Food: Tajima-Tei Japanese restaurant, Leather Lane, EC1

Occupying the ground floor of an unassuming office block on Leather Lane, Tajima Tei should be regarded as an institution on the London dining scene. For over 10 years, it has quietly and thoughtfully turned out some of the best Japanese food I've ever had.

Clockwise L-R - Sashimi, Sushi, Marinated mackerel, Deep Fried Squid, Tempura, Black Cod

I mean, look at this. A bento box fit for kings. We also had our standard favourites. The first being the Agedashi Tofu, four pillow like cubes of tofu, tempura crisp shell, soaking up the goodness of the soy, mirin and radish broth. The second, Tonkatsu, is a panko-crumb coated pork schnitzel served with tonkatsu sauce (a Japanese bbq sauce, if you will), a squizz of American mustard, potato salad and Japanese coleslaw on the side.

Tajima-Tei is a family run business, as over the years, I've seen the same staff behind the sushi counter and in service, providing a reassuring calm that in the fast pace of the London dining scene, there are some oldies but goodies which ought to be treasured.

Tajima Tei: Unit 1, Doorington House, 9-15 Leather Lane, EC1N 7ST. Open Monday to Friday only, lunch and dinner.

Music: Sofar Sounds

I first came across the founder of Sofar Sounds, Rafe Offer, when he spoke at a recent Lost Lectures event. Rafe's inspiring talk about setting up his own live music community led me to a recent gig held at the Foxcroft and Ginger cafe in Whitechapel.

Rafe was sick of going to gigs where the music served only as a feeble backdrop to the crowds of people jostling their way to get to the bar, talking loudly to their friends, and using mobile phones. His idea was simple: bring together artists, musicians and music lovers. Find a host who will provide a space (venues so far have included private homes, warehouses, restaurants, galleries), and let the music speak for itself.

Rafe's initial brainwave has now spread to over 100 cities and towns across the world. 

Solar Sounds in Whitechapel, Foxcroft & Ginger

It was strangely liberating to put away the iPhone that is normally welded to my hand and just sit back and enjoy the music.  

The exact location of the gig is kept under wraps until shortly before the date. Drinks are BYO.  The line-up is a surprise, but when we went, it turned out to be a very happy one.  We were treated to an eclectic set list comprising of the Bloom Twins, Charlotte Carpenter, Osca, and spoken word poet, Suli Breaks (who also happened to be the resident artist at Foxcroft & Ginger). It might sound cheesy but there was genuinely, a really happy vibe in the room that night. 

Coffee - Peanut Vendor, Coffee Project - Bow

It's Field Day Saturday morning and I can hear the sound checks from my balcony. The sun is shining and London is coming out to play. Finally, maybe it's the start of summer. Something else is starting in my neighbourhood - the opening of the Coffee Project, which is housed within the relatively new furniture store, the Peanut Vendor.

The shiny new coffee machine pumps out coffee from Alchemy. Teas come from Good and Proper Tea. Pastries and cakes come from local makers Yeast Bakery and Victoria Yum. All very much up to scratch.

As my aunt says, "Does your camera get to eat first before I do?" So a little bite first for me.

The Coffee Project germinated from a successful Kickstarter campaign, so along with many other local residents who supported the project, I look forward to coming back again to hang out, read the paper, and watch the dog walkers, children and cyclists amble past on their way to Victoria Park.

As for the Peanut Vendor furniture section, as you can see they sell mainly vintage and mid-century furniture.  I've stuck my nose into the store on a number of occasions and it seems like they re-stock pretty regularly. They also have some interesting gifts (charcoal soap, anyone?) and stationery.

The owners, Becky and Barny, have done really well with utilising the large, light filled space in a way that makes both the shop and coffee bar appear relaxed and inviting.

The Peanut Vendor and the Coffee Project is at: 6 Gunmakers Lane, Gunmakers Wharf, Bow, E3 5GG, on the south side of Victoria Park, close to the Gunmakers Gate entrance.

Eat: Taberna do Mercado - Spitalfields, London

We really wanted to love the new restaurant, "Taberna do Mercado" by Nuno Mendes (former head chef of the beloved Viajante at Bethnal Green Town Hall where he first made his name).  Nuno, riding high on his new-found celebrity chef status, left to set up camp at the Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone, thus making it out of reach for us simple Eastenders, given that it quickly established itself as the celebrity haunt for the likes of I dunno, Harry Styles, Lindsay Lohan et al.

