Category: Wansteadium

Unidentified technical gremlins have put the kibosh on Wanstead Talk over the past two or three weeks, but we think it’s now back. You can find the best place to have civilised online conversation about Wanstead now, reinstated here.

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?

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

 

 

Belatedly we discover a racehorse in the US by the name of Wanstead. How the existence of this animal could have escaped Wansteadium’s notice is a mystery – we have some of the finest Google alerts going – but it seems we have.

So we’re sad to report that this fine beast, a six-year-old gelding, ran in a race at the Aquaduct racetrack in New York on Saturday, but broke its right front leg and fell at the start of the race. It was put down there and then. Or “euthanized”, as the Americans put it.

Commiserations all round. It would have been fun to have a horse to follow.

This weekend had meant to be the start of the cricket season, but it turned into a bit of a non-starter. Sanjay Batra, of Wanstead and Snaresbrook Cricket Club, writes: “The season started less with the sound of leather on willow and more with the sound of the club treasurer’s head smashing against the clubhouse bar, as the weather put paid to all Wanstead cricket this weekend: two home games, two away games and the women’s 6-a-side tourney.” Details of the season’s fixtures are at the club website.