their clientele is French.
We shall definitely return for the dinner menu which includes some of our all time favourites like beef tartare, lemon sole and confit de canard with, amongst the starters, braised snails, smoked mackerel terrine and a tempting-sounding Planche Campagnard comprising rillettes de canard, terrine de porc, jambonne de Bayonne, rosette and cornichons.
“Where ever possible, food is locally sourced” Nadia assured me. “We try to avoid too many food miles. We want everything as fresh as possible, although” she added earnestly, “certain products just have to come from France.”
Establishing a restaurant is by no means easy these days and, even if these girls make it appear effortless, it is obvious that an enormous amount of efficient organisation and hard work have gone into the creation – and are required for the day to day running – of Chez Elles. In this respect, Nadia and Lili are living up to the reputation of those former skilled and industrious residents of the neighbourhood, the Huguenots.
“We were also surprised to learn that the French are now returning to Spitalfields, because it used to be South Kensington,” admitted Nadia, “but, in recent years, French people have rediscovered this district.”
At Chez Elles, the French can feel at home along with the rest of us, enjoying authentic French cuisine with all the added benefits that Spitalfields has to offer.
(A meal will cost around £30.00 plus drinks and service.)
Photographs copyright © Jeremy Freedman
Chez Elles Bistroquet, 45 Brick Lane, E1 6PU.
You may like to read about Patricia Cleveland-Peck’s horticultural endeavours
and this article by Patricia Cleveland-Peck
Phil Maxwell’s Kids on the Street
In Spelman St
Spitalfields Life Contributing Photographer Phil Maxwell – who has taken more pictures on Brick Lane than any other photographer – selected these vibrant images of children running free upon the streets of Spitalfields from his vast personal archive held at the Bishopsgate Institute. “Most of these pictures are twenty to thirty years old.” he admitted to me, “There aren’t any contemporary photographs because I don’t take pictures of kids these days, not least because there aren’t so many on the street anymore – they are all at home playing on their computers.”
Phil’s lively photographs are evidence that – not so long ago – the streets of Spitalfields belonged to children, offering them an extended playground, including the market, waste land and derelict houses, where they roamed without adult supervision.
“When I first started taking photographs in Liverpool, the children in the street would demand that I take their photographs but that wouldn’t happen today.” Phil recalled, “In those days, children were a constant presence upon the streets in every city, playing their games and enjoying themselves. In the East End in particular, a lot of children played on the street because they lived in restricted conditions – so the street was the space where they were free to run around and discover things.”
In Swanfield St
On Brick Lane
On Brick Lane
In Commercial St
On Brick Lane
In Hanbury St
On Brick Lane
In Cheshire St
In Bethnal Green Rd
On Brick Lane
On Whitechapel Rd
On Brick Lane
In Buxton St
In Arnold Circus
In Cheshire St
On Brick Lane
Photographs copyright © Phil Maxwell
Follow Phil Maxwell’s blog Playground of an East End Photographer
See more of Phil Maxwell’s work here
Phil Maxwell & Sandra Esqulant, Photographer & Muse
More of Phil Maxwell’s Old Ladies
Eleanor Crow’s East End Bakers
Beigel Shop, Brick Lane
Illustrator Eleanor Crow sent me this richly-hued baker’s dozen of watercolour paintings of favourite East End Bakers, which set my stomach rumbling just to look at them . “I live in a bakery-free part of the East End and popping out for decent bread usually involves a cycle ride,” she admitted to me, “So I’m always on the lookout for good bakers and I wish we still had a proper bakery in every neighbourhood like they do in the rest of Europe.”
In common with Eleanor, I also plan my routes around the East End using the bakers’ shops as landmarks – so that I can take consolation in knowing the proximity of the nearest one, just in case the desire for something tasty from the bakery overtakes me.
“One of my regular bus routes has The Baker’s Arms as its final destination and close by is a beautiful set of almshouses, built by the London Master Bakers’ Benevolent Institution in the nineteenth century,” Eleanor informed me, elucidating bakers’ lore, as she took the first bite of a freshly baked Hot Cross Bun still warm from the oven.“Luckily people always want bread, so the traditional bakeries can still thrive alongside new businesses – but I do recommend sampling the goods a few times in each one, just to be sure which is the best…”
Robertsons, Lea Bridge Rd
Novelty Bakery, East Ham
Jesshops, Newington Green
Rinkoff’s, Vallance Rd
Goswell Bakeries, Canning Town
Akdeniz Bakery, Stoke Newington
Star Bakery, Dalston Lane
Fabrique Bakery, Hoxton
Raab the Bakers, Essex Rd
Percy Ingle, Lea Bridge Rd
Anderson’s, Hoxton St
Daren Bread, Stepney Green
Drawings copyright © Eleanor Crow
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At The Settlement Synagogue
Contributing Photographer Jeremy Freedman & I paid a visit to The Settlement Synagogue in Beaumont Grove, Stepney, on Saturday. Originally founded a century ago by Basil & Rose Henriques as The St George’s Settlement Synagogue – where there was once a congregation of over a hundred, today we found just a handful of old friends who convene here weekly. Yet we received a generous welcome from some sprightly nonagenarians who still carry the living spirit of the Jewish East End.
