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p13
Stoke Newington has one of the highest birth rates in the country;
the pushchairs, some in tandem, fly down Church Street pushed by Stokey Mums and Dads with
grim determination. Children, however, are not welcome at all the various pubs and
restaurants in the Street.
 A favourite haunt of Stokey children is the cafe in Clissold
Park. As it had just changed management we sent two Stokey children, Emily and Joseph
(both aged 4 and known for their forthright views on the pleasures or otherwise of eating
out) together with Joseph’s Mum (Jayne), Doll (Noisy), toys Freddie the chipmunk and
Wally Whale together with baby Finny, to review the food. Here are their reflections on
the food, Church Street and life in general.
 Jayne (brightly): ‘This looks nice, what are you going to eat?’
The two children disappear under the table, much noise and confusion, the baby looks
alarmed.
Emily (emerges from beneath the table): ‘I’ll have chips.’
Joseph (from under the table): ‘Beans!’
Both: ‘Chips and beans, please.’
Jayne: ‘That’s not very imaginative, what about some vegetable lasagne.’
Emily: ‘My favourite food is chicken.’
Joseph: ‘So is mine!’
Jayne : ‘But we’re vegetarians! Anyway it is not on the menu.’
The food arrives: lasagne, chips, beans, tuna and baked potato and, most importantly, two
slushpuppies — green for Emily and orange for Joseph.
mily: ‘I like the colour and the ice.’ (She dips her chips in a slushpuppy).
‘These chips are yummy!’
Jayne: ‘What do you think of the cafe?’
Emily: ‘It’s a nice place, I like the new orange walls and the children’s
corner with the small table and chairs and the toys to play with.’
Joseph: ‘They need more toys, ‘though, especially Barbies and Kellies, and I
liked the children’s pictures they used to have on the walls.’
Emily: ‘Yes, and it’s a bit too dark — it needs more light and the
children’s area is a bit too small for us to play in. We need somewhere where we can
run and hide.’
Joseph: ‘It needs to have more types of ice-cream.’
Both children reminisce on restaurants in Church Street.
Emily: ‘My favourite is Il Bacio — it has lovely pizza but it needs some toys to
play with.’
Joseph: ‘My favourite is Bar Lorca: they have garlic prawns and garlic bread, I like
them more than anything. And they have duplo. I also like Foxes (The Fox Reformed). It is
a very nice place, I like Robbie and I like to eat very nice food. There needs to be more
restaurants for children.
Emily: ‘Actually, I like my Mummy’s cooking better than anything.’
Joseph: ‘Do Mummies cook?’
The discussion continued furiously. The staff were friendly, polite and helpful. Finny the
baby, feeling a bit ignored, dumped the food on the floor (no one minded and it was
quickly cleared up). Joseph ate most of the food, Emily only the chips. The food was cheap
and cheerful, the chips were a bit dry and the lasagne rubbery. But both seemed happy with
the cafe. It is certainly great to see it open again.
The children, hand in hand, made their way back to Church Street avoiding the
‘dog-poo’ and pausing expectantly outside Fox’s on the way home. ‘Will
Tim (editor) let us review this one next time, Mum?’ |
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