My first acquaintance with this neighbourhood happened over a year ago when, driven by my usual curiosity, I took Victoria line to the very end of its southbound service and disembarked in the "wild and unknown" southern London. My first impression was nothing but disappointment. Instead of a colourful Caribbean population all I saw was numerous homeless people asking for change, dubious fish stands on the market and hundreds of shoppers carrying their purchases in oversized bags decorated with hideous flowers. After walking towards Brixton market I ran into a street fight. Apparently market vendors caught someone trying to steal something from one of their stands and they were just about to teach him a lesson. Street justice had never been my thing and I quickly decided to wrap up my visit and headed back to a familiar comfort of zone 1.
When I got an invitation from one of my friends to meet up in Brixton for a trendy brunch I could not resist but make a comment whether she really wanted to go to Brixton and if Soho was a better choice...In fear of sounding old and judgemental I got a hold of my scepticism and gave it a shot. And was I in for a surprise, a real discovery!
It was a sunny December day when I hesitantly got off the bus in the very heart of "oh so dangerous" Brixton. I was immediately taken aback but a positive aura all around the street: smiling people, friendly street vendors chatting with eager shoppers... and my thoughts were immediately carried away to distant Caribbean with the sounds of reggae music masterfully played by a Jamaican street musician. What a change from my previous visit! We headed right in the heart of Brixton market to find a place to eat. Fresh sugar canes, manioc, Jamaican tea, unknown fruits and vegetables or maybe dried fish that looked like one of the must ingredients of the witchcraft? You can find it all in Brixton. The market is filled with art shops, cafes and small restaurants catering to the most demanding tastes. My friend suggested Japanese restaurant that served traditional street food and was the only place in London that served okonomiyaki, traditional Japanese pancakes. And there we were in the middle of Jamaican food and art stands eating authentic Japanese cuisine... Only in Brixton! We could choose from prawns, beef, tofu, pork and cabbage filling. What a delight it was! Accompanied by freshly brewed green tea we consumed out okonomiyakis that looked nothing like pancakes but tasted simply delicious!
Once we were finished with our fantastic lunch we headed to the shop across the street for a desert. Mango and walnut/coffee cakes, chocolate chip cookies, pecan tarts, lemon and banana bread just to name the few! How could we choose? instead we got a piece of each for an afternoon tea at home and headed to a coffee shop on the 5th Ave that served the best hot chocolate and mocha ever! Yes they do have their own 5th Ave in Brixton (just in case you really miss your NYC)!
Night started to embrace London but I did not want to leave Brixton... I will definitely be back (maybe for Caribbean food tasting?). Thank you Taos for opening up my heart to Brixton: a place, where you can find it all!
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