Wharf Life Mar 11-25

Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

+ Why a lunch at Chai Ki is all that you need Page 2

inside issue 29

food

Karnival - Farmer J - Berkeley Homes Yum Bun - Thunderbird - Sync - Dust - Bella Cosa Black Bear - The Melusine - Ladykiller - NASSA Raastawala - Ardoa - Chase Evans - Puzzles

finding

take a trip to Giant Robot and discover the dishes and drinks on offer Canary Wharf - Pages 6-9

celebrating the best of Canary Wharf, Docklands and the new east London people - events - treasure - property - nonsense

Image by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

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Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

read

fortnightly find

this issue’s Tiger Treasure

14 days later

plan your life from Mar 25-Apr 8 where?

Museum Of London Docklands West India Quay

feast your eyes on these

The threat of coronavirus, Brexit, climate change. They’re all big problems. But sometimes you have to focus on the small stuff like whether your vegetables are really sharp enough. That’s why, this issue, we bring you this product, probably designed to create attractive ribbons of orange for your salads, but certainly able to ensure those carrots are making a point Carrot Sharpener, £2 Go to uk.flyingtiger.com

SEE | Havering Hoard: A Bronze Age Mystery Discover the 453 pieces of bronze – swords, daggers, knives and axe heads – found inexplicably broken in four holes and wonder at their origins.

Apr 3-Nov 1, daily, free, museumoflondon.org.uk

06 Garnished with seeds and green leaves, malai kofta is one of two vegetarian options on the prix fixe menu

where?

Shopping Malls Canary Wharf

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SHOP | Spring Fashion Event Get ready, the discounts are nearly here – this threeday event offers shoppers up to 30% off at selected stores throughout the estate’s malls.

Mar 26-28, daily, free to visit, canarywharf.com

Meeting the people behind the food and drink at Giant Robot

Why this former banker left to create restaurant Farmer J

where?

Across the estate Canary Wharf

lunch time

Chai Ki, Prix Fixe Lunch Menu, £18 for two courses or £21 for three SEE | Rainy Days Quotes revealed by rain will soon arrive on the estate. Tag @canarywharflondon in your Insta pics for a chance to win a £250 gift voucher.

From Apr 2, daily, free, canarywharf.com

to do before March 25

Sip wines at Boisdale Of Canary Wharf’s New Wave Spain tasting session on March 24.

Bottles to try will include Louro Do Bolo by Rafael Palacios and Extramundi by Bodegas Pazo Tizon. Starts 6.30pm, tickets £15 boisdale.co.uk

Available weekdays, between 11.30am and 2.30pm, Chai Ki’s simple, colourful lunch offering is a winner.

When I visit on a Thursday, the Crossrail Place dining room is almost completely full – Wharfers know a good deal when they see one.

My starter of beef seekh kebab arrives as two skinless sausages of ground meat, spiced and shot through with the crunch of vegetables.

To follow, malai kofta – a dish of paneer and vegetable dumplings – is equally bright and juicy in the mouth, set off by a rich sauce featuring punchy fenugreek.

The emphasis here is on quality rather than quantity. Mains come with either rice or naan, with the whole meal balanced to avoid midafternoon bloating.

Even with the third course – in my case, a rich, thick custard tart with strawberries, rose drizzle and little curls of meringue – it’s not too much.

Even better, Chai Ki stocks low alcohol Lucky Saint lager for those keen to keep a clear head for the afternoon’s toil. That’s if you can resist the lure of the Toddy Shop Bar at the front of the venue.

Go to chai-ki.com Jon Massey

get in touch

correct us

Editorial email stories@wharf-life.com call 07765 076 300

we want to hear from you

42

How Sync intends to bring all our banking into a single, simple app

the joy of six Every fortnight Wharf Life covers six areas surrounding Canary Wharf to bring you the best of what’s going on beyond the estate From Page 44

need something fixed?

Pop over to Billingsgate Cafe for a bacon and scallop roll from 3am-10am @billingsgatecafe on FB

Advertising email advertising@wharf-life.com call 07944 000 144

Our editorial team works hard to ensure all information printed in Wharf Life is truthful and accurate. Should you spot any errors that slip through the net or wish to raise any issues about the content of the publication, please get in touch and we will investigate.

want more? @wharflifelive

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spot check one to try

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Canary Wharf

on the radar

doing the deals

get more for less in and around the Wharf

need to know

free

How long must we wait for the return of the free Minigolf in Columbus Courtyard? The course is due to open for business on April 10 with sessions from noon until 7pm on weekdays and noon until 6pm on Saturdays. Expect loud shouts of fore... canarywharf.com

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Spend £45 or more at Rituals in Jubilee Place and you’ll be rewarded with a free “luxurious sleep set” for your trouble. Ask in store for full details rituals.com

52

Quote WHARF at Bella Cosa and get free fizz with your meal

Warm up your trivia and exercise your grey cells as Wharf Kitchen Quizzing returns at 6pm on March 30.

Teams of up to six can compete for free but must register. Top prize is a £100 Canary Wharf gift card and food vouchers canarywharf.com

How NASSA works for its players’ academic success off the court

deal 48

Children’s author Laura Dockrill and her husband, musician Hugo White, talk about creating a play for kids together, childhood trauma and finally getting hitched

Maitre Choux in Canada Place is currently offering one eclair, five chouquettes and a hot drink for the special price of £7.50. Ask at the stand for full details maitrechoux.com

SPECIAL LUNCH OFFER A CHOICE OF PASTA, FILLED PASTA OR PIZZA WITH A SOFT DRINK FOR 11.99 WITH A PINT OF AMSTEL OR 175ml HOUSE WINE 14.99 PANINI WITH A SOFT DRINK 8.50 WITH A PINT OF AMSTEL OR 175ml HOUSE WINE 9.99

FOCACCIA ROSMARINO 5.50 FOCACCIA MOZZARELLA 6.00 ITALIAN BURGER 9.90

At Capeesh we do things differently. We are one of the finest restaurants in Canary Wharf and we serve fresh and authentic Italian food. The freshest ingredients go into every dish in our Italian restaurant to compliment the exquisite setting in which our establishment is situated. Unwind in our adjoining Lounge in absolute luxury with friends and family; the perfect spot for drinks to finish the working day.

If all that wasn’t enough, Capeesh boasts a unique Sky Bar in Canary Wharf (one of the highest bars in London) to take you amongst the dizzying heights of Canary Wharf’s towering skyscrapers with panoramic views of London. This is 21st century Italian dining done right in incomparable and inimitable style in Canary Wharf, London

WWW.CAPEESH.CO.UK 020 7538 1111 - events@capeesh.co.uk instagram/facebook @capeeshlondon

Address: 4 Pan Peninsula Square, Isle of Dogs, London E14 9HN - Right besides South Quay DLR Station

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Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

Canary Wharf

words you didn’t know you need

struth

buy me

this fortnight’s must-have item

noun, fictional, from Old English A fact unveiled at a stage in a process that causes shock and surprise but is a revelation that arrives too late for the endeavour to change course. Often the result of a white lie told earlier in the process

bucket list

write me

descry

verb, real, from Old French An archaic term meaning to catch sight of. There’s no real reason to go around substituting it for the verb to see, unless you’re trying to confound and confuse those around you so they don’t descry your intention

Take some time out and draw for your mental wellbeing in the tranquil Roof Garden ● Booking List There’s a lot of art coming up at Crossrail Place Roof Garden, not least Mindful Drawing – an hour-long workshop from 1pm on May 14.

Part of Canary Wharf’s Learning Lab series, this session is designed to allow Wharfers to practise mindfulness while they meditate, draw and create, slowly and deliberately.

Places are free but registration is a must canarywharf.com

Steak Pot £2.95 Natural Fitness Food, Canada Place ● Brush List Looking far ahead to the future – on May 24, brandish a brush with Paint Jam’s Neon Nature workshop from noon-4pm in Crossrail Place Roof Garden taking inspiration from David Hockney. Aimed at families with kids aged seven and up.

Drop-in, first-come, first-served canarywharf.com

Sometimes you just need a little pot of protein to get you through and this tub of medium-rare meat is ideal for all those looking to beef up a bit

● Bremner List Comedian and impressionist Rory Bremner returns to Boisdale Of Canary Wharf on March 30.

Support comes from Jess Robinson of Dead Ringers fame. Tickets start at £10 for the show only, which starts at 8pm boisdale.co.uk

read me

sporting life My Autobiography, £16.99 Waterstones, Cabot Place Wharfers quick off the mark can get a signed copy of Ireland rugby great Rory Best’s new book when he comes to Jubilee Place to autograph tomes on March 12 at 1pm. Those who can’t make it can easily pick up the book in store.

Telling the tale of his captaincy of Ireland including their recordbreaking run of 12 successive test victories it’s a must for fans of the less-than-beautiful game.

Foreword by Joe Schmidt waterstones.com

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

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Canary Wharf

machine refreshment

how Giant Robot brings together diverse flavours from around the world to deliver a food and drink offering that’s tailor-made to satisfy Wharfers’ hunger pangs and thirst

by Jon Massey

T

Thunderbird - Chipuffalo Wings, £5

Tim says Street Feast works tirelessly to make sure Giant Robot’s vibe is just right for its guests total. There’s a beautiful island bar, which is a 360-degree bar that overlooks the dock beneath us. We offer great value with premium spirits, a beautiful wine menu and seasonal cocktails.

“

We want people to discover us, to make an effort and come up and find us – we like the journey that people take Tim Lang, Street Feast

“For me the bar is aesthetically the most beautiful and the best to work behind, and I’ve been in the industry for 12 years. Customers can perch on bar stools, or take their drinks away, and we pride ourselves on the bartenders’ skills – they’re the best of the best.

“We have a varied cocktail list with classics, some new drinks and we also offer pintsized cocktails. We do some really good quality wines by the glass, whereas some other venues only do expensive wines by the bottle.

“Directly opposite the island bar is a beer bar, where we have a huge list of beers.

Continued on Page 8

For founder Matt Harris, cooking took the place of driving as the credit crunch bit into his racing career in America. Thunderbird Fried Chicken opened its first site at Giant Robot in 2017.

“We’ve been here since the start,” he said. “I’d come home from the US and tried to make racing work but it was the same story as the States – no money. So I got a degree and a rubbish job in media sales and passionately hated my life.

“I just had to have something to fill it. I moved in with a couple of friends and started cooking one day and it instantly filled the gap that racing had left.

“I started with fine dining techniques but it didn’t really light my fire in comparison to, say, making a burger as good as it could possibly be. So I started doing North American barbecue, got drunk and bought an American ambulance on ebay. That became Barbecue Lab. Probably 50% of the food was rubbish, but one day I put chicken wings on the market to drum up business. Three years later, they won best wings in London.

“I suddenly realised that this was better fried chicken than I had experienced in America and that was the theory behind Thunderbird. It can be a great product if sold properly – it’s not smelly or greasy.

“Things have got more refined since and we’ve just won best wings again. We’ve got two restaurants and we’ve done a cluster of pop-ups.

“My favourite thing on the menu is our chipuffalo wings – chipotle, an MSG-free sauce and a secret ingredient. It’s fried chicken but not quite as you know it.”

Go to thunderbirdckn.co.uk

Matt Harris

Thunderbird Images by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

here’s nothing wrong with grabbing a sandwich from Pret or Boots.

We all have those days. But Canary Wharf’s food and drink scene has never been better with plenty of micro chains and independents serving its workforce and ever-growing local population.

What places like Giant Robot – Street Feast’s mammoth combination of food traders and bars atop the Crossrail Station – can offer in contrast to the big brands is personality and passion. So I stopped by to meet the people behind the dishes and drinks.

Tim Lang oversees the site for Street Feast, which operates the three bars on-site and provides space to house four permanent food businesses.

Following a spell at the brand’s Shoreditch site Dinerama, he’s returned to drive the business forward.

He said: “I was at Giant Robot for two years from when it opened in 2017 and now I’m taking more of an operations role to see if we can improve the business.

“I’m probably the best-suited person for it because I understand the area – I know what our strengths are.

“It’s a space to come and disconnect from the work environment, first and foremost and it’s an opportunity for people to come as a group and not have to order from the same food menu.

“Guests can request table service or they can order by themselves from the food pitches – there’s flexibility.

“Everyone can get something different, and sit down at a communal table.

“We’ve got three bars in

fried chicken

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

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MEAL + SHAKE + S N AC K PURCHASE TOGETHER AND GET

15% OFF

FIND US IN CANADA PLACE SITUATED IN FRONT OF WAITROSE Order any meal across ranges, snack and any fresh or bottled shake and receive 15% off

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Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

4 from Page 6 We have different lines and ’m confident that’s the most available in anary Wharf. We also have more than cans and weekly specials from predominantly local breweries. am a craft beer fan and one of my favourite drinks is a brand called ervig and their called ouse arty. mma, our bar manager, spends a lot of time going through what’s out there, getting samples in, tasting with the staff to see what they like, and then she stocks it. he third bar is currently a artini bar, but it’s a rotating space. We’ve had a orona bar there and a ack aniel’s bar.

When we do promotions with brands, it’s a rotating take-over bar which is built into a ship’s container. pen onday-Saturday from am into the evening and until midnight hursday-Saturday, the venue has multiple areas that can be booked, table reservations and even offers the hire of the whole space. t also screens sporting events, with the Six ations, hampions eague and uros locked in for . he vibe evolves as day moves into night, said general manager im. We have glass windows all around. s the sun goes down, the lights dim, candles go onto the tables – we’re always making sure the vibe is right for our guests. here’s a vast amount of space here – we have something like seats and ample space for standing. So there’s flexibility for people to perch, to stand and also to sit down and eat when they meet their friends.

We spend a lot of time curating the music, making sure it’s at the right level so people can have a conversation without it overshadowing the experience but also taking people on a bit on a ourney.

We’re not looking to get people dancing, but to help them disconnect. he outdoor area is a huge feature as well for us, so we’ve got sliding doors at the back and there are numerous other ways to make your way onto the terrace to have a uiet sit-down, a look at the waters of the dock beneath or to smoke.

We don’t have big signs around anary Wharf with arrows pointing to us. We want people to discover us, to make an effort to come up and find us – we like the ourney that people take.

Go to streetfeast.com for more

Food traders operating at Giant Robot on the Roof Garden level of Crossrail Place in Canary Wharf

kati roll

Raastawala - Tandoori Chicken Roll, £8.50

Rinku Dutt’s Raastawala serves up a taste of north-east India in a wrap Co-founder and owner Rinku Dutt left a career in banking to set up Raastawala.

She said: “The name means street vendor and we sell north-east Indian street food from Kolkata – known as the city of joy – which is where my parents and in-laws are from.

“Me and my husband were brought up with the flavours from that area. I’d worked in banking for about eight or nine years and thought it would be nice to do something a little bit more for myself – to live my own dream.

“My husband, who also has a very demanding job, and I were trying to balance things out so we said: ‘Let’s give it a go’. We had connections, because my dad’s family own one of the biggest restaurants in Kolkata, so a lot of the recipes we use now have been very influenced by that. One of the most famous street foods in Kolkata is the kati roll, which is a thin paratha bread with an egg cooked on it, filled with different meats. It comes as a wrap with lots of onions and delicious stuff.

“The way we do it is to put a slight twist on it to make it a little bit healthier and more of a meal. We use coriander naan bread with an egg and fill it with our 24-hour marinaded meats – either lamb or chicken. We also have curried chickpeas as vegetarian and vegan options as well, which are in big demand at the moment.

“We serve it with masala fries (£3.50), which are skinny gourmet fries with a dry spice on it, or dirty fries (£5.50).

Raastawala has a great community feel and it’s very colourful. For us it’s the satisfaction of being able to give our customers a piece of Kolkata – a meal for any time of the day.”

Follow @raastawala on Instagram for more information

Food stalls at Giant Robot in Canary Wharf

steamed buns

Yum Bun - Crispy Tofu and Pork Belly, £4.50 each “It started as a Saturday project,” said Lisa Meyer, owner of Yum Bun. “I was working in radio at the time, in about 2010, and I’d seen these buns in a recipe book.

“My main love was cooking, especially Japanese and Asian food, because I’d grown up in Japan and recently spent quite a bit of time there. My mum is Japanese.

“Yum Buns aren’t especially Japanese, however, they’re fusion. The buns themselves are Taiwanese, although the flavours for the fillings are more inspired by Japan.

“While working, I spent a lot of time at my desk looking at food blogs – all my head space was really around food.

There was a market around the corner from where I lived and they were looking for traders.

“About three weeks before the market was going to open, I asked them about it and they said: ‘Come along and have a space’. It was all very makeshift – trestle tables, a couple

of camping stoves. So I started it – 50 buns on the first day, for mostly friends and family, and it was a real buzz.

“At that point it wasn’t going to be a career change or a serious business. But we were in Hackney at about the time street food was beginning to kick off and there was a lot of interest in it.

“After a few weeks, the queues kept getting longer and longer.

People were waiting round the block to eat these buns, which was quite thrilling. After a year I was able to make the transition to running it full time.

“We’ve deviated very little since the early days in terms of the food – it’s two buns of your choice and we have four or five on the menu.

“They come with a crunchy colourful vegetable slaw with a ginger dressing.

It is very much how you would eat lunch in Japan.”

Go to yumbun.com for more information

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

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Images by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

Canary Wharf

burger watch

Black Bear Burger – Double Black Bear Burger, £10.50 “It all started when my husband and I were working in Canada after university and we decided that we wanted to run our own business,” said Black Bear Burger owner Liz Down. “We were working in restaurants there and when we got back to London, I was working as a burns nurse and my husband was working in finance.

“We decided to set up our own company, and the reason we chose burgers was because it was our favourite food. We went round different burger stalls in London, and tried to have as many of the best ones in the capital as we could. We decided we could probably do it better. So we went about trying to create the best burger in London.

“We didn’t want to mess around with gimmicks – an onion ring stuck on top, or anything like that. It doesn’t come with a knife stuck in the top – we wanted to keep it really simple and do it very well.

“We focus on quality. My husband’s parents are actually beef farmers in Devon, so we know a lot about beef and the beef industry.

“We get fresh buns delivered daily from Paul Rhodes Bakery in Greenwich. All the ingredients in the burger are there for a reason. We’ve revised the

onion jam about 20 times to get it perfect. You’ve got to have American cheese, because it’s just nostalgic – it’s a classic.

“As a whole the burger is simple but deceptively detailed – it took a long time to get it right. Everything in there complements the flavour of the beef.

“We do have a vegan option in the pipeline but we don’t just want to put one on the menu for the sake of it – we want it to be the best vegan burger in London.

“My personal favourite is the double Black Bear Burger – it’s the original we started out serving at Broadway Market in Hackney and we haven’t really changed the core ingredients, but we have perfected it. It’s simple, but it’s done well.”

Go to blackbearburger.com

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27 COLDHARBOUR, LONDON, E14 9NS WWW.THEGUNDOCKLANDS.COM 0207 519 0075 | GUN.EVENTS@FULLERS.CO.UK

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People per hour Farmer J’s Canada Place branch is able to serve at full tilt

by Jon Massey

T

he lines don’t lie. Anyone walking through Canada Place around lunchtime will have noticed the queue of hungry Wharfers waiting patiently for their turn at the counter in Farmer J. The brand arrived in anary Wharf in ebruary and has risen quickly to become, arguably, the estate’s favourite lunch.

It’s perhaps little surprise then, that husband and wife team Jonathan and Ali Recanati are set to expand their empire with a branch in Jubilee Place.

“The new site is going to be bigger,” said Jonathan. “We’ll be putting the kitchen in the centre of everything, which will give it a real buzz.

“Customers will have seats there too and the vibe will be really authentic, slightly earthy, perhaps.

“There will also be an emphasis on online ordering, so there will be a whole area where you can order ahead and collect your food to help get rid of some of the queue. We think it will be a huge opportunity for us.

“I think there are enough people in the Wharf that want our food – we’re maybe losing about of our business because of the queues at the moment.

“I think it’s been so popular because people come in, see the open kitchen, with ingredients roasting and grilling, dishes having garnish and seasoning put on them and they realise it’s really good value.

“Also, we are pretty fast – despite the queue we get through something like people an hour so the wait isn’t too long. It’s all about teamwork.”

Farmer J, for Jonathan, is the result of an opportunity he spotted after becoming frustrated at the general quality of food away from Israel where he grew up.

“I used to work in banking for Deutsche Bank in London,” he said.

“Before that, I studied in Lausanne in Switzerland and before that I grew up in Israel, near Tel Aviv.

“Growing up there, good food is in the culture and, in my house, the daily meal was the best thing about the day – mum was an amazing chef. I was in the kitchen – I wasn’t outside playing football with my mates.

Jonathan Recanati left a job in banking to start his own business,

tray

inspired by the quality of food in Israel

Image by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

you’ll need a

how Farmer J intends to consolidate its position on the Wharf and expand further

“I used to play professional basketball in Israel though, and, being an athlete, I guess that I was always into food.

Then I went to study real estate and hospitality management in Switzerland, where the average food sucked and value for money didn’t really exist.

“That’s when I started to ask why there wasn’t anywhere you could go to have a really good meal. It’s also when I began to realise how food was really important to me and that I had a true passion for it – I really got homesick because of that. I would return to Israel

for holidays and really gorge on good food.

“After graduating in Lausanne, I went into banking to make myself credible – I come from a family of entrepreneurs. I worked in commercial real estate financing, then for a year worked in a team providing high risk financing to companies.

“We looked at turning around business plans and lending money at high interest rates to make sure that we got a really good return. It was super-interesting for me, because I was looking at

business plans, my brain was actually working and every day there was a different sector, a different industry.

“I was working with entrepreneurs who’d set up their own businesses, so they really knew what they were talking about and they’d actually done something amazing – building a business from scratch, from an idea.

“At the bank we didn’t actually create anything so I started to think that I wanted to set up my own business.

Around this time I’d also become really bored with the food offering.

“You’d go out for lunch and nothing was really fresh, it was always a compromise. I saw a gap in the market.

“I’d come into banking really insecure – I wanted to prove something, I was nervous, but then I got to a level of maturity and felt that now was the time to do something real.

“I was thinking about leaving for around a year to set up a business and I started to do my research while at the bank.

“I was thinking what was the full potential of setting up a food business?

