Whenever I am on a trip away from home, I always make sure that I try and experience new things. Life is short. During one of the free nights of the London leg of our trip, Henry, Jeremy, Daniel, Bryan, Chantal and I heard about a street known as Brick Lane. The reason it was special? FOOD. Brick Lane is home to an abundance of Middle-Eastern and Asian cuisine, as well as many other eateries and sweet shops.
Once we arrived, we were immediately met by multiple curry shops, all with men standing outside, attempting to convince you that they had the best curry in London. As broke college students, it was a blessing to be able to bargain for a full meal. As we walked, we were offered deals such as: Curry and a round of beer for 12 pounds and an Appetizer and Entree for 12 pounds. But we were waiting for something better. One man offered us a Starter, Entree and a free round of beer with all the rice and naan we could eat for 12 pounds. As we walked away, he dropped it to 10 and we were golden. I ordered the lamb curry. The spicy broth and juicy meat complimented the rice and perfectly cooked naan well. Not to mention the price of it all!
Nothing compliments an amazing meal better than a beautiful dessert. As we continued down Brick Lane (searching for a rumored Banksy installment), Chantal stopped us. Across the street was a gourmet chocolate shop called Dark Sugars. Here, we ordered homemade hot chocolate made from chocolate created in-house using cocoa beans from West Africa. Shavings of dark, white and milk chocolate were added on top to create an extremely decadent and warm desert. Hands down the best hot chocolate ever! As we drank, the owner, Paul, asked where we were from. Upon hearing New York, he bumped up the music, came around and showed us what Dark Sugars is all about! He explained the history of this black-owned shop that makes its own chocolate, serves its own unique cocktails plays music and creates an atmosphere of togetherness. As he gave us samples of the chocolate, he took us to the back where we saw graffiti installments from local artists that depicted strong black kings and queens, children unlocking their true potential and women being the ultimate connection between our world and the greater universe. It was an unexpected experience that just put the cherry on top of an already delightful night.
Brick Lane was my full English experience rolled into one night. There is nothing quite like exploring a history rich city, creating memories and eating well, all with excellent company.
