Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Three Great Eats in E17

E17 is my new hood. It's way out East, foxes poop on my doorstep (literally), and my commute's on the tube, but I live next to a forest (with lakes and stuff), I'm in Central London within 40 minutes, and my local grocery store sells Burt's Bees and Kooky Bakes cupcakes.

So, we're okay.

In the meantime, I've been patiently seeking out the best foodie spots in Walthamstow, having been previously convinced that there aren't any.

But I was wrong.

Here are three great eats in E17:

Orford Saloon Tapas Bar, Orford Road


I'm skeptical of tapas unless it's served in Spain. Nevertheless, we stopped by Orford Saloon on a balmy summer's evening (i.e. that one day we had like three weeks ago where it was actually t-shirt weather and not t-shirt-with-a-sweater-and-possible-jacket-weather) before heading to the theater for an impromptu date night (we saw Mission Impossible; it was awful).

We ordered these eggplant (SORRY, "AUBERGINE") baton things drizzled with honey and it was like, lip-smackingly wonderful. And not just because our lips were sticky with honey by the time we'd demolished the plate, but because they were served poker hot and had a melt-in-your-mouth quality that I've never tasted in eggplant before.

The next week, we returned with Justine in tow and shared the paella, which was a little disappointing (the rice was slightly undercooked and the flavours lacking), but the tapas were still amaze.


The Chequers, High Street 

Sure, you have to push your way through throngs of people at the longest outdoor market in Europe (!!!) to get to it, but once inside, The Chequers nourishes your soul with comfort food and darn good vintage interiors.


My BBQ pulled pork burger was a tad bit on the sweet side for me, but the chips were fantastic (and I don't even like British chips) and the bites I stole from Cristy's mac 'n cheese dish were excellent: creamy, al dente pasta that you'll only need a few forkfuls of (go for the starter size, not the main - it's enough, I promise). Tom's ribeye steak looked amazing too, and I didn't hear any complaints from him as he slathered it in bearnaise.

The pub's spacious enough to find a decent table, and it's child-friendly too, which meant our little niece Dorothy could make friends with a fellow not-quite-baby-not-quite-toddler, who decided to chill out by sprawling out on a step because: baby behavior.

Trattoria La Ruga, Orford Road

Back to Orford Road again, but it's got a great little selection of restaurants, pubs, and cafés.

Situated directly across from Orford Saloon, Trattoria La Ruga offers a simple and classic Italian menu done to a high standard, with mains like swordfish steak and calves liver, plus a fantastic pasta and side salad deal for £10 (excluding Fridays and Saturdays).


Like the other restaurants I've tried in Walthamstow so far, I went without any expectations, but my goodness - the prawn, garlic, chilli, and sundried tomato linguine was phenomenal. So very, very good.

Service was excellent (they swiftly moved us indoors when sitting outside proved too much a challenge in late August in England) and I wouldn't hesitate taking any friends or family (in fact, we took my mother-in-law for a belated birthday celebration when she came to stay with us last weekend) there.

So, Walthamstow: new foodie destination? Could be, could be.

Watch this space.


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33 comments

  1. Sure sounds like it's a new foodie hangout! That tapas sounds incredible! Isn't London incredible?

    Lauren xx | The Lifestyle Diaries

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    1. Haha, it totally is, Lauren - thanks for reading! xo

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  2. I can't believe I lived so close to Walthamstow for 6 months and never really visited it! These places look delivious!

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    1. No way! Well, it's not somewhere I would have explored prior to moving there, admittedly - but there seems to be more going on there now than ever!

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  3. I'm also not a huge fan of British chips. Still haven't eaten some that were good enough to make me change my mind. I like my chips thin and crispy! :)

    www.themidnightblog.com

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    1. ME TOO, Charlotte! Pomme frites all the way for me ... :) xo

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  4. Looks like East 17 is more than just a nineties band....I love the look of the aubergine chips :)

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    1. HAHA! Yes, the aubergine batons were AMAZING ... surprisingly so! Really lightly battered and fried.

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  5. You know, I never actually made it up to Walthamstow but heard very good things. Next time I'm back in town, I'll have to visit you and try every single one of these places. They look delish!

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    1. Well, it's a little out of peoples' way, so I can totally understand that. But yes! Would love to have you over for a visit :)

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  6. Honey is fast becoming the addition that takes every meal up a notch. I recently read about pizza with honey drizzled on top (twice, actually), now eggplant. My stomach is ready for both. So, so ready.

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    1. No way, Gianni! I haven't really been aware of honey making a comeback ... will have to look out for that!

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  7. Like I said to you earlier, I really hope these places are all new since when I worked in Walthamstow / Leytonstone. I didn't leave nearby so despite working there, never really researched the area - there used to be a funky dessert parlour somewhere in Walthamstow which I think was called afters - naturally, it seems that one I still managed to find ��

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    1. There's a lot going on in the Village area, Shikha! A few new shops and cafes are going up as we speak ... and a wine store?! Anyway, you'll have to come over for a visit sometime! YES - I've seen Afters but haven't been yet! On my list ...

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  8. Mmm that linguine looks divine! I've never been to this part of London so I may need to visit just for the food :)

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    1. Haha, it's a little out of the way, but it is on the Victoria line, so maybe worth a day trip at some point! :)

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  9. Nice round up Jaime, we've been to the tapas bar which was pleasant enough, and I loved the bacon jam at Eat 17 a few doors down

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    1. Thank you, Suze! Orford Saloon is great, though I was really impressed by La Ruga! The bacon jam at Eat 17 is to die for, but last time we went (the first time we went), we experienced AWFUL service, so haven't been back since. And the food was just so-so.

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  10. Dude, you need to get onto these tunes the next time you're off for foodie discoveries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_17 !

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    1. Adding to my Spotify playlist as we speak ... :D :D :D hahahaha!

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  11. Haha! As soon as I saw the title of this post my inner 90s child immediately started signing East 17 songs! These food places look yummy! I'm also really impressed in finding fried aubergine with honey, I loved eating that in Spain and had to make some myself as soon as I got back!

    Laura
    http://www.agirlandherhome.com

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