Clara Nathanson
I am Italian, born in Naples, and I came here forty-five years ago. It’s over twenty years since I lost my husband and I have been a member of this shul for thirty years. I live in the Caledonian Rd but I used to work in a Jewish clothing factory in the East End. I like it here because we are all friends and have been on holiday together. In my heart, I hope this synagogue never closes.
Ralph Burns
I live in Bow and I’ve been part of this congregation for fifty years. I just never left it. I was born in Stepney and went to Stepney Jewish School. I served in the Royal Navy on the corvettes and ended up in the Far East. I moved to Bow after the war, I was bombed out twice. I was a fur cutter and I worked in Harrods – I was head of the department. My daughter lives in South End and my son lives in Loughton. I have no family left in the East End.
Barry Gordon
I’m from Whitechapel, Mile End Rd, about five minutes walk from here. I’ve been attending services here since 1995 when my father died, before that I came in the seventies with my fiancé so she could convert to Judaism. Then, around the time of my father’s death, I experienced seven coincidences which made me want to come back. I’m a dance teacher – I have a studio in Brixton and I teach classes, and people also come to my place in Whitechapel and I teach them here. When I was married, I moved out of Whitechapel but, once I got divorced, I moved back again – so I’ve been in Whitechapel continuously except 1978-94. We all come here regularly to the synagogue because if the numbers drop, they’ll close it.
Marie Joseph
I’m ninety-one. I was born here and I’ve lived my life in Stepney, until twelve years ago. My children all moved to Loughton and they found me a little house there. Originally, the synagogue was part of the Oxford & St George Settlement but we moved out of the building across the road to this new place thirty years ago. We used to have over eighty members … I’ll always come back here because it feels like home. I belong here.
Cecil Leighton
I was born in Pedley St, Spitalfields, but I lived most of my time in the East End in Commercial Rd near Watney St Market. I’m a computer accountant, retired twenty-eight years. I’ve been coming to this synagogue for sixty years. Originally, I was a member of the Oxford & St George Youth Club. The synagogue is ninety-three years old and the youth club celebrates its centenary next year in March. It’s friendly here, wholesome, and they have all the old tunes that I can remember and I am able to join in.
Marie Leighton
We were both members of the Oxford & St George Youth Club, and we met when I was about thirteen and Cecil was twenty. We were always meeting because we both lived off Commercial Rd, and now we’ve been married fifty-eight years. I was a medical secretary – I started off at St George-in-the-East Hospital, then moved to Mile End Hospital and ended up working at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. We’ve lived in Chigwell since we got married – but we come back because we like it here, this is more of a community than a congregation and we’ve all know each other a long time.
Maire & Cecil Leighton met at the youth club and have been married fifty-eight years.
Photographs copyright © Jeremy Freedman
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The Hollyhocks of Arnold Circus
The majestic hollyhocks of Arnold Circus are one of the highlights of the horticultural year in the East End – thanks to Andy Willoughby, the gardener whose hard work and imaginative planting made everyone recognise the beauty of the bandstand at the heart of the Boundary Estate after decades of neglect. Andy is supported by the Friends of Arnold Circus who engineered the recent renovation of the park and, although this process involved the temporary uprooting of many of the plants, last summer the gardens were restored to their former beauty with the hollyhocks soaring above all else.
Ever ingenious at seeking ways to improve the environment of Britain’s first council estate, the Friends invited sculptor Rachel Whiteread, who lives nearby, to create a limited edition print that could be sold to support the maintenance of the gardens. Fresh from producing her golden foliate designs upon the facade of the Whitechapel Gallery, Rachel Whiteread made a print inspired by the shape of the hollyhock seeds that Andy Willoughby gathers each year to propagate seedlings for the coming spring.
Launched last December, the edition of one hundred and twenty five prints is already half sold, ensuring that Andy can continue gardening for another year and now, with spring approaching, packets of hollyhock seeds have been produced including Rachel Whiteread’s design. Yet these are no common or garden seed packets, but hexagonal origami contrivances designed by Masaki Miwa at Åbäke in Hackney which echo the shape of the octagonal bandstand at Arnold Circus.
Spitalfields Life Contributing Photographer Patricia Niven followed the whole process from the harvesting of the seeds, through the folding and filling of the packets, involving a whole host of local people. And now we just need your help – to buy these packets of seeds, thereby assisting the flourishing of the gardens at Arnold Circus and, at the same time, adorning the East End with thousands of hollyhocks in the summer of 2013.