I started to build a business plan, and then began to paint a picture of where I could get to in five or years, building , , restaurants.

“What I didn’t realise was just how hard it is to come up with the recipes and the branding.” onathan spent a significant amount of time hunting for a development chef Continued on Page 12

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Canary Wharf

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Branches of Farmer J that will soon be open in Canary Wharf

from Page 10 able to create a menu, having secured the interest of an investor.

“The concept was simple,” he said.

“Why isn’t there a place where you can go and have a meal where you feel you don’t compromise and it’s good value for money, costing £7 or £8, with quick service, cool branding, a cool vibe, that makes you feel like it’s a real experience? That got me going and I decided the first thing to do was to develop the food.”

Eventually teaming up with chef Neil Witney of Ricker Restaurants, Jonathan hammered out a menu that was “a combination of grilled meat or fish, vegetable salads, that was healthy and Mediterranean” and the brand launched in May 2016 in Leadenhall Street.

Designed to work in the three compartments of armer ’s fieldtray, the food has since been further refined for speed and ease of cooking by former Pret A Manger development chef Nick Sandler. The company broke even about a year after launch and has since pursued growth with locations in King William Street and Finsbury Avenue.

It’s been a journey of determination for Jonathan, who met his wife – then working as a lawyer – just before opening his first restaurant.

“She was my biggest fan and always helped me out,” he said. “She saw me being an entrepreneur and she was really keen to make a change in her own life.

“She also had a passion for food and a passion for writing as well, so she left her job to start a food blog. She was on her way to writing a cookery book, but it didn’t work out.

“During that time she helped me a lot with anything to do with marketing and social media. We decided to go into it together, so she’s now head of marketing and branding.

“We love working together and she’s really good at social media, which I hate. It’s great to have someone who cares as much as you do about the business.

“As an entrepreneur, when I left the bank I said that I was not stopping until I’d opened a restaurant.

“Obviously you need luck, but in the end you make a decision and you do everything you can to make sure it does happen. know that a restaurant is di cult, but it’s not rocket science. If you make

“

The concept was simple – why isn’t there a place where you can go and have a meal where you feel you don’t compromise and it’s good value for money?

Jonathan Recanati, Farmer J

tray’s anatomy

what goes into the compartments of a fieldtray In essence the concept of the fieldtray is devastatingly simple, which is probably the reason for its success. Customers buying one at Farmer J run a slickly-managed gauntlet of staff who entreat them to choose a base, a main and two sides. The reality is this means an almost limitless number of combinations – the tray pictured above, for example, has mac ‘n’ cheese as a main and a portion of flank steak on the side as well as broccoli and kale salad. With selections (especially veggie ones) meaning diners are left with change from £10 and hearty, flavourful dishes on offer, there’s little wonder a few minutes’ queuing is no obstacle to repeated purchase

a decision for it to happen, you have to assume you know what good food is, attention to detail is important and you have to trust yourself.

“You keep on going and things start to fall into place – that was my attitude.”

Jonathan, whose favourite dish on the current menu is chermoula chicken with spinach, sweet potatoes and almond slaw, now has a fresh target in his sights.

Already using eco-friendly materials for the fieldtrays themselves, he’s determined to find a replacement for the plastic lids currently used to cover his food.

“The plastic is fully recyclable but it’s a key focus for us and we’re going to nail it,” he said.

“We are testing multiple lids all the time and the reason we haven’t replaced them yet is that we haven’t found one that seals and holds the temperature to the same degree.

“We’re looking at reusable trays as well and we’re trying to get the right design because we’re afraid they will be too bulky for people.”

Whatever size it turns out to be, it’s unlikely Wharfers will be put off heading to armer for their fix of fresh, reasonably priced food, whether that’s the existing branch or at Jubilee Place.

Go to farmerj.com for more information

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

13

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14

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

by Jon Massey

J

ason Mulhall isn’t afraid of a drop of rain and he’s happy to brave the elements to promote Street Bites – his latest Canary Wharf foodie pop-up.

Located every Thursday and Friday until March 27 on Water Street at Wood Wharf, it’s aimed at tempting workers and local residents alike onto the new part of the estate – encouraging them to explore the footpath through the district.

As managing director of Karnival, Jason is no stranger to Canary Wharf, having provided street food traders to enhance numerous events on the estate

including the Winter Lights festival in January and Wimbledon coverage on the big screens in Cabot Square.

While such events are the public-facing element of the company, it was originally founded to fill a niche the dinburgh University graduate identified while working as a consultant at KPMG in Canary Wharf.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do after graduating, except that I didn’t want to become a lawyer and after my masters in management, I wanted to see if I’d enjoy banking,” said Jason.

“I spent two and a half years at HSBC – it was one of these graduate schemes where you move around a lot, so I had six months in dinburgh, six months in the City and six months in Kazakhstan before coming to head o ce looking out over the Wharf from Level 40.

“Then I made the very, very small hop – literally next door to KPMG – where I went to to their consulting arm, working for banks on all sorts of projects but essentially helping them with their operations and their strategies.

“I was there for three and a bit years, and then, about three and a bit years ago, I started Karnival.

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an invitation to visit the

karnival

how Karnival delivers street food flavours to satisfy the desires of office workers and residents

4

Years since Jason founded street food firm Karnival

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

15

Jason saw a gap in the market to take street food into companies before moving into pop-ups and longer residencies with Karnival

Images by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

Canary Wharf

“Originally it was called Karousel, but we’ve rebranded in the last six months and changed it to Karnival.

“It started with an idea, formed purely because of my consulting background, which meant that I was constantly going to different buildings and different o ces. ne of the first uestions you ask in an o ce is What’s the canteen like What are the food options around here What does everyone do for lunch?’.

“I was constantly getting the same answer – the canteen wasn’t very good or non-existent or that Pret was where everyone went.

“At the same time, there was a street food revolution happening in London.

“All of sudden people were saying Wait a second, as a street food trader, we want to make our brand something specific’. eing taken more seriously involved nice branding, colours, personality and high uality food. y thought process was , you’ve got these professional traders, who really care about their craft and you’ve got a potential demand in these corporate o ces – can I get these street-food small businesses, train them up and get them to work indoors in the form

“

One of the first questions you ask in an office is: ‘What’s the canteen like? What are the food options round here? What does everyone do for lunch?

Jason Mulhall, Karnival

of street food pop-ups in o ces.

The traders were normally the founders or their relatives and the people buying the food were encouraged to ask uestions, so it was a kind of theatre – there was lots of personality.

“So that’s what we sold to the clients – regular pop-ups in lobbies or break-out areas, roof terraces and courtyards where we’d rotate traders so that it didn’t get boring, hence Karousel. usinesses and landlords are always looking at ways to keep their tenants happy and street food is a very simple way to do that.

“Fast forward probably a or so and we started doing a lot more Continued on Page 16

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Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

Canary Wharf

16

Traders on rotation provided for Cabot Street Bites by Karnival last year

from Page 15 pre-paid elements, where clients pay for their staff to have food.

“It’s the Facebook and Google revolution of everything’s free. lot of businesses can’t do that, but they’re trying to compete to hire and retain staff. ne way of doing that is to offer a food perk. t might be once a week, once a month or once a uarter. aving someone come in and serve food adds that social element. aving supplied traders to businesses meant arnival was ideally placed to create street food markets in an area such as anary Wharf. ason, whose favourite street food is a banh mi sandwich, said: he team here are ama ing. bout three years ago we did our first pop-up on the estate to support a country music festival. ur level of branding, food uality and standards links up well with anary Wharf’s expectation of high uality. t went well and, over the years, we’ve become the go-to people for them when activation is needed in a particular area. hat could be a one-off single weekend event or it could be a two-week programme to coincide with a sporting festival, for example.

We have a really great relationship with the anary Wharf events team and last year we started a weekly market with them – abot Street ites, which was our first consistent pop-up. hat ran for around weeks last summer with traders on rotation – some familiar and some changing each time.

We’re doing the pop-up in Wood Wharf at the moment and plans are in place to be doing similar markets in . We’re still working out the exact details, but expect it will be similar things brought back over the summer period on the estate. anary Wharf have been a great partner – they’ve been unbelievably helpful and professional. hey expect a high standard and think our values are uite similar, given my background in professional services.

“I think that has helped our move into street food as a company, because, although may not have a food background – that’s what the traders are there for – I can do cleanliness, professionalism, organisation, look and feel and ensuring everyone has the right documentation and the right attitude.

With Wood Wharf, it’s about getting people to walk those extra metres from ontgomery S uare, to discover the area. s for the wider business, there’s potential to do markets

Above, beef is fried by Guasacaca during Street Bites in Water Street, left

in other areas of London and we think there’s still a massive opportunity with the indoor lunch space. So many companies want to provide perks and we’re in a great space to take advantage of that – there’s all sorts of stuff in our five-year plan.

Street ites runs in Water Street on hursdays and ridays from am until pm.

Go to karnivalfood.com or canarywharf.com for more information

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

41

Advertising Directory

find our advertisers’ messages here Chase Evans print Pages 1, 32-33 online chaseevans.co.uk

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be part of the Canary Wharf conversation To advertise in Wharf Life call 07944 000 144 or email advertising@wharf-life.com

Wharf Life is published by Massey Maddison Limited, printed by Iliffe Print Cambridge. Copyright Massey Maddison Limited 2020

42

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

virtual viewpoint

by Chris Ezekiel

how Sync promises an easier way to manage finances with one app to rule all accounts

by Jon Massey

What will the future be like for people who cannot remember a less connected time?

O

n a recent flight to Australia a couple arrived in seats near me with a new-born baby. We were all doing the same thing – smiling at the little innocent face while at the same time wondering how well the technology in our noise cancelling headphones would hold up. Judging by the panic on one guy’s face, he must have realised he’d forgotten to pack his.

All those previous screaming baby experiences on planes came flooding back as I thought about the long flight ahead. But turned out the little girl was an absolute angel.

Watching her distracted by the cartoon on a screen got me thinking about the world she’ll grow up in – a connected world.

Just like Generation Z who are now starting to work, she’ll never know a world where people arranged to meet up with their friends at a specific time and a place as there was no way to get in touch I am concerned if they were running about the impact late or couldn’t make it – where people had of technology on to talk to each other rather than text or a our ability to time where people interact with had limited electronic entertainment. each other Running a techChris Ezekiel, Creative Virtual nology company, I often ask myself if the relentless technological march is for the ultimate benefit of mankind.

On the whole I think it is, but I am concerned about the impact of technology on our ability to interact with each other.

As the cabin crew came up for a cuddle (with the baby, not me), I wondered whether the little girl would grow-up comfortable and receptive to touch or if such interactions will become a thing of the past. We all have a responsibility to not let technology take away what makes us human, otherwise machines really will have taken over the world.

“

Chris Ezekiel is founder and CEO of customer engagement solutions specialist Creative Virtual based at Cannon Workshops on West India Quay Go to creativevirtual.com or follow @creativevirtual and @chrisezekiel on Twitter

R

icky Lee is looking to the spring. Following a roll-out to family and friends, the founder and CEO of Level39-based startup Sync is granting the first , users access to his financial app this month.

“We’ve started to release it bit by bit,” he said. “We’ve been developing it for months, launched it privately in November, put a press release out in December and we soft-launched it in February so people looking for us can find us.

