Brick Lane, known locally as 'Banglatown', lies in the heart of London's East End. It's a vibrant, diverse area renowned for its markets, contemporary artists and galleries, large Bangladeshi community and of course, the best curries outside India.
Historically the area was famous for providing refuge to those fleeing persecution and various different ethnic communities have predominated over the centuries. This has helped create the rich diversity you see there today.
During the mid 1900s, the Brick Lane area was key in developing Anglo-Indian cuisine, as families from countries such as Bangladesh immigrated to London. Many settled around Brick Lane and set up businesses there. Look out for the Bengali street signs which help define the unique character of the area.
The curry houses of Brick Lane are known for their cheap, cheerful and authentic food. They often let you bring your own beer or wine (great for the wallet) because lots of the curry houses are run by Muslims and don’t sell alcohol.
As you walk down Brick Lane from the Bethnal Green end, the Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants get more and more concentrated and by the time you pass under the small bridge about halfway down, they're literally door to door.
Exotic scents and spicy aromas waft from one side of the road to the other. If you're an indecisive person, deciding where to eat will be a problem - every restaurant seems to shout "come inside", all have delicious menus posted and even if you have a specific recommendation, you find yourself tempted by lots of places.
Most curry houses on Brick Lane serve excellent vegetarian food, so wherever you choose you'll find a good selection of veggie options. We chose City Spice because it was recommended to us, and also because they had: 'The Best Vegetarian Food in Town', written across the window!
The food was indeed fantastic. Each dish was distinct and full of flavour. You could almost taste the individual spices that were carefully blended into create the different curries. The 'Begun Tomato Jhool' - a vegetarian dish made with aubergine and tomato baked in tandoor oven - is not to be missed, and the Tarka Dhal was one of the best we ever tasted. And at around £15 a head, the price wasn’t bad either!