caro ed

BrandNewGuy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If it's to be a South Indian vegetarian place, as > has been sugegsted before on the forum, then it > wouldn't be just 'another curry house', which is > mildly insulting to a vast nation whose cuisine is > as varied as that of the whole of Europe. Most > 'Indian' restaurants in Britain are Pakistani or > Bangladeshi, but there's a whole lot of great > stuff as well in between. > > Imagine if, in Delhi, a Spanish restaurant opened > next to a Russian one. Would it be fair of the > locals to cry, "Not another bloody European > restaurant!"? > > :-) Fair comment about there being lots of regional variation within the cuisine of a continent - which I completely agree with, but my point was that having been to most of the curry houses on the Lane I can't really tell a huge difference between them. So either my taste buds are pants or they are all from the same sort of area.. As I said, I'd be happy to see the SMBS guys open theirs as I suspect it will be something a bit different... Just don't see why (as has often been noted on the forum) we need quite so many very similar curry restaurants all on one road. On the subject of another shop though, what's the score with that Janitorial Services place just down from the Mag?? Is it actually a shop or is the signage just still there as a remnant and actually now a home?!

Much as I love SMBS and the guys in there... ANOTHER curry house on Lordship Lane??? Exactly how many do we need?!! Can't we have Vietnamese/Japanese/Spanish (tapas) instead? Actually, how about SMBS open theirs (as no doubt it'll be made with great fresh ingredients), and one of the other crappier ones is turned into something else?! Space NK (or something similar) would be lovely too...

Well I never... obviously I have missed more than I thought during the past year I've been in Sydney! Cheers for that SMG :-)

Is eater81 auditioning for Grumpy Old Men? Although with 81 in the username I suspect he is not yet 30 so perhaps there is an as-yet unknown version called Grumpy Young Men. Intrigued to know where he would choose to live once he escapes the hell on earth that is East Dulwich? To Sebastian the original poster, East Dulwich is a great place to live for all sorts of reasons and hopefully you'll see that for yourself if you move here.

It was a good while back (as in about 2 yrs ago) but i had my handbag stolen off the hook on the back of my trolley in in the DKH Sainsbury's whilst my back was turned for all of 15 seconds. I took matters into my own hands and decided to run out the exit in the hope of spotting the culprit, which I did, grabbed the bag off her and tried to take her to the Sainsbury's security staff (useful as chocolate teapots I now realise) but after she got over the shock she wriggled free and ran to a car parked at the back of the carpark with a big burly guy at the wheel and got away. I got the number plate of the car, called the local police and their response was "well, you got your handbag back so as nothing's stolen there's nothing to investigate" which personally i think is boll**ks. Hope you manage to catch the thieving bastards.

missus Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > 1) Somewhere that sells good make-up! Like a Space > NK.... yay! > 2) A decent chinese restaurant (Mr.Liu's is > alright but it's not all that and the decor is > really grim). > 3) A Sushi place!! > 4) Somewhere that sells nice underwear... > > ...Generally less silly gift shops and less Indian > restaurants would make for a better ED! Missus I agree wholeheartedly.. And would add a) a good shoe shop, NOT a crappy chain (Dolcis...urrrrrghhh) but one that sells a good selection from the brands like Office/Poste Mistress/ and maybe some like Kurt Geiger/Carvela etc b) a good sports shop, as others have said - the triathlon shop folk are nice but the selection isn't exactly massive. c) did I mention Space NK ??? :-)

I know there's still a bit of a taboo in some people's heads about this, but have you thought of trying a website? Some of them actually have some really decent blokes on there - I've tried one myself when I was newly single and just needed a bit of a confidence boost, and it was the perfect remedy to a horrible break up with a nasty ex. And if it's serious relationship you're after, I know of 2 friends who are now married to guys they met through MySingleFriend and also another one which i think is called Click. Could be worth a shot, even for a few fun dates with no strings?! The good thing is that you have alot more of a likelihood of actually meeting someone likeminded when you know a bit about each other BEFORE you have that 2nd bottle of rose :-)

What ho my old codgers! First things first, I do hope that the cooler evening weather is agreeing with you and that you are indulging in a well deserved pre-dinner aperitif. I must say that, being a soft sort, I am a spot bothered about the wretched situation you chaps seem to be in. I would even go as far as to say that I find it quite unfathomable that one might manage to tolerate the abominable spell of humidity we are experiencing whilst being confined to such an uncomfortable environment as the dreaded OFFICE. Ye gods! At the risk of sounding a tad supercilious, I must say that I heartily recommend experimenting with a new-fangled concept I have just stumbled upon known as "free-lancing" - although I must concede that I am not entirely certain what I am lancing and why I am doing it gratis. Back to the point though, and rather wonderfully, I have been able to enjoy your notes whilst lounging in my hammock sipping on an iced Lady Grey, keeping an eye on Perkins as he sees to the hydrangeas (necessary as he is awfully prone to bunking off for a swift Guinness at the public house if a beady eye is not kept on him at all times), all the while maintaining the outward impression that I am frantically busy and hugely important to my professional acquaintances. Only downside is that they do have the dashed exasperating knack of requiring something urgently just as I am dozing off. All in all though, damned fine notion... not sure what spiffing chap came up with it but I must make a mental note to congratulate him with a hearty slap on his doubtless manly shoulders when I find out.