We’ve got more than , subscribers and we’re looking at a full launch in the spring, so these are exciting moments.”

Formerly head of product design and strategy in the founding team of challenger bank and runaway success story Revolut, Ricky has an extensive history in the tech and financial worlds, having worked for mobile brands such as EE and Orange as well as at Lloyds Bank.

Sync’s stated aim is to give its users a better understanding of their saving, spending and investing habits by allowing them to bring all of their financial accounts under the umbrella of a single app.

Making use of open banking, it promises adopters the opportunity to manage those accounts, move money between them, exchange currencies, transfer cash to other users for free and select products and services from its marketplace of partners.

There’s also a Mastercard service, emblazoned with Sync’s cross logo in black and fluorescent livery, that will enable users to spend cash from any of their accounts with a linked in-app ability to generate a fresh CVC security number at the touch of a button for added safety online.

“Sync is an incredible venture that came off some ideas had while working at Lloyds and others from when oined evolut in the very early stages,” said icky, who lives on the sle f Dogs. “With changes to the laws around payments in the EU coming in and open banking, thought so much more could be done than the services offered by existing challenger banks.

“While there are a lot of good challenger banks out there and a lot of good credit cards, there is nothing that can actually oin them all into one hub.

“That’s what Sync does. We synchronise all your financial accounts into one application.

“There are so many good products out there, you’ve got Amex for your points, and maybe you want one app to have all your cards – like Apple Pay – a travel card like Revolut. But how can we oin all of these into one app “How can you make sure that you’re on budget and managing all your finances properly ould you unite them ould you move money from one to another “Sync comes from synchronise and it puts all your finances into one app. f you have a oint account with Lloyds with your wife, you can bring that one in. f you bank everyday with Barclays and you have your travel card with Revolut, then you can put all these accounts into one place. Then you can move money between them and we can do analytics with machine learning and in the background – so, for example, we can tell you you’re with a particular power company and you can pay £33 a month but you could save £6 a month.”

One of the key target markets for Sync is people with multiple nationalities or who are living and working overseas. ’ve always expected more of banking,” said Ricky, who is half Spanish and half British. “The idea is that traditional banking is old – can’t believe that someone like myself, with two nationalities, who has lived in the UK and worked abroad has to deal with accounts in the US, Spain and here.

With Sync you can open different currency accounts and that’s strong because users can live in the UK, say, go and work in Qatar and get paid in Qatari riyal, and we offer an incredible exchange rate if you want to move your money.

We do what different challenger banks do, but all in one place and the user experience is easy, it’s great. t’s important to remember though, that we’re not a bank and we don’t use people’s money.

All the money’s segregated so, no matter what happens to Sync, people’s accounts are always protected – that’s one of the things our users need to know.

“London as a city is very competitive for challenger banks, but we’re doing something incredible, very different – we’re going to become more the Amex of challenger banks.

37k

Users who have already subscribed for access to Sync

The Sync Mastercard allows users to spend money from multiple accounts

Sync founder Ricky Lee has based his fintech startup at Level39 in Canary Wharf

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

43

Tech & Innovation

“I’ve got seven banking apps now, being half-Spanish. We’re targetting British people, resident Europeans and international people who live in London.

“But we’re also targetting the expat and the migrant. For example, I have a Santander account from Spain, an Amex and an American bank, as well as a mortgage here with the Halifax and an account with Lloyds’.

“I know my password to one bank – the one I use most. The others I would have to look up.

What’s good, is that for putting the effort into synchronising them all into one app, we’ll help you manage all those accounts.”

Sync intends to make money through charges to retailers when customers use its card as well as on its currency exchange services.

“We’re very open about it,” said Ricky. “We can’t give users the market rate because it doesn’t really exist. The charge is in the decimals when it comes to currency trading so the difference to the user is so minor.

“For example, if the exchange rate is £1 to €1.15 you’re happy, but that’s actually €1.1582 and our rate is €1.1583. t’s not even a penny difference but where you have millions of transactions it adds up. Our model is about volume.

“We’re also hoping to make money on the rewards side in future – for example, we might have a deal with Spotify where if you use our card, we get off – we’ll give £1 to you and keep £1.

“That’s not the case right now, but, hopefully, it will be in the future.”

place everything in its

Image by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

W

hile Ricky said that convincing investors to back challenger banks was tough, Sync has just finished its latest funding round by raising £5million, a process that was oversubscribed by a further £2million.

“The goals are very high for any challenger bank in Europe and especially in London,” he said.

“To be up there, we’ve had to create in 14 months our own application and an incredible card that offers what the others offer – but they’ve done it in five years, we’ve had just over a year.

“We’ve managed to do a lot, and we could already be classed as the third challenger bank with the number of features we do.

“It’s been 14 months of really hard work and, believe it or not, we’ve just expanded into Spain.

“Thomas Cook went down in October – they had a prepaid travel card that unfortunately had to close. We’ve taken the majority of developers who worked for that company on board – they’re part

“

While there are a lot of good challenger banks and credit cards, there’s nothing that can actually join them all into one hub Ricky Lee, Sync

of Sync now. I’ve worked for banks and challenger banks for a long time now. The good thing about Sync is that, as CEO, I get to call the shots.

“There’s one bad thing – I never sleep. It’s hard work and it’s affected me in every way.

“Working at Revolut, for example, I realise that my responsibility there was maybe 10%.

Now, I feel responsible for the whole team of 23 people.

“I ran a design agency about 12 years ago and that was tough because you did the hours, and the deadlines were hard because sometimes you work with companies like Burger King, BMW or big banks and they need things by certain times. Then, if the creatives are floundering, we’ve got a problem.

“But I found the agency was always a bit easier than a fintech.

The expenses we have here are so high – I wish users understood that what goes into offering an incredible card, a free inter-bank rate, helping people travel round the world and bank for free, costs us so much money.

“The pressure is incredible. You have to separate, you have to close the door and disconnect.

We’ve put so much effort into the brand – I’m very brand-orientated. It’s an incredible service, but what we’re building is not a service, it’s a brand.

“We want people to recognise Sync as secure, affordable for all and something that fits people’s needs.

What makes us different is we want to be your hub – we know that you love your banks and your other financial services, so put them all into one place and we’ll manage it for you.

“I’m taking everything in small steps so rather than thinking about five years, ’m asking Where will I be in six months or a year?’.

“I think we’ve done something incredible. Banking should be seamless – if you bank worldwide, it doesn’t really matter. That’s where Sync is going.

“Us switching on live is frightening – we are opening up to a market of 666million – but it’s also very exciting.”

Go to sync.money for more information

44

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

meet the seasoned captain turned chef and technology savvy South African behind restaurant The Melusine

19

The number of restaurants Theodore has opened in London during his varied 30 year culinary career

by Laura Enfield

O

ne is a 60-year-old former merchant navy captain from Greece with 19 restaurant openings under his belt, the other a 30-year-old South African who has always dreamt of conquering the London food scene.

Together Theodore Kyriakou and Wade Mundford have opened The elusine – St atharine ocks’ first purely seafood restaurant.

And just like the marina, their partnership is a pairing of past and present.

“It’s a very interesting relationship because he has a very old-school way of thinking, cooking and dealing with people and I’m more modern and have put a lot of technology in,” said Wade. “It’s new versus old and it works well.”

Theodore said: “A good restaurant is never run by one person, you need a good team.

“Wade has tons of energy and has lots of qualities I don’t – it is a very good marriage.”

The co-owners have poured all their own money, passion and experience into the venue, which is tucked into an arch of the Grade II listed Ivory House and named after a mermaid-like spirit.

It serves up a menu of British sourced seafood that changes daily.

“The idea and location came handin-hand,” said Brockley resident Wade who met Theodore in 2016 when they worked together at former eatery The Greek Larder in King’s Cross.

“We started talking about opening a restaurant at the beginning of last year and had looked at a few sites in London. Then in May, we came across St Katharine Docks and both of us, as soon as we walked in, said: ‘Seafood,’ simultaneously.”

It is full circle for Theodore, whose first restaurant – ivebait in Waterloo – specialised in seafood and also had a menu that changed daily.

He opened it March 1995, eight years after settling in London and went on to open The Real Greek and The Greek Larder, where he employed Wade as general manager until it closed in April 2018. But the Bermondsey resident never planned to be a chef.

He joined the Greek merchant navy straight out of school and spent over a decade travelling the world experiencing its cultures and flavours.

Co-owners Wade, left, and Theodore have opened

catch St Katherine Docks’

only seafood restaurant in Ivory House

of the docks

Images by Holly Cant – find more of her work at hollycant.com or via @hollycantphoto on

n Insta

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45

Wapping - Limehouse - Shadwell

Above and below: cured gurnard, mackerel gravlax and hand-picked crab are among the dishes diners may experience “In the navy I became obsessed with the sea,” said the father-of-two. “The beauty of standing on the deck in the air – you have no chance to escape so you have to be sociable.

“It might not be a great everyday lifestyle but it is a great lifestyle for some time. The food was awful though. Home was where I got my good base of food and then by travelling.”

After 10 years on the same boat it was scrapped in 1984 and the owners offered heodore training as a ship broker. But it “wasn’t my cup of tea” so he quit after two months and “by accident” ended up back on the seas. t was the first boat of reenpeace arriving in London and I went to see it,” he said. “They were looking for a second captain for the trip to Iceland so I went and passed the exam and left with them.”

He returned to London in 1987 and a friend found him work with a French chef in Battersea Rise.

“I came into cooking quite late in my life – when I was 29,” said Theodore.

“It was purely out of the desperation of trying to find work. ut a week later I said that’s where I would focus.”

Raised by parents who owned a deli in Athens, he said he had a natural knowledge of food but no thoughts of being a chef before then.

“It was just a moment when a door opened and I went in and it looked like it matched my character. find it very similar to being at sea – very unpredictable and challenging.”

All of The Melusine’s seafood is sourced from small fishing boats via auction using apps such as Pesky Fish and delivered to the restaurant twice a day, meaning the menus are planned with just a few hours’ notice.

“I arrive here in the morning and have nine different species in small quantities and start thinking about what to do,” said Theodore. t can be hard at first but becomes easier with habit and makes every day a nice, steady challenge.”

Wade, who previously worked at Smiths f Smithfield, he entlemen Baristas and Jose Pizarro Restaurants,

said keeping everything running smoothly was di cult but worth the effort.

“We decided we wanted to have fun and be different, said the ape Town native. “We wanted to keep it as British as possible and researched sustainability and decided not to go to Billingsgate but source it directly from the fishermen.

“We have gone through about six suppliers since starting and now work with a handful of really good ones and get the fish from boat to plate in a maximum of eight hours. he di cult part is, unfortunately, we have had two storms in the UK in very quick succession and that has impacted us a lot because the fishermen don’t want to go out.”

Some items will always be on the menu, such as Theodore’s famous Taramosalata, which he served at The reek arder, langoustines delivered live to the docks and giant crabs weighing up to three kilos.

“Often I’ll take photos of dishes and tag the fisherman in it on nstagram so they know it’s been cooked well and taken care of – we want to give them that joy,” said Wade.

Many of their deliveries are done by bicycle and Wade is keen to remove polystyrene from the restaurant to increase its eco credentials.

