Can I 'ave another one and one for this lovely lady here? Hey you! You look mint? What's your name?... Are your parents thieves or how did they steal the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes?...

....Naaaaah, you're sooooo not fat!!!! I think you're really fit!!!...Can I have two more, please?

A few hours later: Boa, I sooooo got the munchies now. I really need some fooooood!

Later at her's: Naaah, it's sooo much better without!!! Trust me, I can take care of that....

Ahemm...oops...really...sorry...

I don't care if it is one of these super-trendy places - everytime i come back from my Sunday trips from Brick Lane - which have become almost a ritual of mine - I have a camera is loaded with a huge set of colourful photos.

The only shame is it can't record smell otherwise it would probably explode from the smell of the many curry restaurants and world-food market stands you can find there.

I can't get enough of that unique flair that the area around Brick Lane owns. It is a saturated mix of old and new, East and West, trendy and forgotten, ugly and beautiful. On Sundays the streets are covered by all sorts of market stands - selling you selfmade designer clothes, freshly cooked food from around the globe or just old junk - made of the most obscure varsity of items you can imagine. Anything from old shoes, CDs and casette tapes (remember?), 90s mobile phones, 80's video games, collectors comic books, toys from your childhood - the list is endless and treasures are many to be found.

I 've never seen before the way these second-hand sellers are offering their stuff. All items are displayed on nothing else but a blanket or a piece of cloth or even just layed flat onto the bare pavement. The objects are sometimes put down very messily but sometimes arranged in perfect geometrical alignment. As much as the displays differ in style their owners differ too. From rather funky and fashionable art-student lookalikes to run down alcoholic types - the characters are as coulourful as their goods.

The market seems very popular with the young crowd - probably also due to the fact that it closes at 5pm on Sundays - very convenient for party-goers.

If you, like me, like to get up late on Sundays and fancy some food and just to stroll around and hunt for photos or treasures (it's the same for me) and if you don't mind the sometimes high concentration of supercool Fashionista-stampedes - then Brick Lane is the perfect choice for you.

For more photos click here>>

Facts:

Sunday Upmarket:

Every Sunday, 10am-5pm

Ely's Yard (entrances on Brick Lane & Hanbury Street)
The Old Truman Brewery
London E1.
(Tube – Aldgate east / Liverpool Street)

The Backyard Market

Every Saturday from 11am till 6pm and Sunday from 10am to 5pm

The Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL

www.sundayupmarket.co.uk

The outside only gives away a few hints about what's going on inside.Once in a while you discover places that you will never forget because you feel they were build with endless amounts of love, thought and creativity. The Pale Blue Door is definitely one of them.

The artist Tony Hornecker spend about 6 years to turn an old warehouse garage into a little wonderland of obscurity - a place that he has now made into an absolute unique restaurant.

Once you found the place hidden away in a darkened alley in North East London you will enter a different world.

It is packed with objects from a forgotten past and from all over the globe which one does never stop discovering when wandering around the themed rooms.

There is the Ten Ted Pavillion - which looks like how i would imagine a Parisian Brothel from a hundred years ago would look like with red curtains and candle lights on old chandeliers. It fits a few tables suitable for 2 - 6 people.

Then there is the Main Hall - which - again - was packed with hundreds of bizarre objects and pictures and an array of 7 or so discoballs - ah yea and the stuffed chicken wich had its head stuck into the wall! haha.

The hall leads upstairs to the incredibly cosy Doll's House - which is really only half a room as it is just about 1.50m high - so better don't try to stand up! This is the place where we had the luck to eat our lovely dinner. The room can only be entered via a set of wooden wonky stairs which were made out of something like old wine-bottle boxes. Now imagine you wear high heels like our amazing dragqueen waitress A Man Da Pet and you have to climb up there and then squeeze yourself into the room crawling on your knees while holding the food and drinks!

LounThe cosiest restaurant I've ever seen - here the inside of the Doll's House...ging on a comfy bed feeling like dolls in their house surrounded by old pictures, a massive cracked mirror, dozens of old toys and puppets we enjoyed our delicious 3 course meal.

...to which access is not the easiest for someone bigger than a 1.50m. Here our fantastic waitress A Man Da Pet.

After we were filled with yummi food our waiter turned into a performer and showed us and the other enthused guests how Tina Turner should REALLY move her arse!

10 out of 10 for entertainment and atmosphere.

Tony, his photographer friend Ralf (who also served us food and drinks) A Man Da and the cat Stella were some of the most welcoming and charming hosts you will ever find. They made the whole experience even more worthwhile.

The view from the sofa in the Main Hall - looking up to the wooden stairs which lead you to the Doll's House and the Brazilian Brothel Room - which wasn't opened on the night - so I can't tell you what it's like unfortunately. In the front Stella the house cat on her favourite place in the house.

We arrived first that night and left last! And if we could've - we would have stayed forever!

If you're after an unforgettable feast for your tummy AND your eyes then the Pale Blue Door is just the perfect thing for you.

Check out my gallery for more photos>>

Booking Tables:

You need to book in advance: Contact Tony at thepalebluedoor@hotmail.co.uk

Tables can be booked for 8pm or 8.30pm - usually from Thursdays to Sundays.

Prices:

£30 buy you a nice 3 course meal - Veggi Option available

Address:

The Pale Blue Door, 5 Glebe Road, E8 4BD

And this is the view down from the second floor - well or more precisely the 1 1/2th floor. The food from Tony and Ralf was as delicious as...

...the entertainment from A Man Da Pet.

A very proud African lady she was - with a gorgeous traditional red dress and head scarf. And a hole in her sock! He, he. How cute!

Our prayers have been heard! Don't be afraid of sweating in overcrowded tubes no more! Transport for London has finally invested in a new heat-beating Air Conditioning System! Thanks soooo much!