So when Taverna Do Mercado opened a few weeks ago in Spitalfields, we whooped for joy at welcoming Nuno back to what I feel he must call his spiritual home in East London. Things were promising when my friend announced via text that "OMG Keira Knightley is here and sitting on the next table!". Sadly, we were wrong. Look, I've read Fay Faschler's review in the Evening Standard. I suppose this blog doesn't quite get the same circulation figures, so I guess it will be safe to say without pissing off anyone that we thought it was all a bit crap.  Between us, our group of four ordered nine dishes to share and were still famished by the end. If it were the case that the food was delicious we would have happily ordered more but instead we decided to cut our losses and head over to Ottolenghi (also new in the Spitalfields area) for a reliable portion of salads and cakes.

Interiors at Taberna Do Mercado. OK so the photo is a little fuzzy but it is definitely Keira Knightley.

Espadarta and picadio Algavio £14

Whilst the food was served on a series of delicately mismatching blue china plates, it didn't quite compensate for the inadequate portion sizes, even taking into account the small-plates eating style that we are well accustomed to. The above is a dish of swordfish with a light tomato and cucumber salsa which frankly wasn't quite spicy or piquant enough to generate any lasting memories or merit commendation.

Wild Garlic, asparagus and fennel migos £8

For £8 I dare you to try a mouthful of what transpired to be soggy breadcrumbs infused with a meaty garlic aroma, skilfully hidden under a mass of shaved fennel. Sorry, when the menu says 'asparagus' I take that to mean more than just the one sliver of asparagus hiding under the dill sprig.  Again, Fay Maschler exhorts the values of soggy bread  ("wet bread achieves iconic status"?!) but it really did not add up for us.  The soggy bread did not hold as a base for any interesting flavours and the shaved fennel on top seemed to exist solely to look pretty and/or apologise for what horrors were lurking underneath.

Peas, broad beans and egg yolk £8

It wasn't until I re-read the menu did I realise that this dish is supposed to contain egg yolk. In fact it was a dish of broad beans, peas, and some crunchy bread crumbs on top.

Tinned fish: Monkfish £7

Portugal is famous for the quality of their tinned fish and as a result the restaurant does its own take on it, with options including tinned mackerel, cod, and scallops.  We went with the monkfish, and as shown above it was served in what is clearly a green sauce but aside from that, lacked any distinct flavour.

We also had the runner beans, which were oily, and one of the cheese plates which although was perfectly serviceable one couldn't really classify it as requiring any culinary skill given it was just melted cheese and bread.  At some stage, the waiter came over to our table, holding yet another side plate with what I thought would be our next dish. It turned out that he had cleared the table next to us and was holding a plate bearing half a lemon.  The situation had clearly become so bad that I had come to expect our dining experience to include a dish comprising of a lemon garnish.  Nuno, we are simply bereft. We loved you for such a long time. Tell me I'm wrong, tell my three friends that we have misunderstood your genius.

Food - Istanbul's best breakfasts Part 1 - Mangerie in Bebek.

Turks in general, are pretty good at the whole brunch thing. I'm sure the Ottomans had it all worked out centuries ago that lazing about on a Sunday morning with the papers, an endless supply of coffee, and little meze dishes of delicious morsels of olives, fresh vegetables, bread, honey and clotted cream was truly the only civilised way to spend one's precious leisure hours.

Here is a low-down of the our best brunch places in Istanbul, starting with:

Mangerie - Bebek

Mangerie is an über-hip place in the affluent suburb of Bebek. If coming from central Istanbul, a short bus or taxi ride down the coast will take you to this hidden oasis. It is actually really quite hidden, as Google Maps does not help. You need to walk down the high street towards the intersection and find a small flight of stairs that takes you up to the top floor. If in doubt ask the nice lady at the homewares and design store, who will point you in the right direction.

Upon arrival, we were seated on the balcony, facing directly into the view below.  After we quite got over ourselves at how cool we were for finding this place, we perused the menu and opted for the a standard Turkish meze style breakfast, or as we have now coined it, the 'full Turkish'. Out came generous portions of bread, fresh clotted cream with honey, cheeses, nutella, jams, and a bowl of fresh tomatoes with thyme. In addition we also ordered some eggs with Turkish sausage. All of this with some pretty stunning views. The restaurant itself, with long wooden communal tables, fresh flowers and bookshelves along the walls, invites its customers to stay awhile - not least because their breakfasts are so delicious.  If you're not in the mood for breakfast, Manger also serves a range of Western and Turkish style salads, sandwiches and quiche.