He has also introduced Theodore to technology which has been “funny” and in return has benefited from the reek’s wealth of experience.

“He has a sincere passion for the

“

He has a very old-school way of thinking, cooking and dealing with people and I’m more modern and have put a lot of technology in Wade Mundford, The Melusine

industry and food,” said Wade. “I have learnt a lot from him in the kitchen, where I moonlight.

“He’s also a very patient person, with everyone and I have learnt a different way of thinking.

“He will have a talk over a morning coffee and then a night’s sleep and ’m guns-blazing-let’s-get-it-done-now.” hey had to combine their different approaches to transform the site from an empty art gallery into a 40-seater restaurant.

“We jumped through a lot of hoops – it was tough,” said Wade, who discovered his passion for hospitality working a summer job in a cafe and moved to London aged 19 to pursue his dream “The restaurant was designed like a boat. It is small, 70 sq m with around 30 of that taken up by the bar and kitchen, so every inch is utilised and nothing can go anywhere else.”

Theodore said: “I have gone from small to very big restaurants that have become a chain.

“Size doesn’t matter. What really matters is the idea and do the people find it an experience coming to dine “A small restaurant is very nice because there is more freedom and fire and fun. would say this is the perfect size because it’s good to have contact with the people. Often with big restaurants, you lose that.”

The restaurant opened in December and Wade said while it was hard work launching in winter he has never been one to rest on his laurels. y first six months in ondon were really tough,” he said of arriving in the capital over a decade ago.

“I actually gave up and went back to South Africa for three weeks but I got horribly bored so bought a one-way ticket back to London and have been here ever since.

“I just decided I was going to make it work and started out pouring pints at harlton thletic .

“I still have a payslip from when I worked in a student accommodation in ing’s ross and did hours in one week.

“I knew I had to work hard to get somewhere. My dream was always to open a restaurant in London. It’s taken me 13 years to climb the food chain but ’ve finally done it.

And for Theodore it is about riding another wave in the ever changing restaurant business.

“This is the third or fourth time I have seen the industry dive in my time in London,” he said.

“At the end of the day it’s up to the individuals if they have got a brand or idea that can work even during these tough times.

“Hospitality is a drug addiction for me. I would have to not be able to stand up in the kitchen or chop something, to leave.

“As long as I can wake up in the morning and my brain functions, hospitality is a very nice place to work.”

Go to themelusine.co.uk for more information

14 days later

plan your life from Mar 25-Apr 8 where?

Wilton’s Music Hall Wapping

STAGE | Ida Barr: Granarchist A night of social agitation with Christopher Green’s hip hop granny persona promising protest R&B, dissident 1800s tunes, sing-a-longs and laughter.

Mar 31, 7.45pm, £6.50-£16, wiltons.org.uk where?

Troxy Limehouse

STAGE | Cruel: The Rock Opera Romanian playwright Tibor Molnar’s haunting love story is staged using a church organ, full rock band, string quartet and four rock vocalists.

Mar 29, 7pm, £11, troxy.co.uk where?

Jamboree Three Colt Street

FESTIVAL | From Jamboree With Love An all-day and night festival headlined by ace Balkan / Middle Eastern / Reggae / Ska band The Cabarats, with compere Fred Snow.

Mar 28, 4pm-2am, £10-12, jamboreevenue.co.uk

to do before March 25

Charlotte Church, Richard Ayoade, Louis Theroux and Elif Shafak will be speakers at FutureFest 2020 at Tobacco Dock in Wapping.

The event on March 20 (10am-10pm) looks at how today’s big challenges could be tackled. futurefest.org

spot check worth a visit Try Bravas Tapas in St Katharine Docks for Basque small plates bravasrestaurant.com want more? @wharflifelive

46

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

free

Quote WHARF when dining at Bella Cosa and get a free glass of fizz with your meal

Top, the main dining room at Bella Cosa Above and right, head chef Francesco Mammetti works on an octopus stew Below, lobster linguine with tomatoes (ÂŁ17)

fresh something

Images by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

47

Isle Of Dogs - Poplar - Blackwall

how Bella Cosa has a new head chef, a fresh look and a more casual atmosphere to tempt in Islanders

14 days later

plan your life from Mar 25-Apr 8 where?

The Space Isle Of Dogs

by Jon Massey

B

ella Cosa has changed. As more residents move into the area, the Italian stalwart has undergone a refurbishment, embracing keenly-priced casual dining at its dockside location off arsh Wall.

Leading the charge in the kitchen is head chef rancesco ammetti who has put together a menu rich in pizza and pasta crowd-pleasers.

But with a CV that includes Novikov, Casa Di Stefano and Chucs, diners can expect dishes that do more than simply deliver warmth and sustenance.

“The menu is delicious – full of classical dishes – it’s real Italian, a simple style of cooking,” said Francesco.

“It’s based on tradition but we use new techniques to make something different. We use fresh products to make dishes that will appeal to local people.

“On the menu there is a choice to make your own pizza, for example – you choose your ingredients and I will make it for you.

We also have three risotti – one with lobster, one with mushroom and one with fish – and they are really, really good.

“The ingredients we use are very fresh and I make my own pasta. I love it. like pi a as well, but it’s filling. y favourite dishes on this menu are the lamb cutlet with fregola and pesto sauce, of course, spaghetti carbonara and lobster linguine with tomatoes.

We have an octopus stew as a starter, with potatoes and paprika, which is really nice, and then we have a couple of desserts – homemade tiramisu, which is my own recipe and homemade panna cotta sweetened with vanilla and served with a berry coulis.

“I have a bit of a problem with sweets – I learnt to make them with an English chef who didn’t trust a skinny cook. I have a really sweet tooth.”

The dessert list, with all dishes priced £6, also includes cannoli, rum baba, ice cream and sorbets. Pastas and pizzas hover around the £11 mark, although ella osa does offer a margherita for £8. rancesco’s love affair with cooking started as a teenager growing up in Rome.

He said: “I started with Italian food when I was 13 years old – I come from

Bella Cosa’s octopus stew (£10.50) comes with new potatoes, capers and tomatoes as well as a dusting of vivid, orange paprika Italy – so I know all about the traditional cuisine from my grandmother and my mother. y grandmother always used to tell me that I was a messy chef, but my mother was OK with me helping out.

When was at cookery school in Italy, my teacher told me that London was one of the greatest cities in the world – you could find so many different kinds of food there – and if wanted to be a chef, it was the one city I must visit.

“I had a couple of friends who were already in the UK, one in London and one in Edinburgh and one of them said that I could be a really good chef here and get good money.

“So I moved to London in 2009, and started work in ontpeliano restaurant as a chef in the pasta section. In Italy I’d already been a head chef. y sister was an nglish teacher, but I moved to the UK without knowing anything about English at all. Another chef told me that I was good in the kitchen, but my lack of English was holding me back, so I studied at home, learning the language at night – it was tough.

“After six months, I changed restaurants to a trattoria and I was head chef there. Then I learned more English, because the owner was English.

“I needed to focus on my English, and then luckily I met my wife, and she told me that, if I wanted to live in London and be a good chef, I really needed to learn the language.

She’s from Slovenia and had lived in London for 27 years when I met her.”

“

The menu is delicious – full of classical dishes – it’s real Italian, a simple style of cooking that will appeal to local people Francesco Mammetti, Bella Cosa

Francesco continued to work his way up through various restaurants in London, eventually landing a role at ovikov in ayfair – arco orri’s modern twist on Italian cuisine.

“He was my mentor and he was really tough,” said Francesco, whose English is faultless today. “It was such a big challenge for me because I had never worked in such a place.

“I’d been doing 60 or 70 people on a Saturday night, and here we got to 600 or 700 in one service.

“I had dozens of chefs working with me and we started at 9am and finished at . am the following day.

“The chef was really well organised, with a checklist, constantly going to reception and checking everything – I learnt a lot from him.

“In the end I left Novikov for my family, because I’d come back late, get up early in the morning and I needed to see my kids. This is why I tell you it was tough – had one day off a week and that was it.”

Spells at Chucs, Casa Di Stefano and Camillo Benso followed before Francesco was invited to join Bella Cosa – a chance to create something fresh in the space and build a role with a better work-life balance on the edge of West ndia South ock.

That project began in December and the chef and his team believe its waterside location and the uncomplicated food offering should draw both business clients and an ever-growing pool of local residents alike – especially now the path from anary Wharf through Wood Wharf to reston’s oad has significantly shortened the walking route to the restaurant.

“Slowly, slowly, I’ve created the menu and recruited the staff in the kitchen,” said Francesco.

What we’re trying to do is simple Italian food – not rich or complex, and you have to work really hard to do that. Freshness is key – for example, I make lasagne and ravioli every day.

We keep ourselves very busy .

“The restaurant is for local people and ’m sure they’ll find something they like here.”

Go to bellacosarestaurant.com

STAGE | Ploutos Theatre company Thiasos presents Aristophanes’ satire on delivering wealth. Expect songs, dances, feasts and farts plus anarchic shadow puppetry.

Apr 7-11, times vary, £15, space.org.uk where?

Trinity Buoy Wharf Leamouth

GIG | Ms Maurice The London-based trumpeter, vocalist and visual artist presents organic grooves infused with 1970s jazz and a touch of West African sound.

Apr 8, 6pm, £12.50, trinitybuoywharf.com where?

Poplar Union Poplar

KIDS | Crafts With Maud Barrett The sustainable textiles artist and teacher offers a family workshop where participants can make their own Easter decorations. Materials are provided Apr 4, 11am-1pm, £5, poplarunion.com

to do before March 25

Hear the African stylings of Kongo Dia Ntotila at Poplar Union on March 14 from 7.30pm as they add a neat twist of jazz to the mix. Billed as “pure Afro-joy” this is an evening well worth paying £8 for (book tickets online) poplarunion.com

spot check worth a visit Give Elasko a go – find your stretch and breathe deep in Blackwall elasko.com want more? @wharflifelive

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Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

21

pieces of music have been written and recorded for the play by Hugo

by Laura Enfield

T

hey have only just tied the knot, but colourful writer Laura Dockrill and monochrome musician Hugo White have been on the same wavelength since childhood.

They met aged 12 and became best friends, finding a shared comfort in their creativity as her parents split up and the founding member of The Maccabees lost his mum to multiple sclerosis.

They kept in touch as he toured the world and she became a respected children’s author.

Romance blossomed four years ago. Today, the newlyweds – who were married by close friend Adele in February – are stronger than ever having battled through a bout of postpartum psychosis two years ago after Laura gave birth. Now they have poured their shared emotions and talents into children’s play Dust, which comes to The Albany in Deptford on April 14. Laura wrote the story of love, loss, identity and memory while Hugo created the music, including two songs with his vocals. He said it was amazing to work on such an emotional project after what they had been through together.

“My mum died when I was 16,” said the 33-year-old, who plans to run the London Marathon this summer in aid of MS Society. “She was ill for a long time, which was a lot to deal with at that age but Laura and I were best friends through that time.

“It’s amazing we have always had that connection. We lived through playing each other music, making mix tapes and writing letters and we still do those things.

“That’s why working together is such a nice thing. We both understand where we are coming from and nothing is lost in translation.”

