World Wide Webber

Shackelwell Nights: Hidden Dining in Dalston

Thanks to the power of twitter, Alex and I were fortunate enough to get some tickets to Shacklewell Nights opening night. 

The night/place/event/secret-supper-club/pop-up-restaurant/hidden-dining-experience is essentially a great use of an empty space to get lots of people together and cook for them. It’s a project from Claire Roberson of Green Onions Supper Club and Jonathan Woolway of St Johns Restaurant. Having missed out on finding out about Green Onions and the uncertainty if it will continue since Claire had to move, I was pretty excited to be part of this new venture.

The space was on top of an old warehouse that is used as studios in Shacklewell Lane and was a laid out as about 8 tables to fit around 60 people. We turned up to a room full of people, some who knew the organisers, some couples on their own and some in groups. Tables fit between 6 - 8 so it was very much a social experience, completely by chance we happened to be sitting at a table with a former colleague of mine Eliot and his girlfriend Kath. We were also joined by a Doctor called Chloe and a teacher called Antonia all of who were great fun.

The meal started with a glass of wine when we got there and the menu continued as follows:

Brown Shrimp, Potato and Samphire or Fennel, Potato and Samphire for Vegetarian Option

Braised Duck Legs, Bacon and White Beans or Lentils and Goats Curd for Vegetarian Option

Sorbet and Vodka 

Blackberry Fool

The food was pretty amazing (I can vouch for the veggie menu and Alex for the meat eaters), but by far my favourite course was the raspberry sorbet and amazing vodka from the Sacred microbrewery in Highgate (yes I have simple tastes)

The meal cost £35 per head and it operates a BYO policy, I’m told the next event will be towards the end of September, if you can book tickets then make sure you do.

More info at:

www.shacklewellnights.com or http://twitter.com/Shacklewel1

Sound map: the Caledonian Road

Oral historian and sometimes shop fronter, Alan Dein, co-created this great sound and pictures map with the Guardian, looking into the life of the Cally Road. It’s a really fascinating slice of local london, have a look/listen.

Images from the Center of the Contiguous United States

J.Bennett Fitts took “Middle America” literally with these fascinating photos of the geographical middle of America; Lebanon, Kansaas

J. Bennett Fitts

No to Clapton Tesco Blog

If you haven’t seen it, the campaign against the Clapton Tesco Express is running here www.noclaptontesco.org.

Please contact us through that site if you want any further information.

Tesco Planning Letter?

Tesco (or possibly someone else) is planning to make deliveries at midnight on Lower Clapton Road.

Full details of this and an application to make deliveries on a public highway (that is likely to be at the bus stop outside) are here and here. You can object online by clicking on the “Application Documents”, if you prefer standard mail, Caroline Ozor seems to be the person to write to.

If you are interested in helping object let me know in the comments below

Also see my original post here: www.emilywebber.co.uk/post/527541024/are-tesco-moving-in-on-lower-clapton-road

**UPDATE**Family Mosaic the freeholders of this unit have told me they are in negotiation with Tesco Express. The planning officer Caroline Ozor has informed me that the unit has permission for A1 use already, so a Tesco Express would not need additional planning permission to trade here. This might be our only real chance to make any objections.

Are Tesco moving in on Lower Clapton Road?

I recently tweeted about Tesco moving into Lower Clapton Road. It was some speculation on my part based on a letter, but there was a fair bit on interest from some locals, so I will elaborate.

I live in a block of flats owned by a housing association. As part of the estate there is a commercial unit (144-146), this unit has been empty since the block was built in 2006, the only real bid for moving in that I know of was William Hill which after some struggle was stopped. Other than that it seems possible that the mobile phone mast and base station that sat in front of it until last year made filling it difficult. Earlier this week I received a letter from the housing association that said

“…there will be some work being carried out by Tesco engineers at the commercial unit on the ground floor of Shire Court on Wednesday the 14th April 2010…”

I have asked if they know anymore, but have not yet heard back. I spoke to Palm 2 (my local corner shop and potentially the business that would suffer the most if Tesco moved in) and they said they thought that Tesco were looking at the space, but if they wanted to go ahead there would be a notice that could be contested first.

So, that’s what I know for now. Personally I don’t really want a Tesco to move in, I really like my corner shop, they are friendly and stock the kinds of veg that you wouldn’t get in Tesco, it might make them consider their prices they cannot compete with a supermarket without some big changes. I will update when I know more.

Google Map link

Update:

It looks likely they would need some planning permission first, which I’ll keep an eye out for, otherwise this and other Hackney planning applications can be searched for here http://www.hackney.gov.uk/servapps/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/generalsearch.aspx
(thanks Andy)

Kelley Smith

Fantastic flickr photostream

More here: www.flickr.com/photos/kelleynsmith

(via booooooom)

Kohlton Ervin

Website

Gerhard Richter - Overpainted Photographs

More at www.gerhard-richter.com/art/overpainted-photographs