Breakfast with a view

Mangerie Bebe

A delectable spread at Mangerie Bebek

Trendy interiors with an assortment of mid-century furniture and George Nelson lighting

Bebek itself is interesting to have a walk around; it is clearly a suburb for the well-to-do.  Continue down the Bosphorus coastline heading back in the direction of Istanbul, as there is a footpath leading directly to the next town, Arnavutköy, whilst, being slightly less fancy than Bebek, holds its own in terms of interesting side streets and traditional architecture.

Perfect day for a stroll in Bebek

Arnavutköy

The ornate and brightly painted exteriors of homes in Arnavutköy

Art & Music - David Bowie Is - Paris exhibition

"Ultra violence in Liberty fabrics" - David Bowie (on his costume for his performance of Starman on Top of the Pops.

I cannot tell you how excited I was to see a poster for the "David Bowie Is" exhibition I when arrived at the Gare du Nord in Paris the other day. When the exhibition premiered in London in 2013 it was essentially impossible to obtain a ticket in advance. Hence the delight in logging onto the Paris Philharmonie website to find that tickets were not only available but in abundance!

The Paris Philharmie

David Bowie Is - is a retrospective spanning the length of Bowie's career (in both music and film) and which started in his birthplace in Brixton, south London.  I loved the super-techy audio guides because the music and commentary automatically switches when one moves to a different part of the exhibition space.  The audio guides helps to put us younger Bowie fans into the sounds of the 1960s, setting the scene for Bowie's musical influences as he grew up.  The visual feast continued as we move into the 1980s, with throw-back TV performances of Bowie on 'Top of the Pops'. True Bowie fans spent hours poring over Bowie's handwritten lyrics and sketches.

David Bowie costumes

I'm coming to the Bowie party late - when I grew up, my first encounter with Bowie was his performance of the Goblin King in Labryinth. I was a rather sensitive child and the film scared the bejeezus out of me and he's been largely banished from my memory since.  However seeing the collection of Bowie's work in one place has ignited an interest in his genius; it brings home how brilliant, elegant, chameleonic he was and still is.

David Bowie Is exhibition

David Bowie costume design

If you didn't manage to catch the exhibition in London....Go! Go! Go! The Paris Philharmonie is immediately in front of the Porte Pantin metro station, and as it is only a few stops away from the Eurostar station so you'll be there quicker than you can say Ziggy Stardust.

David Bowie Is, Paris Philharmonie - exhibition in Paris until May 31 2015. The exhibition then tours to Melbourne, Australia from 16 July 2015.

The Lost Lectures, Lost on Trial at Hornsey Town Hall

There's an L at the top of that. 

The lovely folks at Lost Lectures (fronted by a bubbly chap called Julian) host themed lectures around London (and NYC, and Berlin!) at secret locations. Tonight we hiked out to Hornsey Town Hall in North London to see:

• Elizabeth Pisani - a woman who was an expert on Indonesia but spoke about corruption(ish). 
• David Allen Green - a lawyer who spoke about law and magic
• Killing Kittens - the founder of a sex party business who talked about herself
• Andy Zaltzman - satirist for hire 
• Andrew Logan - the founder of Alternative Miss World who introduced us, by slideshow, of all the Alternative Miss World winners from the 70s to 2014
• Rafe Ofer from Sofar Sounds - introducing a concept of bringing music, gigs and music lovers together

The concept of the Lost Lectures is certainly appealing and clever, if one is up for a night of unexpected twists and turns, with interesting and engaging speakers. Sadly, this evening's speakers ranged from being amazing, funny and inspiring (Andy Zaltzman and Rafe Ofer) to endearing (Andrew Logan) to.....the lady from Killing Kittens. She runs a sex party business that is supposed to engender women to embrace their sexuality. That started off being really promising but then descended into toe curling disaster once she went on some convoluted tangent on feminism. I worry that she might be sad that I didn't enjoy her talk, but then again, she did quote Coco Chanel, "I don't care what you think about me. I don't think about you at all." Fair enough, so I don't suppose she would be concerned that my friend described her as "amateur TED Talks".

The star of the show was definitely Hornsey Town Hall which is now being used as an art space. It's a beautiful example of modernist architecture. The building was closed down in the 80s and despite the art centre having a short term lease, the long term future of the Town Hall is still undecided. Hopefully it won't be turned into luxury flats, as on our visit this evening, when the building was rammed full of happy and excited people, bringing to life the faded grandeur of the Town Hall.

The Lost Lectures

Details: Tonight's Lost Lectures was £45 per person. Drinks and food available. See their website for forthcoming events. www.thelostlectures.com