The former Dulwich schoolboy formed The Maccabees with brother Felix in 2004 and the band released four albums. When they split in 2017 Hugo realised his childhood friend was “the one”.

Laura, who writes the Darcy Burdock books, said their marriage was “a long time coming”.

“I have wanted to be Laura White since I was 13,” she said. he first time met ugo he was sat on the step wearing his cap and little bobbly socks and I thought: ‘He’s cute,’ but I friend-zoned him.

“His mum wasn’t well then and I remember him dealing with a massive amount of stress really gracefully and beautifully and he taught me a lot about how to be peaceful and sit with yourself when you are not feeling OK. “Now I look back, all of our group were going through something but at the age you feel like it is only you.”

The couple, who have a two-year-old son, wrote children’s play

stronger Dust at their

south London home

together

Musician Hugo White and children’s author Laura Dockrill talk about childhood trauma, writing a play for kids and finally getting hitched

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

49

Image by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

Rotherhithe - Deptford - Bermondsey

Laura said she wanted Dust, aimed at children aged four-tonine, to be a comfort.

“There will be children in the audience going through tough things like displacement, confusion or feeling abandoned,” she said.

“We have a responsibility to acknowledge that and not just shout and rave that you have to be happy all the time. Happiness is ultimately what we are celebrating but showing that it is OK to feel the shade as well because you can’t have the light without that.”

The Brixton-raised writer said she learned to crack jokes as a “survival technique” when her parents split up when she was 12. t was uite a di cult time but I would never have shown it.

Now I have visited hundreds of schools and you see how resilient and robust kids are and how they cope. You realise we adults are the delicate ones. Kids have massive endurance and we shouldn’t underestimate their emotional capacity to deal with subjects head-on.”

The play, produced by Half Moon Theatre, will be performed using puppets and follows bold but defensive little girl Titch who arrives at an unwelcoming new home but then meets Nelly, a flamboyant and loveable hoarder.

“Friendships between older and younger people are really important,” said Laura, who was inspired by the fact her mother was adopted and a giant, pink house she stayed in on a writing trip to LA. “Taking the time to ask your mum or grandma or neighbour how they ended up where they are, and being inquisitive and curious – that is what the show is about and how you can find family in someone you wouldn’t expect, once you open up.”

She was approached by the Limehouse theatre’s CEO and director Chris Elwell last year to write something and said: “I love what Half Moon does and think Chris is such an amazing champion of theatre and all the work he does for children is very sophisticated and not about fart jokes and clowns, which is what over-saturates the children’s market. I was really excited by how delicately he treats it.”

The play’s name came from her desire to turn something “gross into something magical”.

“I was interested in dust and what it holds and represents,” she said. “It can capture memories and is like archiving the past.

“Chris really trusted me to go with it and it has bits of poetry and free flow and some bits have turned into songs. So it was really nice having Hugo work on the music because we could ust fiddle around with stuff at home.

Hugo recorded 21 pieces of music for Dust in just three days.

The musician, who describes himself as an “all or nothing” guy, said: “I always delay things but there will always be a point where it snaps and takes over.

“I created little themes for each character that evolve throughout the play and recorded it all in my home studio using a drum kit someone bought for our son. t’s all uite low-fi and hopefully there’s a charm in that.”

He has been working on a new band with brother Felix and The Stereophonics’ drummer Jamie Morrison for a few years.

“We have got the album written and hope to release some music later this year, but we just don’t have a name yet, which holds things back a bit,” said Hugo.

“It started as an instrumental project and it went through different things and different people involved. We weren’t sure what it would be and then a year ago it suddenly fell into place.

“It’s really hard to work together creatively with a bunch of people, so when it all slots together, you know it is something really special.

To re-feel that magic is amazing.”

H

ugo said working on Dust had been a refreshing change.

“Band dynamics are complicated and it’s freeing doing a project like this,” he said. “It was enjoyable to immerse myself in it and not have anyone commenting.

“It felt amazing to create a piece of music that captures the magic of the script. It isn’t patronising, so I didn’t want to write music that was stupid and kiddy because they do pick up on that and the subtlety of emotions – probably more than adults.”

Laura said she could hear Hugo recording the music down the hall but they “don’t step on each others toes”.

“We really trust each other’s sense of taste but I’m always like: ‘Make it a bit more fun,’ and he’s always like: ‘Make it a bit more sad’, she said.

“We have that balance and because we have known each other since we were kids we are always speaking up for and protecting the little kid inside each other because we know who that is, so it really keeps the work fresh and vibrant.”

“

Working together is such a nice thing. We can both understand where we are coming from and nothing is lost in translation Hugo White, musician

A Brit School graduate Laura got into writing by creating monologues for her friends and then reading them on stage.

After a Bestival performance was gatecrashed by kids, her agent suggested she write for children.

“I had tried before but it would come out as: ‘Plinky plonky Jane and John go to the park’,” she said.

“Then I decided to write how I normally would but not swear and that worked.”

“The main aim of a children’s writer is being a friend in a book. It is a massive relationship that will set them up for life and can teach them about companionship, time on your own, and courage. I don’t take that for granted.”

Writing her first adult book What Have I Done? – due out in May – about her battle with postpartum psychosis, was a different challenge.

“Our son was three weeks old and I woke up on Mother’s Day in the psychiatric ward” said Laura. “I went voluntarily because I couldn’t cope, I lost all sense of reality – I was disillusioned and wasn’t me. I see it now as me being in a coma.”

Writing became a necessary part of her healing process. t first it felt too overwhelming and scary but then, how I have always dealt with everything, the writing just started coming,” she said. “I don’t understand why no one talks about it. Making babies has been going on since the dawn of time and we talk about the physical changes but not the psychological. It is wrapped in this shame and guilt that it means we don’t love our babies.

“When you think about an oxygen mask on an aeroplane you’re supposed to put yours on first and then help the child. hat is how I saw this illness. I knew I wasn’t OK and couldn’t be the best mum and version of myself.

“I tried to hide it for so long but my birth was so traumatic – why would I expect to come out of it feeling OK? My body felt attacked by a gang of wolves.” ”Recovering from that has been the hardest but most enriching thing that has happened to me.”

Hugo said they wanted to talk about their experience to raise awareness and banish the stigma.

“It wiped us out for a year,” he said. t was horrible and di cult to navigate. We had never even heard of postpartum psychosis.

“In the depths of it, it’s easy to feel you might not come back from it but it’s been amazing watching Laura put everything into recovering and writing the book.”

Dust will be on at Half Moon Theatre from March 18-27 at Stratford Circus on March 28 and at The Albany on April 14.

For details go to halfmoon.org.uk, stratford-circus.com or thealbany.org.uk

14 days later

plan your life from Mar 25-Apr 8 where?

Canada Water Theatre Canada Water

STAGE | The Endz A powerful new drama created by young people from Harris Academy bringing together original rap, spoken word and songs and a live orchestra.

Mar 31, 7pm, £6, canadawatertheatre.org.uk where?

Printworks Rotherhithe

GIG | Unleash Presents: Solomun Following two sold-out shows, the electronic music icon who emerged from the underground Hamburg scene returns for an epic four-hour set.

Apr 3, 7pm, from £27.50, printworkslondon.co.uk where?

The Albany Deptford

FESTIVAL | Haramacy Middle Eastern, North African and South Asian artists will present a one-night festival of multi-arts performances, talks, and music.

Apr 4, 7pm, £20, thealbany.org.uk

to do before March 25

See Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket at Deptford Cinema, co-written and starring Owen Wilson.

Three friends stage a wildly complex, mildly successful robbery and go on the lam. March 18, doors 7.30pm, tickets £6 deptfordcinema.org

spot check worth a visit Don’t miss Deptford Lit Fest on March 14 for poetry, walks and talks with local creatives spreadtheword.org.uk want more? @wharflifelive

50

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

how Ardoa aims to tempt visitors and residents of Greenwich Peninsula with its food and wine

by Jon Massey

V

inotech Compass has evolved. As developer Knight Dragon continues the process of turning Greenwich Peninsula into a desirable residential area, space became available for owners Keith Lyon and Arnaud Compass to move on, having done hard yards next to the local golf driving range for the first years of their partnership.

With pi a restaurant, coffee shop and bar – Vinotech Social – open near Lewisham DLR station, the latest establishment to pop from the neck of their pairing is Ardoa.

It’s been trading since July on the shore of The Tide – Knight Dragon’s angular, architectural, elevated park – designed to decant visitors from Peninsula Square to its freshly hewn neighbourhood beside the Thames with a landscaped park and boisterous artworks.

Spread over two floors, the bar and restaurant is a marriage of stylish dining room above and heavily glazed bar below complete with bare brick bar and open kitchen, an extensive bottle shop and the warm wood of barrels and stools.

“Ardoa in Basque means wine, and we’re very wine-focused in this place,” said Keith.

“It’s predominantly Spanish wine, with some classics from Italy and France.

“We are delivering what we believe in, what we want to deliver in terms of food with lovely wine to go alongside it.

“The small sharing-plates we offer are very as ue and there’s also a very large plate with a 1.2kg txuleta steak, which we import from that area– it’s astonishing.

“We have predominantly small plates and you need to choose about four or five per person.

“If you’re not as hungry and just want a little snack, then three is more than su cient, of course.

“The steak could be for two very hungry people, but normally three or four. It costs £99 – but for three or four people that is extremely good value and the meat is astonishing.”

While the bar sells bottles and

runs wine tastings – something in line with Keith and Arnaud’s deep-set passion – the o cial list is remarkably restrained and chosen to complement the food created by head chef Idoa Guzman.

“I have six whites, six reds, two roses and three bubbles, including an English producer at the moment,” said Keith. “They are all very intriguing wines.

“We have a baby Zibibo from Sicily, which is like li uefied fruit salad, ust off dry and delicious; then I’ve some madness from Portugal – a Vinho that is fermented and matured in an amphora, making it dry and flinty.

“Then, from one of the great estates of Spain, we have a third wine, Quintaluna, which is a Verdejo – that’s the style of wine we do.

“With the reds, things really get interesting. We have a little Rioja, called Artuke, which is from the Basque and is extremely well priced. Our wines start around £5.50 and go up to around £9 per glass.

“Downstairs is a wine bar and open kitchen, so you can just relax and eat beside the windows and upstairs is a 44-seat restaurant overlooking The Tide and the Thames so it has a great vista.

“As one of the pioneers of the Peninsula, we’re here to help drive some foot tra c.

“We’re very much a la carte eating, and we’ve garnered tremendous reviews, which is very gratifying.”

Part of Ardoa’s mission is also to serve the ever-growing number of residents moving into the completed blocks on the Peninsula.

“At present, people have to seek us out, but to a degree that’s solved by residents moving in,” said Keith. “Five blocks will be occupied by the end of the year, and that’s going to bring around 4,500 people to the area. Then we’ve got a sizeable village on our hands and that’s the difference to where we were before.”

With spring coming, Ardoa also has an outside licence so visitors will be able to sit, drink and eat beside The Tide.

“We have a licence outside until 10.30pm and a midnight licence inside, as well as a retail licence,” said Keith.