Hi Wallerski Loved your post... I lived in Beijing for a year 1999-2000 in the 3rd yr of university (studied Chinese) and had a ball - even if the first few months were a major culture shock at the ripe old age of 21! Can't imagine how much it must have changed since then... I still have friends there who say i wouldn't recognize alot of the areas.. Back in '99 we were lucky to find anywhere that knew how to do a salad without drowning it in some weird mayonnaise/thousand island dressing sauce.. and god help you if you asked for a glass of wine.. All I'll say is that i've tasted nicer vinegar! Sounds like it's a bit posher now?! Glad to hear there are still some hutongs which have survived though - i heard alot of them were ripped down to make way for the 'beauty' of modern buildings... Tragic. Used to love wandering through the back streets and chatting to the locals before stopping off for a plate of jiaozi for some ridiculous price like 10p equivalent! Even funnier to see all the teenagers taking their dates to Maccie D's for the big first date as apparently that was impressing them.... not sure it would still wash now?! Have a blast in Beijing & enjoy the lovely folk there... Lots of very happy memories :-) Still, also loving being back home in good old ED after a year in Sydney. No place like home!! safe travels Caz

Yep, MrBen I hear you.. I turned on the TV the other day and guess what came on.. a brand new series called..Phil Spencer DOWN UNDER!! And yes, all the chat amongst friends is "god, if I don't buy now I'm not going to be able to afford anything more than a shoebox"... all VERY deja vu of London about 4 yrs ago. Mind you, it really doesn't show any signs of faltering here at the moment - the Chinese as you say are the main reason the economy's so strong - they're gobbling up the natural resources coming out of Australia at the rate of knots to feed their industry and the Ozzies are doing very well out of it thanks very much! Plus on the property side, Sydney has a huuuge housing shortage and once you throw in anything vaguely near a view of the harbour the prices go insane... On the flip side, interest rates have just gone up again for the 4th month in a row, with more hinted at, so will be interesting to see how it all plays out... Aaanyway.. thank you all very much for the info on our lovely ED. Can't wait to be home!

Actually live just down the road from the Surry Hills Bills' and was a bit disappointed the other day... $6 for a few measly slices of avocado on the side of my eggs on toast.. Well seeing as Ricky Martin's FINALLY come out i reckon it's only a matter of time for Bill to follow suit! Have you eaten at the newly renovated Castle? Just had a squizz at a pic.. v posh. Really been missing my Sunday roasts so very exciting if they do this well as is just round the corner from my ED home :-)

Re: Quick summary of what's changed in ED in the past year?! new Posted by: Andystar Yesterday, 11:10PM I still haven't pulled > hahahahaaaaa! Oooh like the sound of the vodka sweet shop. And can't quite contain my excitement about the new sign at Chener Books. To keep you in the loop on Sydney goings on 1) Andrew Clarke has finally dumped Lara Bingle (of "where the bloody hell are ya?" fame) which apparently was the most exciting story of the year judging by the media coverage 2) baby elephant miracle births and arrival of pandas from China manage to get onto the news on a daily basis 3) 60+ yr old granny's bum chewed off by shark but she fought it off & survived. Granny power. 4) Red dust storm turned the whole city into a Martain landscape back in September 5) Aus dollar is whooping Sterling 6) Sydney house prices are going through the roof 7) Vegemite still a poor imitation of Marmite

oops failed to mention the switch at Earls Court from District to Piccadilly (but it's literally just across the platform so fine even with a suitcase - no stairs) Or from memory, i think Hammersmith is also a good one to switch.

I used to get bus down the road to Denmark Hill, train to Victoria and then Piccadilly line out to Heathrow. Cuts out the whole faff of having to get from London Bridge onto the Piccadilly line!

Evening all (well it's evening here anyway...) Been living & working in Sydney for the past year and now VERY excited about coming home to ED in a few weeks... I've checked out the forum a couple of times and picked up: - new Sainsbury's Local near the Plough - Uplands to become new pub in same chain as Florence/Bishop - lots of muggings around Barry/Goodrich Road in particular (eeek..scary) Anyone able to catch me up on anything else quickly so i don't have to trawl through the posts?! cheers & happy Easter!

Keef.. surely a tad subjective to say that all the people in there on a friday / saturday are 'tw@ts' ... would be interested to know how you're definining them... maybe i'm a 'tw@t'?... hmmm. Might be somthing to add to my CV. For what it's worth i love the bishop.. nice guys, great food, lovely beer and in my own humble opinion, normally a nice crowd.

