Wansteadium

Toolbox owner and all round nice guy Imran Asfhar featured in a BBC News article describing his St George’s flag behind his counter.

“I’m the only retailer in the whole High Street that has the England flag up here.”

The changes which have been going on at Nice Croissant for the past couple of years culminated on Tuesday with new “La Bakerie” signage (very tasteful). And in the process, it revealed a bit of hidden Wanstead history.

Before it was Nice Croissant – which it was for about 30 years – it was Dickens Bakery, though the sign which was exposed does seem ancient. Any readers remember it?

And, of course, good luck to Fabien and Franck and team in their quiet revolution.

 

(Thanks to Angela Smith-Hughes.)

Wanstead IS to get a vape shop, in the premises formerly occupied by the estate agent Felicity Lord. The shop is currently being stocked and appears to be not many days away from opening.

Ironically it’s next door to the Filika restaurant whose green colour scheme sparked speculation last year that it was to become a vape shop. (Instead it has become a very well received establishment.)

The new signs are up at the Nightingale – or “Nightingale on the Green” as it is now to be known – and the refurbishment is in full swing.

Apart from the welcome addition of an upstairs function room, which is bizarrely something of a rarity in Wanstead, the formula seems to be similar to the pub’s longstanding traditions…. it’s a bar serving beers and ales, not a wine bar, and it’s going to serve food too.

That should please many longstanding regulars, though of course the atmosphere will change somewhat. As is traditional here, we wish the new team good luck in their efforts.

 

 

The former antiques shop on Wanstead High Street now unveiled in a very impressive bit of work (previous incarnation below).

The work to expand the Larder into the former Judith of Wanstead shop has broken through – the wall between the two shops is now down, as are Judith’s iconic signs.

The new premises will allow a larger kitchen and more seating. It’s a bold move by the Larder when Wanstead has so many more cafes than when it started. But then the Larder has become a Wanstead success story. From its birth here, it now has six branches around East London – Butler’s Retreat, Bethnal Green, the William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow Wetlands and Newham.

Good luck to Paul and the team on the next stage in their development.