2

Minutes’ walk between Ardoa and North Greenwich Tube station on the Jubilee line

tastes exquisite

Ardoa’ Keith Lyon and head chef Idoa Guzman are ready to welcome guests to the wine bar and restaurant on Greenwich Peninsula

“

The small sharing plates we offer are very Basque and there’s also a very large plate with a 1.2kg txuleta steak, which we import from that area Keith Lyon, Vinotech Compass Image by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

51

Greenwich - Peninsula - Woolwich

The dining space upstairs at Ardoa

The bar looks out over The Tide and the Thames

The restaurant offers outside drinking and dining when the weather allows

Some of the dishes on offer

“We have already become the uno cial clubhouse for the residents and think that will develop further, but, hopefully, he ide will take off too. s it develops its own identity, there will be a draw for people locally and from further afield to come and eat in good restaurants.

We draw in customers from all over ondon, the and some from urope. here is a community of as ues in south-east ondon, and they’ve found us already, so you come in here and hear Spanish being spoken – you might think you’re in the as ue lands. he colours of the restaurant are very earthy, natural and rustic – we don’t tend to follow trends, we often set them and go our own way.

We’re two minutes from orth reenwich ube station and all the businesses here want to make the eninsula a real food destination. o that end, rdoa offers a varied menu including dishes such as berico ham . , tuna tartare with yu u and muxika bread . and olosa beans with marcilla and ibarra peppers . hose familiar with inotech ompass will be glad to see doa’s suckling pig . has also made the cut. rdoa is also trying something different. he idea is on some days that it’s like walking into a pintxo bar in San Sebastian, said eith. intxos are rather like small plates, like tapas, but they always come on a piece of bread. he difference is that, in Southern Spain, tapas is what you give away, but pintxos are much more elaborate and you pay for them.

We do them here, but only hursday, riday and Saturday, and a bit on Sunday. n Spain, pintxos are meant to be eaten at lunchtime, but by and large the rits haven’t got there yet, so we make them later in the day and they’re available around pm, up to about pm or pm. hey are a very substantial snack. We also do one of the finest tortillas outside Spain using as ue eggs, which we import. rue to form, eith is also hosting wine tastings in the evening with appropriate food. hemed on grape variety, these offer an opportunity to get round a long table with other guests for a chat and an in-depth exploration via six expressions in the glass. he next will be Sangiovese on the evening of arch , priced at .

For more information go to ardoabyvinotheccompass.com

14 days later

plan your life from Mar 25-Apr 8 where?

Greenwich Theatre Greenwich

GIG | Mark Butcher The former cricketer and musician performs tracks with his band from latest album Now Playing.

Expect life, love and loss with a tougher sound.

Mar 29, 7.30pm, £13, greenwichtheatre.org.uk where?

The O2 Arena Peninsula

GIG | Santana Carlos Santana brings his guitar circus to the tent for his Miraculous 2020 World Tour. Expect his wife on the drums and tracks from 2019’s Africa Speaks.

Mar 27, 6.30pm, from £59, theo2.co.uk where?

Queen’s House Greenwich

SEE | Woburn Treasures See works of art and antiques from the Woburn Abbey Collection, dotted throughout the usual objects on display during this exclusive loan.

Until Jan 17,2021, daily, free, rmg.com

to do before March 25

Head on over to The O2 from March 13-15 for Country To Country 2020 with its usual blend of cowboy hats and boots topped off by headliners Eric Church, Darius Rucker and Luke Combs. Doors 4.30pm, from £39 a day theo2.co.uk

spot check worth a visit See Faces Of A Queen at the Queen’s House before August for free rmg.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

52

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

how playing and volunteering for NASSA helped build a foundation for this aspiring doctor’s success

12

Age Ilyas and his twin Kyan were when they first started attending basketball club NASSA

by Jon Massey

P

artnership is the word Ilyas Dar uses when asked what role playing for and volunteering at Newham All Star Sports Academy (NASSA) has had in his education. The -year-old, who attends ayfield School in lford, has been offered a place to read medicine at Oxford University – an achievement built partly on the foundation of his involvement with the Royal Docksbased charity.

“I started with NASSA in Year 7 when I was into many sports,” said Ilyas, whose twin Kyan also plays for and volunteers at the club. “It helped me build that passion for basketball, because it really boosted my confidence and I made a lot of new friends.

“I had been playing at a club in Redbridge but that closed down.

NASSA had all the winners – it was the best club in east London, so I decided to go there. he first time I walked in, the coaches were very friendly and they introduced us to the first session – they were very nice and understanding.

“If you didn’t understand something, they would talk it through.

There were a lot of people there and everyone wanted to be friends with you. I carried on playing with my team and we played together year after year. Then, when I was in Year, 11 I wanted to do more, so I started volunteering as a coach to help out at the club. I felt that they had given so much to me, that I wanted to give something back to my community, to NASSA, and to help out its founder, Natasha Hart.

“I also really liked teaching and helping the kids, so I started volunteering and taking the sessions – if it wasn’t for Natasha I wouldn’t have had the opportunity. After a year of volunteering, me and Kyan won the Young Person Of The Year at developers L&Q’s Creating Places Awards because we both volunteered.

“One thing I got out of it was that it really boosted my confidence. eing able to teach little kids – running sessions – really improves your organisational skills and it went in partnership with my education.

“Having that responsibility also made me more mature. All these life-skills have really helped me in my education and with my application to Oxford.

high aim

Images by James Grimshaw - find more of his work at jamesgrimshaw.co.uk or @j.grimshaw on Insta

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

53

Royal Docks - Canning Town

Ilyas in action as head coach Donnie Cabrera watches his NASSA team work their way to a 103-70 win over Sevenoaks Suns

“I was able to mention this in my personal statement and in my interview at Oxford as well.”

Though probably too modest to suggest it himself, the reciprocal arrangement is that kids attending NASSA sessions get Ilyas as a role model. In addition to playing basketball at least once a week, volunteering and working part-time at a pharmacy – he manages to fit his school work in.

SS has been really flexible and understanding with my education and basketball,” he said. “It’s all about organisation – setting yourself a timetable, knowing what tasks you’re doing that day, knowing how to time yourself. That way you get everything done.

“Discipline is ingrained into you from an early age at the club so now, in Year 13, I’m able to be more organised and to do more things.”

It was also NASSA that helped him zero-in on medicine as a career choice.

He said: “Through volunteering, I found I really like helping other people, even though I didn’t know I had it in me – supporting the little kids, having that sense of responsibility.

“Maybe it will help me cope with the stress of medicine and taking on those responsibilities.

“I also really like science, and I did really well at GCSE. I joined a social mobility foundation to do with medicine and that gave me opportunities to talk to doctors and go to seminars.

“So, through basketball, through these programmes, through my school and through my passion for science, it’s all come together for my one goal – medicine.”

As for basketball, Ilyas intends to continue playing at xford and finds sport an ideal antidote to academic stress. He’d also encourage boys and girls to give the sport a try with NASSA. hey’re going to find it very welcoming, with a friendly atmosphere here – it’s very supportive.

“They’ll have quality coaching and, if they want, a place where they can really excel and there’s flexibility so they can pursue their studies too.

“Unlike some clubs, NASSA has a real sense of community and that really helps build your profile for your CV. It’s not just basketball, it makes you an all-round person.

“I can see how the people I’ve played with have just excelled – some are going to universities, others to top

“

Discipline is ingrained into you from an early age so now, in Year 13, I’m able to be more organised and to do more things Ilyas Dar, NASSA

14 days later

plan your life from Mar 25-Apr 8 where?

Excel Royal Victoria Dock

Ilyas Dar has been offered a place at Oxford basketball colleges. My brother will be studying law, for example.”

Head coach Donnie Cabrera said Ilyas’ story was a great example of what can be achieved when sport and education are combined.

He said: “We’ve tried to be a support system for him. I’ve always said to every kid that’s come into the programme that we expect effort, energy and commitment, 100% because that’s what they’ll get back.

“But the biggest thing when it comes to each player, is the culture and philosophy that when you begin your journey at the club, your responsibility until the day you depart, is to leave it in a better place than when you first oined.

“I think that Ilyas is one of the best examples of that because, not only is he able to inspire through his basketball – he’s a very good player – but he’s able to inspire those who want to use sport as a platform to better their education.

“That’s essential. There aren’t many people in this country that play basketball at a high level and are able to retire from it – it’s very rare.

“Some of the kids that we get in, we change the way that they are because we say: ‘Look, if you don’t turn up to class, you don’t play basketball and, if they really want to play that badly, they end up turning up to class.

“I always say, whenever a kid joins the academy, that the bare minimum has to be that we can try and find them a scholarship offer at universities to play the sport.

“We’re setting them up potentially to play basketball and they’ve got something in place to go and get a good job afterwards.

“If that’s the minimum benchmark for every kid we have on our programme, then I think we’ll be doing a great job.”

Wharf Life will be running a series of features on NASSA and its work over the course of 2020 as the charity seeks to develop and grow.

Go to nassasports.org.uk for more

EVENT | The London Bike Show Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2020, this is the event for those passionate about two-wheeled travel whether racing, commuting or doing tricks.

Mar 27-29, 10am, £18 (includes Tri Show), excel.london where?

Excel Royal Victoria Dock

EVENT | The London Triathlon Show Find everything you need whether you’re preparing for your first event or thinking about your 20th Ironman – kit, advice and inspiration.

Mar 27-29, 10am, £18 (includes Bike Show), excel.london where?

Compressor House Royal Albert Dock

GIG | Michael “Mikey Jay” Asante: Outliers The composer and co-founder of Boy Blue is joined by nine musicians for a multimedia meditation on social, public and political consciousness.

Apr 3, 7.30pm, £10, royaldocks.london

to do before March 25

Book into dance spectacular Move It 2020 at Excel from March 13-15, featuring the likes of Layton Williams, Brendan Hansford, Clare Halse, Dane Bates, Danielle Peazer and Jess Baddie. Daily from 10am, tickets from £21 excel.london

book now hospitality deal Secure hospitality at the Formula E London E-Prix on July 25-26 from £295 keithprowse.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

54

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

35

stage review

Images by Tristram Kenton

I Think We Are Alone, TRSE

dates are on the UK tour before the show heads to New York

One-woman play Ladykiller comes to Stratford Circus to explore the darker side of the female psyche

by Laura Enfield

Charlotte Bate’s brittle hospice nurse seeks solace in the bottle and on the dance floor

A

ll the actors in Sally Abbott’s I Think We Are Alone deliver performances as endearing as the ballet of the sliding glazed partitions that make up its set.

Whether bursting through, writhing against or climbing these semi-transparent oblongs as they glide about, there’s no weak link in the chain in the cast.

On this spare, ever-shifting canvas, co-directors Kathy Burke and Scott Graham of Frantic Assembly use the play’s disjointed, non-linear monologues and duets to paint a picture of grief and loss that’s both light and shade.

Whether it’s the knowing East End quips of Chizzy Akudolu’s doting mother, as she glosses over things unsaid by her late father, or the brittle hypocrisy of Charlotte Bate’s hospice nurse, masking ingrained trauma with booze and sex, the play tackles death with a mixture of brutality and humour, succeeding largely because of the actors’ charm and execution.

There are some excellent touches, including a sequence where Bate’s nurse is passed a stream of props that effortlessly illustrate the choppy, unsettled nature of her job until her uniform Chizzy Akudolu comes off and, with beer bottle miraculously in hand, her body’s jerking to music in a nightclub.

