The Jugged Hare: a typical British gastropub_a life inspiration story

I need to be in London for work reasons quite often. My motto has always been 'combine work and pleasure in your job’, and I try to live by that motto. 

So when traveling, I always look for new places to eat, drink, chat, sleep or dance. 

We had to be in the neighborhood of The Barbican for a seminar, and this pub has always been one I wanted to check out. Not that I particularly like the dead animals in the window, but they are a part of the pub's story and to be honest, I do like to eat fish, meat and other kind of living creatures.

The Jugged Hare is a so called gastropub, where you can either hang on the bar and have some strong draught Ales, Lagers, Stout or ciders. The bar is filled with the typical London ’suits’, relaxed chatting with other traders, bankers and other City workers. Everywhere in the pub you see animals from the hunt, as a kind of trophy in closets, armoires or on the wall. This kind of Victorian decoration is hip and happening in London and reflects a hunger for old, more safe and relax times. Time stands still in this place, but service follows our current time pressure. Best of both worlds, I told ya. 

We tried a dark Jugged Hare pale ale and a gin tonic (pleasure in-between work, you know).

Lunch and diner is served in a corresponding room with lots of red velvet, leather, brass and oak floors. A very friendly staff, British polite and professional explained us the menu. 

As you will read in other people’s feedback on Tripadvisor or Yelp, food is excellent. And I can admit, it is lovely.

Meat is definitly the main topic on the menu, but as I still prefer fish my choice was easy.

The Shetland mussels were probably the best mussels I ever had(and that means something): a pot of delicious Shetland mussels with Jugged hare pale ale, smoked bacon, garlic and some hand cut chips. 

The 'Billingsgate' on the menu stands for Billingsgate Fish Market. Billingsgate is the UK's largest inland fish market, located at Canary Wharf. Each trading day at Billingsgate Market offers buyers an opportunity to see the largest selection of fish in the United Kingdom. Daily arrivals from the coast and overseas ensure a continuity of fresh supplies. (Billingsgate Market, Trafalgar Way, Poplar, London E14 5ST)

The Jugged Hare is a great place to lunch. The excellent cuisine, the warm atmosphere and the Victorian style are worth the travel. Situated on the corner of Chiswell Street and Silk Street in the City of London, the pub forms part of the famous old Grade II listed Whitbread Brewery (now the Montcalm 5 Star London City Hotel).

Enjoy and say hi to the joly bartender!

Address: The Jugged Hare, 9 Chiswell St, London EC1Y 4SA. Nearest tubes: Moorgate, Barbican and Liverpool Street are all very close by as are Old Street and Farringdon. 

OPENING HOURS:
Monday - Wednesday	7am - 11pm
Thursday - Saturday	7am - midnight
Sunday	7am - 10.30pm

Reservation is a must, but when you come early before the restaurant opens for lunch, you can be lucky (like we did).

http://www.thejuggedhare.com

Nostalgic household goods_a life inspiration story

A shop with a name like 'Labour and wait', that needs some checking out.The emerald green facade suggests a typical English pub, but we were far from there.

No. 

Labour and wait is a cute store packed with all kind of cleaning stuff. They call it 'traditional products for the home'. 

No high tech nor toxic cleaning products or Swiffer-like gear. This store, established in 2000 got their 'nostalgic' inspiration at your grandma's kitchen. It's not about fun home gifts, but a real usable, carefully curated collection of new and vintage items for the new style men and woman. Everyday classics that become more precious and beautiful with use and age. 

Nice. 

© photo Labour and wait

Labour and wait

85 Redchurch Street, 
London, E2 7DJ

©ALL other photos by Kate Stockman_THE SQUID STORIES

London Shoreditch walk_a life inspiration story

Visiting a city is nice when you have time and no agenda, no city apps and no hip-guide. Just follow the scent, the vibe, the noise, the silence.

This post just a photo impression on our city walk in Shoreditch. (Next to come: our Roa walk that started also by accident and a walk trough Bricklane).

Enjoy!

Boxpark Shoreditch is a pop-up mall based in the heart of East London. Boxpark is constructed of stripped, and refitted shipping containers, creating unique, low cost, low risk pop-up stores.

Filled with a mix of fashion and lifestyle brands, galleries, cafés and restaurants – Boxpark places local and global brands side-by-side, creating a unique shopping and dining destination.

Boxpark is not some run-of-the-mall shopping centre. It’s a living, fertile community of brands packed with talent, innovation and attitude that puts creativity and fashion back where they belong: on the street.

© photo Boxpark

The EAT frenchise is everywhere in London. Nice window display with their coffee bekers.

Street art rules in Shoreditch. Everywhere you look, there are amazing pieces to spot. Some by known artists, others but anonymous designers, leaving their traces.

Work by Australian Jimmy C.

Commercial posters become 'paper street art', other artists reflect in another way and use the street walls as a canvas for their 3D work or other non-spray-can murals. (see below)

Mirrors in the square windows of this minimal dark grey box reflect the opposite street designs.

Established artists from UK and abroad together with numerous less known or unknown locals regularly contribute to this ever-changing art scene. Check out all kinds of graffiti, stencil, wheatpasting, sticker art, poster art, street sculpture and street installations. 

 Beach Blanket Babylon: A London bar and restaurant in Shoreditch. A club for the discerning without requiring a membership. Weird, 'Wunderkamer'-like decorations build a great atmosphere.

Franze and Evans, an eatery with modern food & quality with catering & deli service.

Work by Stik, a regular artist in the streets of Shoreditch.

Shop and bar 'Les Trois Garcons". 

At Purple Shop: collections of kids wear suitable for newborns, babies to 12 year olds. The collections of tee shirts, slouchy jersey pants, sweatshirts and beanie hats are produced from fair trade, organic and ethical fabrics, all of the silk screen printed designs are hand produced in their Brick lane studio. They also design, create and up-cycle denim pieces into re-worked mini jeans, skirts and dresses.

© photos by Kate Stockman_THE SQUID STORIES

Meat is back: St John's London_a life inspiration story

Sometimes a restaurant doesn't need to be visited to make an impression.
We just walked by St Johns and couldn't resist checking the place out. The restaurant is built in a former smokehouse and looks stark but unpretentious. The refter-like open space is decorated in a clean but strangely cosy no nonsens style. The cuisine is creative and intriguing but in an old fashioned way. The food is simple and the plates we saw passing by looked excellent prepared and served in a straightforward way. We like!

What can you expect? Real English food in it's best tradition, with a lot of attention to meat, and everything the animal you eat can give: pork belly, ears, skin and tail,divine crispy crackling prepared. But no panic: they also serve typical English fish like smoked haddock, marrow and delicious British seafood like brown crab.
As I said, we didn't have lunch nor diner but this one is definitely on our list next London visit! Let me know if you visited before us!

St John

26 St. John Street
London
EC1M 4AY

Reservations 020 7251 0848.

St. JOHN is located around the corner from Smithfield Market in Clerkenwell.

©ALL photos by Kate Stockman_THE SQUID STORIES