I'm with James on the shabby chic vibe, and also agree we could do with an addition to the Plough end of LL... although obviously Nico you are staying tight lipped on that one! I was in Paris the other weekend and it was so nice sitting in bars that aren't overpriced so that the locals happily while away the afternoon eating simple snacks (nothing fancy, just good ingredients) and drinking wine & chatting - rather than stuck in front of the telly like I was last weekend because I can't afford to drink outside of the house!! (i've been credit crunched)

Nunhead girl, I'm with you on there not being anywhere for a proper dance in ED... any mileage in one opening or would all the residents be up in arms about late night noise/lager louts etc etc??

I still love the Bishop... Best way to solve the chav problem is to outnumber them so that they don't want to hang out there, no?? i.e all us lovely 'normal' (whatever that is) forumites need to make sure we take every opportunity to booze round there (as well, of course, as the Plough which like Brendan is also a stone's throw from me so most convenient) and cast evil 'out of my pub you chav' death stares at said reprobates. Done. think i might run for mayor (-ess)

I concur nutty. Consumer confidence needs a serious boost so if/when inflationary pressures ease I reckon the MPC will go for a cut. I for one am 99% sure i'm going for a tracker as opposed to fixing when I remortgage particularly as a number of lenders are starting to reduce their margins at last (even though they are still charging through the nose on arrangement fees for the good rates most of the time)

hmmm any up to date news on this? you think it's going to stay tarpaulin for the forseeable??

Caro ed aka mortgage broker supreme here... Some slightly more encouraging news for us all (including me wearing my home-owner/borrower hat!) is that some better fixed rates emerged from the banks today off the back of swap rates coming down. Not for a second that I think that is signalling a sudden return to everything being hunky dory again (which as has previously been mentioned here is going to take CONSIDERABLY longer, in my opinion the real upturn won't be for around 18 months from now) but at least a step in the right direction. Personally I am slightly concerned about remortgaging my 2 yr fixed rate which runs out in December, mainly because I have no idea what my place is going to be valued at by a surveyor acting for a bank - all of whom are being uber cautious, and I mean UBER given the spate of down valuations I've experienced with clients of mine - and if it's sigificantly less than I'm expecting the loan to value is going to be over 75% which is the benchmark for any half decent rates. Oh the joys. As for prices in ED in particular reaching a bottom... in my view it always comes down to supply & demand and I would say on that front that if anywhere is going to weather the storm relatively well, amongst a few others it would be our lovely ED - reasons for demand to stay up: nice victorian stock, lovely area (despite some other thread about the area having got boring... twaddle...), still within first time buyer/young professional reach affordability wise (just!), good commute to the city blah blah and supply-wise, no massive new build developments etc. Suppose the only reason supply might outstrip demand is if all the BTL'ers suddenly have to sell because the rents aren't covering their mortgage payments though... anyway... that's my thoughts for the day. have a nice evening.

Not sure if you watched until the bitter end (I unfortunately had to due to my 2 visiting brothers who look forward to the annual spectacle that is Eurovision and treat changing channels as sacrilege... and yes - they ARE both heterosexual in case you were wondering, just love to make 'witty' comments to add to King Terry's/check out the backing dancers...). If you did, the absolutely highlight (for me anyway) was Bjorn - well he couldn't have been called anything else now could he?? - giving Sweden's vote results... please please tell me some clever IT literate person has put it on YouTube?? Pure TV gold.

Wow... never thought it was possible to have such a full & lengthy discussion on the subject of bread/baguettes! On the subject of the quality V cost of food in general, personally I prefer to buy/eat a little of something great than alot of something tosh.... Just my opinion, but I think the Brits (of which, yes I am one but with a European style upbringing) have the same problem with food as they do with wine - not being willing to fork out a reasonable amount of money for quality at the expense of not having tons/gallons of the stuff in order to end up stuffed silly/obese and wasted. And no, that does not make me loaded (far from it) - just someone who is willing to spend more than 10% of my income on what I put inside my body & on my taste-buds! (neither does it make me immune to getting absolutely trollied on WAY too much wine though...:-)) Having said that, the beauty of a free market is that there's room for us all so as long as there's a few shops selling good produce (and to be honest, call me socially irresponsible, but I couldn't care less whether that comes from Sainsbury's or a little deli/independent grocer style shop - just depends on which I happen to be walking past) then as long as people want or need them, whilst I won't be frequenting them, there should also be the Lidl's and Chicken Licken's too. Surely it's not just all about the ingredients anyway though? For me, the best thing about food is mealtimes and the best thing about mealtimes is sitting round a table with friends/family and enjoying home made, good food slowly while nattering about anything and everything. (weekday breakfasts & lunchtimes sadly are not anything like this but hey ho, makes it all the more special when it can be)

Nice idea Macroban but if I had ?600k floating around in cash, trust me I would be in some exotic location sunning myself right now! Re the wood flooring DEFINITELY sounds dodgy... that's always the line that they just 'happen' to have lots left over from some big job...