Honourable mentions should also be made of Caleb Roberts’ bright but pressurized son and Simone Saunders’ bubbly cancer sufferer as she desperately searches for laughter right to the end. Then again, Polly Frame is brilliant as an HR pro coming apart at the seams and Andrew Turner delivers pure heartbreak as a cabbie.

This is a thoughtful, beautifully staged evening of theatre that runs the full spectrum of emotion as it deals with the messiness of death and hidden wounds.

If only Abbott’s script wasn’t quite so neat in its treatment – the characters find convenient solace simply by talking to one another – it would be unmissable.

I Think We Are Alone runs at Theatre Royal Stratford East until March 21. Performance times vary and tickets start at £10.

Go to stratfordeast.com Jon Massey

T

he role of psychopathic chambermaid bathed in blood may not be typical for a young actress. But Ladykiller star Hannah McClean wants it to be. The Irish-born actress hates horror films and gore, but was willing to be drenched in red to prove women are just as capable of playing dark and twisted roles as men.

“I have a real aversion to blood but I was so into the character that I just told myself to get over it,” said the Northern Ireland native, who stars in the dark comedy as the murderer of a guest at the hotel where she works.

“I had never read a piece like that for a female character. At a time when we are pushing and striving for equality, it’s important to realise women are capable of the good but also the bad and the ugly.”

Written by Madeline Gould, the one-woman show is a morality tale about power, privilege, and tearing up the gender rule book on psychopathy.

Hannah said: “Women need to be seen as just as complex as their male counterparts.

“Women are just as capable in every aspect and you have to address it from every angle.

The more we do that, the more interesting stories there will be for women.

“You never say: ‘Wow look at that strong male character,’ because we are inundated with them.

“When that no longer becomes the focal point and it becomes about talking about their story, rather than the fact they are a woman, we will be in a better place.”

Winner of the Vault Festival 2019 Pleasance Award and a smash-hit at Edinburgh Fringe 2018, Ladykiller is set for performances at Stratford Circus on April 8 and 9 as part of a 35-date UK tour. It opens with the bloodsoaked maid who spends the next 65 minutes explaining her violent actions.

“It’s very clear whodunnit,” said Hannah. “It’s more a case of whydunnit?

“She leads you in a certain direction but the rug gets swept from underneath the audience a couple of times and they’re left to make their own conclusions about who this person is and why they would be drawn to do something like that.

“It explores social norms and psychopathy and what we perceive that as. It is much more layered than what’s portrayed in the media and doesn’t always mean serial killer.

“Fighter pilots could be psychopathic because their heart rate doesn’t raise. It’s looking at the science behind it.

Hannah McClean overcomes her aversion to blood to take on the role of a hotel maid turned murderer in Ladykiller

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

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Stratford - Bow - Hackney Wick

blood there will be

“It’s definitely the darkest role I’ve played but also the funniest.

The show can, no pun intended, turn on a knife edge.”

Hannah first read Ladykiller as a 10-minute short in 2015 and was immediately captivated by the idea of playing a role usually embodied by men.

“I thought it could easily be a man and I could imagine it more as a man from the nature of how she was talking and presenting herself and I thought it was so interesting to explore the dark capabilities of women,” said the Clapton resident.

“It was fun to debunk these stereotypes we have and restrictions we imagine women have and look at the darker side of human nature, which we have seen many times portrayed by men but very rarely by women.

“Also, the nature of Maddie Gould’s writing is so funny in one breath and the next so very dark.

“She has a wonderfully twisted mind. She is maybe the sweetest person I have ever met, but with the darkest humour and I think that’s very fun to play.”

L

adykiller was first performed at Tristan Bates Theatre as part of Ladylougue! an evening of female-led shorts produced by The Thelmas, a London-based theatre company that aims to support and develop new female writers.

Hannah said she loved the part so much she spent the next three years badgering its artistic director Madelaine Moore about turning Gould’s piece into a full length production.

“

Before this, I thought I would never be able to rationalise something a psychopath did, but now, weirdly, I sometimes think they have a point Hannha McClean, Ladykiller

“In April 2018 she finally messaged me and said: ‘Now is the time’,” said Hannah, who is directed in the piece by Moore.

The actress, who grew up in the rural town of Ballymoney and went to school on top of a cliff in Portstewart, said although darker female roles were emerging, she usually avoided watching anything with too much bloodshed.

“I’ve never watched horror or true crime,” said Hannah. “I have a vivid imagination so if I watch horror I have to tell myself it’s not real but then my mind goes: ‘But what if it was?’.

McClean by name, but Hannah gets dirty as a murderous maid “I’m a bit of a wuss in that sense so I had to throw myself into researching this. I watched a lot of true crime but would often follow it up with a bit of Disney to try and balance it out.

“The writer turned to me once and said: ‘We’ve all thought about how we would dispose of a body haven’t we?’ and I thought: ‘No I’ve never done that’.”

However, the drama graduate of Liverpool John Moores University said she has loved tapping into her darker side on stage.

“The temptation is to go quite over the top and become really sinister and creepy, but actually it’s much more sinister if you play

it straight and are unaffected by the things you are saying,” she said.

“Serial killer Aileen Wuornos, was like that. She couldn’t see the problem and would never class herself as a psychopath, I find that very interesting – how they are narcissists.

“The show really does point out how we as a society can look at things, frown upon them and pass judgement.

“Before this, I thought I would never be able to rationalise something a psychopath did, but now, weirdly, I sometimes think they have a point.

“That is a strange realisation to have, because how can I ever engage with someone like that?

“Of course, I would never act upon it or even vocalise it but we all have that aspect of darkness, which was quite a shocking revelation to me.”

The blood dripping from her body is also more than skin deep.

“It definitely brings a darker side to my performance,” said Hannah. “There is something very strange about seeing an audience’s reaction.

“Without sounding like a psychopath myself it does make you feel quite powerful because you are in the position to make people squirm. I see people’s eyes follow the blood.”

Fortunately being bathed in fake gore has never freaked her out, partly because the substance used is actually edible and has a refreshing minty fragrance.

“It’s bizarre but it helps me detach from it,” said Hannah.

“Somehow, because I’m in control of it, it doesn’t spin me out and because there are so many moments of light relief, it’s not a horror show, the blood becomes secondary.

“The intention is never to make people scared, it’s more getting into the head of the maid. I think audiences tend to start to forget about the blood, which shows how good Gould’s writing is.”

Ladykiller is at Stratford Circus from April 8-9. Performances are at 7pm and tickets cost £15.

Go to stratford-circus.com Images by The Other Richard

14 days later

plan your life from Mar 25-Apr 8 where?

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stratford

EVENT | London Dog Week Parade Pet owners from across the capital are invited for a scenic walk with their furry friends to raise funds for the charity Hearing Dogs For Deaf People.

Mar 29, 10am, £7.06, queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk where?

Theatre Royal Stratford East Stratford

STAGE | NT Connections 2020 The National Theatre festival will feature eight youth companies from across east London and Essex performing specially commissioned plays.

Mar 24-27, 7pm, £5, stratfordeast.com where?

Cody Dock Canning Town

EVENT | Spring Forward A foraging walk, workshops, outdoor games and a chance to meet the gardeners are on offer. The River Lea photo exhibition and café will be open.

Mar 28, 11am-4pm, free, codydock.org.uk

to do before March 25

Make some noise – Jamboree explodes onto the stage at Stratford Circus from March 20-21 at various times This sensory riot was made for and with teenagers who have profound and multiple disabilities. Tickets from £8 stratford-circus.com

spot check worth a visit Try Signorelli in East Village for baked goods by day and cocktails by night signorelli.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

56

Wharf Life Mar 11-25, 2020 wharf-life.com

SUDOKU

Crossword - Sudoku

Tough

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8 1 3 9 4 6 5 7 2 Sudoku 9 a4break 2 from 7 5 that 3 phone 6 1 8 Take 5 7 6 1 2 8 9 4 3 How 1 to3 play 8 4 6 7 2 5 9 To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 4 such 3 1 7 row, 8 6column and 3x3 box one2 to9nine that5each contains every number uniquely.

7 6 5 8 9 2 1 3 4 8 find 1 strategies, 2 7 9 hints 4 and 6 5tips online You3can at sudokuwiki.org 6 2 7 5 8 4 3 9 1 4 to 5 play 9 6 3 1 8 2 7 More

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You can find more Sudoku puzzles and a wide selection ofTo others available in apps and books at str8ts.com. This complete Sudoku, fill the board Sudoku is supplied by Syndicated Puzzles. by entering numbers 1 to 9 such

that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.

Notes

© 2019 Syndicated Puzzles

8 3

Previous solution - Medium

For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org If you like Sudoku you’ll really like ‘Str8ts’ and our other puzzles, Apps and books. Visit www.str8ts.com

crossword Down

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9.

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Once erect I state my piece (6) Reorganised Delhi’s defence (6) Induce to become religious? (4,2,7) Royal symbols from Algeria (7) A duty we no longer owe to the church (5) Fit girl given body-building exercises (5) Instruct in art, perhaps (5) Broadside of some colossal volume (5) Seating is never enough with such chairs (7) Unlikely to keep out of trouble long? (8,5) Possibly run and see to make certain (6) It’s used to lift - or bring down (6)

Notes

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Governors help schoolboys with their lines (6) What I should have done, if I were in your position! (7,6) Everything un ualified It’s worn with one’s arm inside (7) It just goes to show how time passes, currently speaking (8,5) Engine gives out before the French come up (6) A lighthouse casts it across the vessel (5) He’s slow but sure (7) Land in the States (6) Signs in at the women’s hostel (5) Maintain there’s some body in the beer (6) Brown as pie, perhaps (5)

Quick Across 1. .

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Pedestal (6) Signal-fire Trouble (13) Overburden (7) Fat (5) Intimidate (5) Attain (5) Consume (3,2) Detergent (7) Back-dated (13) Buy back (6) Torment (6)

Down 1.

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Jail (6) Disabled (13) Overwrought (5) Incident (7) Stooping (13) Required (6) Stop (5) Censure (7) Dread (6) Compass (5) Mourn (6) Surpass (5)

Across: 1 Plinth; 4 Beacon; 9 Inconvenience; 10 Oppress; 11 Obese; 12 Scare; 14 Reach; 18 Eat up; 19 Cleaner; 21 Retrospective; 22 Redeem; 23 Plague.

Down: 1 Prison; 2 Incapacitated; 3 Tense; 5 Episode; 6 Condescending; 7 Needed; 8 Cease; 13 Reprove; 15 Terror; 16 Scope; 17 Grieve; 20 Excel.

Across

whether you’re cryptic sleuth or synonym solver in it for quick wins, this should satisfy

Cryptic Solution

Cryptic

beating the

Across: 1 Recite; 4 Shield; 9 Lead to believe; 10 Regalia; 11 Tithe; 12 Adapt; 14 Train; 18 Salvo; 19 Musical; 21 Accident prone; 22 Ensure; 23 Tackle.

Down: 1 Rulers; 2 Changed places; 3 Total; 5 Holster; 6 Electric clock; 7 Diesel; 8 Abeam; 13 Plodder; 15 Estate; 16 Omens; 17 Allege; 20 Sepia.

The solutions will be published here in the next issue.

Quick Solution

No. 217