Find your Tribe
Kat Hannon enjoyed a weekend exploring Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is like an island, contrasting between glass and foliage. It has been beautifully designed, much green thought has been put into the layout of the Wharf and it makes for a lovely walkabout. I am particularly drawn to glass and the sky, the light reflecting, but in addition, the water below adds its own glorious elements to the vision of Canary Wharf. Like NYC, alongside the hustle and bustle and in between the docks, you have Jubilee Park, with tall trees, sculpture art, bagels, coffee and people strolling the scenic route with their families. To all you big city travellers, I’d highly recommend a stay in Canary Wharf, taking a wander, and getting a feel for this new London vibe.
Away from the old city, Canary Wharf and the East London area has a lot to offer.
Feels Like June
My stay in Canary Wharf was at Tribe Hotel, a really easy location to get to and around The Wharf. I had the pleasure of breakfast and dinner in Feels Like June. The ground floor restaurant is laced with super cool Florida interior vibes and chilled background music making it relaxed and pretty to sit in. They had fabulous coffee which of course made my morning and the cocktails were sublime. I tried this really quirky cocktail with cheese and it blew my mouth away. The food was beautiful with an American feel but with their own twist on the dishes. Feels Like June is also dog friendly! It’s a real treat to be able to dine with your fury loved one. They had some ace street photography books lying around too, which I - of course - had a good look through whilst sipping my evening wine. Overall, I think Feels Like June is the kind of place you could brunch in with your gal pals or have a dinner date, a real all-day kind of place.
Food and Drinks in Abundance
The whole trip was a real treat as I was able to try a few restaurants out for you guys to work out who did what and well. Burgers? Uou got it at Patty & Bun, the sweetest burger dining concept with the most delicious petite but tasty and filling burger ever, perfection.
We ate at Emilia’s Pasta, a super friendly Italian filled with classic dishes. The much-needed homely meals were super tasty and they shared some very cool information about their ethics on sourcing their meat and cheese. They had pieces of pasta for straws, why isn’t everyone doing this? Because quite frankly paper straws do not cut it.
Looking at more high-end evening dining we tried the best Indian food at Chai Ki, I have ever had in my life. Chai Ki is situated on the north side of the Wharf and underneath the Roof Top Gardens. I was so glad I had walked so many steps that day that I was able to consume every flavour that was laid in front of me. Chai Ki alone is a reason to visit Canary Wharf. The table host was so helpful to us all, making sure we had variety but also catering for those not too keen on meat and our none meat eaters. We had, and I’m sure the gang would agree, an incredible dining experience at Chai Ki.
The Hawksmoor Wood Wharf is a floating restaurant. I knew this was going to be double good because one of my besties, Darreul, has been living in London for 20 years and his knowledge of London is purely based around good food. On learning of my trip, he had mentioned this restaurant to me and so I knew it was a must-visit. On my last day, I went along and spent a lovely small fortune. They had all the best wine to match the burger and my scallops all with free, pretty, waterside views.
So what else is there to do around Canary Wharf and East London? Further east (we took a cab) we experienced Thin Air, a truly inspirational installation of work that is dependent on space and light and sound, really open the mind and tapped into our senses on another scale.
On the Wharf itself are art installations dotted around. A beautiful feature mentioned earlier but in not in any detail is the Crossrail Place Rooftop Garden. I thoroughly enjoyed walking through this green space, especially, given the location in a city area, there’s something calming about the experience, but they have an unexpected feature here; the Short Story Station. You select the minutes you wish to spend reading and it dispenses a short story that will (roughly) take that time to read. A delectable read and in an enchanting location.
Fun stuff around the Wharf include floating boats hot tubs and BBQ’s! I thought ‘Well thats going to be a blast”, and I saw some brave folk (it was March when I visited) in beachwear with a beer in hand. And north of the Wharf - and for those of you into your history - the Museum of London Docklands. A huge conversion of what was a real dock mill and now exhibits and imitates life in the docks over hundreds of years. Across the way from the museum, and I’d say more of an early evening activity is Fair Game. An indoor funfair which surprisingly triggered the competitive nature in me, and they do bangin’ cocktails!
Rightly so, the O2 is the most obvious location to highlight as Canary Wharf sits right on its doorstep. You are a stone’s throw away from one of the world’s largest and most popular music and event venues, with an easy ride from A to B on the Jubilee Line. Connecting to this epic venue is not an issue and takes around 11 mins door to door.
Final Thoughts
Do you know why I’d choose to stay at Canary Wharf? Because although it’s wonderful to see the old historical city of London if you’re from the UK then you’ve most likely been many, many times. Admittedly I am drawn into the new, and impressed by the tall and the mighty. Canary Wharf is but a stone’s throw away from old London. With all the perks that East London and the O2 have to offer that I’d be sure to venture here again.
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