Cant stop wont stop š
Wednesdays does not stop. After our 100th event banquet last week, we are already full steam ahead with two more exciting events this month and a sold-out trip to Normandy in June.
To those whoāve been with us, to those whoāve just joined us, and to those who arenāt even sure what the heck Wednesdays is. I have one thing to say: All aboard and buckle up, because the journeyās just getting started šš¢š«”š„
Dhruv, Wednesdays
Upcoming Events
First Look: One Rice Sunday 10 May
In a city full of Cantonese restaurants, One Rice is a new arrival serving home-style Teochew cuisine with standout crispy chicken wings in spicy Szechuan and black pepper seasoning and a heart-warming claypot congee brimming with fresh seafood š¶ļøš„š¦
After dinner, we'll wander down Brick Lane for a cheeky grocery run to stock up on just-in-season Alphonso mangoes too š„
First Look: Filipino Thai Friendship Wednesday 27 May
Chef Tintin Jonsson (Swilipino) and Chef Dow Panyawong (Ginn Khao) have decided the world needs more friendship: Filipino Thai Friendship (FTF) to be exact. š¤
On Wednesday 27 May, we're heading to Clapton to experience this culinary dynamic duo! Expect a 12-course South East Asian extravaganza featuring fall-off-the-bone short ribs with chili vinegar, sea bass Kinilaw, prawn stuffed-schnitzels, tangy pomelo salad. PLUS their legendary Moo Krob (crispy pork belly) will be back as a special for Wednesdays š·š„š
What weāve been up to:
Our last event may have been our best event ever! A 100th Event Banquet with Jenny Lau (Celestial Peach). Special thanks to Mitch, Christy, and Nivraj for their wonderful speeches, May for acquiring 100 balloons, Shell for a Mango Sago cake of dreams, Jess and Suraj for excellent service, Nandal for our limited-edition merch, the ESEA center for hosting us on so many occasions, and last but not least: Jenny Lau for collaborating with us on such a milestone event and cooking up a delicious 7-course feast. To 100 events done, and another 100 more!
Member Spotlight: Nivraj C.
Nivraj joined Wednesdays in 2023. Since then, heās attended 20 events (!) and joined Wednesdays hall of fame. Everytime I meet Nivraj, I learn something new. Itās not just his near encyclopedic knowledge of food that inspires me, itās his ābeginners mindā attitude towards life. Food, often, is just starting point, the tip of the iceberg into a new culture that he so readily devours (Iāve lost count of how many languages he speaks at this point!?). Nivraj, I hope one day Iāll have a mere fraction of your hunger and enthusiasm to learn, experience and taste the world. Thank you for your loyalty and support to Wednesdays!
How did you feel coming to your first event way back in 2023? How was the experience compared to your expectations?
I was a little nervous to be meeting a group of new people but I was mainly really excited to learn more about tandoori cooking from a chef and to get behind the scenes of a pretty high end restaurant.In the end, it was actually easy to chat to people considering everyone had a shared interest in food and cooking. The main reason I wanted to go was to see if I could steal anything to implement in my own recipes and I definitely did.
Youāre an active contributor in our āCooks Clubā channel on WhatsApp. What about cooking do you enjoy most?
I think what I like about cooking is being able to explore so many different cultures through food. Even though we have basically every cuisine available in London, I like being able to find recipes I can recreate myself - especially from videos in the language of that cuisine. I feel like you get to understand the cuisine and culture better. And I think a lot of what Iāve shared in the chat is based on cool things Iāve learnt and want to share with people who might be interested.
What excites and/or frustrates you the most about Londonās food scene?
Something Iāve moaned about a lot is the lack of a middle ground for good Indian food. A lot of Indian restaurants in London are high end and seem to be trying to appeal to people who want to feel like theyāre still in the British Raj. And at the other end of the spectrum there are the brick lane type curry houses or the genuinely good places further out in East Ham, Southall or Wembley . But not much in central other than Dishoom - which is why I think itās done so well. I really enjoyed the Firangi pop-ups so hopefully itās changing. I also donāt get the whole London Pizza thing.
What excites me is the breadth of cuisines on offer and how rapidly that landscape changes. It seems like thereās a restaurant for every province in China now. And how you can visit certain areas and be completely immersed in a cuisine like New Malden for Korean, East Ham for South Indian, Green Lanes for Turkish and so many more.
In my experience, other cities in the UK will have a few restaurants from different countries but when thereās a whole street of them you start getting the more obscure dishes from those cuisines which I love exploring.
Youāve been to 20 Wednesdays events now, and a member for nearly 3 years. What keeps you coming back and what are you most looking forward to with the club?
I think what keeps me coming back is that it gives me a way to explore the kind of places I mentioned above with like minded people. And it means I get to try way more dishes than would normally be possible or sensible.
Iāve also loved being able to get slightly more behind the scenes than if you just went to a restaurant yourself. And the interactive elements like the potluck and workshops have been an outlet for my more creative side (ridiculously adventurous kimchi included).
Anything else youād like our readers to know? :)
Maybe donāt put guava in kimchi.
What an amazing read! I'm always so jealous to see your events, I really wish one day I can attend!