Last fall I was lazily riding the 254 down on Cambridge Heath Road, on the way back home. My forehead was pressed on the glass and I was semi-hypnotized by the side walk, but still ready to jump off in a few minutes at the East London Mosque. Instead, something caught my sight. I pressed the ‘stop’ button and got off just after Hackney Road.
Why did I never see it before? There was a bizarre playground, just in front of an old strip club and between shops selling spare parts of cars. It had sand on the ground, a wheeled pumpkin and some rusty rocking animals swinging. ‘HURWUNDEKI’ said the white huge letters on blue background. There was a superfluous beach umbrella on a table and a menu on my right. ‘FRESH OVEN BAKED PIZZA!’ it said. I opened the door just behind the playground and got into a restaurant, which was at the same time an antique shop, a hairdresser and a boutique.
Needless to say, I have been back to Hurwundeki a lot of times. First with my new flatmates, to break the ice, then, when it was obvious that we knew each other too well, we made it our favourite destination. We brought there classmates and visiting friends, even first-dates.
The atmosphere is really nice and cosy. Once you are in, you forget to be a stone’s throw from Cambridge Heath Road. The restaurant looks like an old bakery, with an arched ceiling made of bricks. The walls are covered with blurry paintings, black hats and fake stuffed animals. Tables and chairs never have the same shape or colour.
The menu is not too long, but you might struggle to find it between the pages of Sant’Agostino’s Confessions, brought by the waiter when questioned about the choices of the day. Bibimbap is their forte. Korean barbeque dishes, miso soup and sides for both vegetarians and non are also on the list. Their oven baked pizzas are tasty and crunchy too, and are made with fresh ingredients.
A full extra point is given to Hurwundeki because you can BYOB. It closes at 10 pm, from Monday to Saturday, so it is also a great place to share a meal and a bottle of wine with your friends before hitting the streets of Shoreditch on a weekend.
I wouldn’t suggest it only to a group of friends. You can stop there with your laptop (they have free WIFI) and try a coffee with a pastry or two. Or when your hair gets too messy and you are running out of time you can go for a fast-haircut (it’s 9 pounds/15 mins for men and 14 pounds/19 mins for women). Why not checking out their boutique too?