Hollyhock seeds gathered at Arnold Circus.
Rachel Whiteread signs her print inspired by the hollyhock seeds.
Rachel Whiteread’s hollyhock seed screen print, produced in an edition of one hundred and twenty-five.
The launch of the print at Leila’s Cafe last year.
The design for the seed packet by Masaki Miwa at Åbäke incorporating Rachel Whiteread’s print.
Arnold Circus gardener Andy Willoughby gets to grips with folding the origami seed packetss.
Andy Willoughby & Alice Herrick, project curator, show off their folded seed packets.
Hollyhock seeds from Arnold Circus.
Jean Locker, resident of Arnold Circus, filters the seeds she gathered with Andy Willoughby.
Hannah sorts the seeds.
The seed packing production line at Leila’s Cafe last week.
Jean Locker, Rose Pomeroy, Leila McAlister, Hannah & Tulsi sorting and measuring seeds, filling and sealing packets.
Approximately one hundred seeds go into each of the three hundred packets.
Tulsi and Annegret Affolderbach-Dlamini with a finished packet.
Hollyhock hexagons are on sale now at Leila’s Shop for £5 in aid of the gardens at Arnold Circus.
Grow the majestic hollyhocks of Arnold Circus in your garden this summer.
Top photo of hollyhocks © Andy Willoughby
Last photo of hollyhocks © Alice Herrick
All other photographs copyright © Patricia Niven
Copies of Rachel Whiteread‘s limited edition silkscreen print can be bought online from Galerie Simpson. Prints and the packets of seeds are on sale at Leila’s Shop, 15-17 Calvert Ave, E2 7JP. Please come to celebrate the launch of the seed packets at Leila’s Shop on Monday 25th March 5-8pm.
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How Raymond’s Shop became Leila’s Shop
Tony Bock’s East Enders
Clock Winder at Christ Church, Spitalfields
Here are the East Enders of the nineteen seventies as pictured by photographer Tony Bock in the days when he worked for the East London Advertiser – the poncey dignitaries, the comb-over tories, the kids on the street, the market porters, the fascists, the anti-fascists, the shopkeepers, the sheet metal workers, the unions, the management, the lone dancers, the Saturday shoppers, the Saturday drinkers, the loving family, the West Ham supporters, the late bride, the wedding photographer, the clock winder, the Guinness tippler, the solitary clown, the kneeling politician and the pie & mash shop cat.
Welcome to the teeming masses. Welcome to the infinite variety of life. Welcome to the exuberant clear-eyed vision of Tony Bock. Welcome to the East End of forty years ago.
Dignitaries await the arrival of the Queen Mother at Toynbee Hall. John Profumo kneels.
Children playing on the street in Poplar.
On the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral.
National Front supporters gather at Brick Lane.
Watching a National Front march in Hackney.
Shopkeepers come out to watch an anti-racism march in Hackney.
A family in Stratford pose in their back yard.
Wedding photographer in Hackney – the couple had been engaged many years.
West Ham fans at Upton Park, not a woman to be seen.
Sports club awards night in Hackney.
Dancers in Victoria Park.
Conservative party workers in the 1974 electoral campaign, Ilford.
Ted Heath campaigns in Ilford for the General Election of 1974.
Ford workers union meeting, Dagenham.
Ford managers, Dagenham.
Press operator at Ford plant, Dagenham.
At Speakers’ Corner, Hyde Park.
Mr East End Contest at E1 Festival.
The shop cat at Kelly’s Pie & Mash Shop, Bethnal Green Rd.
At the White Swan in Poplar.
Enjoying a Guinness in the Royal Oak, Bethnal Green.
Boy on demolition site, Tiller Rd, Isle of Dogs.
Brick Lane Sunday Market.
Clown in Stratford Broadway.
Saturday morning at Roman Rd Market.
Saturday night out in Dagenham.
Spitalfields Market porter in the workers’ club
Photographs copyright © Tony Bock
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The Oranges & Lemons Churches
Upon an inspired suggestion from one of my dearly-beloved readers last week, I set out to photograph those churches featured in “Oranges & Lemons” and here you see the results of my endeavour.
St Clement’s, Eastcheap
“Oranges and lemons,” say the bells of St. Clement’s.
Site of St Martin Orgar, Martin Lane
“You owe me five farthings,” say the bells of St. Martin’s.
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
“When will you pay me?” say the bells of Old Bailey.
St Leonard’s, Shoreditch
“When I grow rich,” say the bells of Shoreditch.
St Dunstan’s, Stepney
“When will that be?” say the bells of Stepney.
St Mary Le Bow, Cheapside
“I do not know,” says the great bell of Bow.
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