On Monday 9th March, 2026 I celebrated my 60th birthday. I planned a weekend that involved the things I love. Unsurprisingly the celebrations centred around food & drink. They also featured music, street art and some social history of London, my home city. I took my boyfriend Tony on this journey exploring East London, revisiting old haunts around Hackney Wick and Shoreditch. From an early age, I have been inspired by the creative imagination, artistry, fashion and music of David Bowie.
We visited his archives at the V&A East Storehouse in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. On display were two letters which resonated with me. One was from Apple Records, stating they weren’t interested in signing David Bowie as an artist. Also there was a letter of recommendation written by David’s father. The V&A East Storehouse was impressive with an eclectic mix of artifacts on several floors. I liked the open design of the building and glass floor area which highlighted the huge number of items stored there. Amongst the stone busts, ceramics, clothing and furniture there were two much larger items. Firstly part of a concrete facade, doors and hallway that formed part of the Robin Hood Gardens estate in Poplar, East London.
Then even more incredible was a 15th Century carved Torrijos ceiling from Spain. It is a breathtaking example of Mudéjar carpentry with the design influenced by Jewish, Christian and Islamic cultures. I really loved how the museum had provided reclining chairs so you could lay back and admire the artistry of the ceiling above.
We walked along the Lea Navigation towpath spotting the numerous hoardings covered with graffiti and murals surrounding the multiple building projects. Memories of a bygone era before my time. I imagined what life was like for those living and working on Fish Island, a former industrial area of Hackney Wick. You can still see a nod to its industrial past from some of the buildings and chimneys that still remain.
My ancestors, three generations ago, arrived in East London. This part of London became their ‘new home’ after escaping the Pogroms in Poland and Russia in the 19th Century. Grandma Leah’s side of the family , five generations back, came to London in the mid 1850’s from an area that is now part of Germany. All of them economic migrants in search of safety, security and building a new and better life as part of the East London Community where being Jewish was accepted.
As we wandered around I spoke of family stories from my childhood and further back in time. Places such as Ridley Road market where my Great Uncle Charlie sold sweets, chocolate, tobacco and ice cream with a cheeky grin and lots of sales patter. In Bow, where my Dad and Uncle Norman designed and made reversible raincoats and ladies coats. In Hackney, where my grandfather Samuel, a master tailor had his workshop. Mum grew up in 1930’s in the rooms above. All long gone and replaced by Hackney college where my nephew Adam briefly studied. I was born in Homerton hospital and my family roots are here in Hackney, Clapton, Stepney Green, Bow, and Dalston. For the first three years of my life I lived in Clapton with my Mum, Dad, brother Pete, Uncle Ivor and Grandma Leah. I remember my grandma making lokshen noodles, drying the thin pasta like strands on the clothes rack in her small Victorian kitchen above the hearth. There was a big pot of chicken soup simmering away, filling the house with aromas of savoury bone broth- Jewish penicillin. All in preparation for our family dinner. Grandma’s cooking had legendary status. Aunts, uncles, and her children that were no longer living at home would turn up, with perfect timing to enjoy her food. She, in turn, loved feeding the family. Another family ritual was with my Dad and brother Pete. We would go to buy beigels from the bakery in Evering Road, Clapton on Saturday morning after Dad had finished work in the coat factory. The beigels were really warm, just out of the oven. Enticing baked aromas and so comforting. I tightly clutched the paper bag filled with plain beigels cuddling it like a hot water bottle against the cold Winter’s chill. Seven year old me was hungry in anticipation, of biting into a warm beigel filled with cream cheese or smoked salmon for lunch.
Lots of family stories with food at its heart.
For my 60th birthday weekend, we started on Sunday at Inis, Fish Island with a fabulous Irish breakfast. This was accompanied by fantastic bread baked by the Dusty Knuckle crew in Dalston and delicious cocktails.
We drank stout at Crate Brewery in Queen’s Yard. They no longer brew on site however the design reflects the industrial heritage of the building.
The bar is made of reclaimed railway sleepers, the tables of scaffolding poles, the seats from bed frames and the lights from old bed springs.
We visited The Lord Napier Star pub admiring the street art on the building and surrounding hoardings. I remember the old derelict pub, which became a hub for the street artist community. The pub has since reopened and several artists were invited to paint as part of the refurbishment.
I particularly like the work of Phlegm with one of his characters pulling on a rope holding up an actual anvil, hanging from the corner of the pub outside. It reminds me of the struggle my own family endured with poverty and persecution. Ever changing and evolving with the determination to improve themselves.
We ate dinner at Singburi in Shoreditch on Sunday evening. Its new location with the sign from the old family restaurant, a nod to its roots in Leytonstone.
The food was incredible and a highlight was the grilled gunard fish with a spicy green chilli sauce called nam jim talay. Very ugly but delicious! We watched the fish being expertly cooked on the white hot coals in front of us, the smoke rising from the open kitchen.
I also really enjoyed the aubergine pad phet, a signature dish, which was spicy with lots of umami savoury flavours and soft melting textures.
On my actual birthday we had an incredible dinner at Roe restaurant in Canary Wharf. The food, wine, fabulous customer service and attention to detail made this meal extra special. We thoroughly enjoyed the oysters and crab starters, tongue and cheek skewer and Roe mixed grill comprising of sticky, unctuous grilled venison haunch, crispy ribs and harissa sausage served with blistered Turkish peppers, aubergine puree, green Ezme. We also had crispy chips and a leek Caesar salad as sides.
As for dessert, when is a banana not a banana? When it is banana parfait that looks like a peeled banana, so light, creamy and delicious. A must have dessert in my opinion.
As I reflect on my life so far in my 60th year, I feel a fondness recounting our family history which is so inextricably linked with food, fashion and East London.
taste2taste 