From January 2023, Aposto London will be a part of Soli, a borderless travel community uncovering the world by neighborhood, with their locals.
Let’s meet: The journey started in Istanbul, in 2021, to change the way of seeing the city we live in. Do we have to go far to travel? By visiting the adjacent neighborhood, can we be awakened? Maybe a quick conversation with a neighbor could transform our perception. And it did. This year, we traveled to our second home, London and started to publish Soli in both English and Turkish. Now, we’re walking around the hoods and rediscovering how we journey, thinking about where the next stop will be.
In every issue, we will meet a local in their hood where they live, create or belong. We will frequent where they are regular at, start a conversation with an idiosyncratic artisan, curate handbooks, and handpick routes. Urban culture, people stories, and sociocultural dynamics will be our focus.
Tag along, and let’s redefine travel culture.
The tune this week is a playlist
Hazal
In the 17th AKA "🗺 Aposto London meets Soli" issue
Hopping (What’s going on in London: Hand-picked and unmissable events): This is your chance to dance to the tunes of gypsy jazz aficionado Matt Holborn of The London Django Collective at The Piano Bar Soho. Christmas Market at King's Cross is happening until 2 January. Aurora Orchestra, Nwando Ebizie and Southbank Centre are teaming up with Printworks, get your tickets now.
Water Cooler Talk (Local news that you need to know to survive or just to speak of): Two cabmen's shelter added to National Heritage list by Historic England.
What’s Cooking (Selected places to eat, drink, cafés, food markets): Under the marquee, a true Mexican: Corrochio’s.
Last chance
The London Django Collective
Gypsy Jazz Sessions
What is it? Live gig. A night dedicated to dance with gypsy jazz aficionado Matt Holborn of The London Django Collective.
Where? The Piano Bar
When? 21 December
Why should you go? Django Collective is inspired by the music of Django Reinhardt, a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer.
Duly noted: You can book The Cinema at The Piano Bar which hosts about 18 people for private movie nights.
Intalekt
Jazz Re:freshed Weekly presents: Intalekt
What is it? Live jazz gig. Intalekt is known for his trippy soulful sound.
Where? Ninety One Living Room
When? 22 December
Why should you go? A small but relentlessly determined organisation, Jazz re:freshed hosts a weekly live residency as well as being a record label, festival, film club, band development programme, club night, workshops and more.
Duly noted: Known for kitchen takeovers and BBQ menus, