Mark Stephens: Today Wanstead, tomorrow the world

Mark Stephens, probably Wanstead’s most famous lawyer (and the man who took pre-arrest Julian Assange to breakfast at the Bungalow Cafe), has been made chairman of the Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association at their conference in Cape Town.

Mark, who was appointed CBE in 2011, and makes frequent appearances on TV and radio as an expert in media law, said: “I am honoured to be inaugurated as the Chairman for the Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association.  It is a fantastic body with whom I have enjoyed working with for over thirty years.  In my new role I will begin by predominantly focussing on the decriminalisation of homosexuality across the Commonwealth; the abolition of the death penalty and the independence of lawyers; the independence of the Judiciary; and corporate Governance and transparency through the Commonwealth.  I am an advocate for Human Rights and look forward to beginning my new role as Chairman of the CLA and making a difference.”

Mark can be followed on Twitter at @markslarks, where he tweets about press freedom, developments in the law, and the state of Wanstead’s roads.

On which point it should be noted that Redbridge Council last week agreed to spend an extra £650,000 on fixing potholes in the borough.

Wanstead Cricket: Under way

The belated cricket season started thanks to the better weather at the weekend. Sanjay Batra writes: “The sun shone as Wanstead welcomed so many new and returning junior members and their families to the first coaching session on Friday.

“Saturday saw Overton Drive receive a visit from Ilford Cricket Club, old rivals and very good friends who won’t mind a mild gloat over a very hard-fought victory. Waseem Qureshi made an early impression with 98 runs in the 2nd XI win away at Broxbourne. Upminster came to Wanstead on Sunday and gave the home side a proper fright before falling just 6 short of their target.”

Results
Saturday 20 April
1st XI v Ilford (Friendly) – 45 overs match. Wanstead won by 28 runs.
Wanstead 217 all out.
Adnan Akram 52
Ilford 189 all out.

2nd XI v Broxbourne (Friendly) – 40 overs match. Wanstead won by 11 runs.
Wanstead 201 all out.
Waseem Qureshi 98
Broxbourne 190 all out.

Sunday: 21 April
1st XI v Upminster (Friendly) – 45 overs. Wanstead won by 6 runs.
Wanstead 231 all out
Matthew Smith 71
Petrus Hattingh 64
Upminster 225 all out.

More details from the Wanstead and Snaresbrook Cricket Club website.

RIP Bipasha. Long live… err…D-something…?

Bipasha, the log-fringed Indian restaurant on Nightingale Lane, has disappeared over the past couple of weeks. The fringe – bizarre as it was – has gone too.

And in its place is something we can only describe as “Deshi? Delhi? No definitely Deshi. Is that even a name? Deshi Spice, I think.” It opened on Thursday night.

As is traditional with new openings, Wansteadium wishes the folk behind this venture the best of luck. But it is worth raising the old question… Did anyone ever see any customers sitting in Bipasha?

After
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Yes, sushi is on its way to Wanstead

Rumours in the past few days that a sushi restaurant is on its way to Wanstead finally seem to have been substantiated. An advert (spotted by Wansteadium reader Caroline Barkus) has revealed that a “New Hi Tech” sushi restaurant is offering two jobs for chefs two minutes’ walk from Wanstead Station.

The job advert, posted in Gumtree, indicates the restaurant will be called Sumo Fresh. On 25 February this year a company by that name was registered, with its address as 141 Wanstead High Street, the address of the Olive Branch – which is currently undergoing a refurbishment.

Many restaurant-goers in Wanstead will welcome this development, since it is a welcome shot of diversity to the High Street. With Costa as yet undecided if it will move into the former Enigma premises, there are clear motives to get out of the coffee business, but under its current owners the Olive Branch has won fans of its summer barbecues.

The advert text reads:

A fantastic opportunity for a hard working individual who relishes learning new skills with promotion to eventually overseeing day to day running of kitchen operations. Past Japanese Restaurant Experience is essential
Skills and Experience to include:
– Fresh fish meat and vegetable preparation
– Cutting fish to make sashimi and nigiri
– Making Sushi and rolls
– Experiencing in cooking hot food skill in Japanese cuisine
– Understanding and being able to communicate in English with Customers and Staff
– Fully aware of HACCP and Cook-safe regulations
– Able to budget and order produce to reflect sales forecast
– Able to lead junior members of staff
– Able to work as part of a team
– Clean, smart and well spoken at all times while on the premises
– Having a legal right to work in UK
Competitive Salary based on experience, this will be reconsidered after a 3 month trial period and plus tips.
Please call 07590526631 or email your C.V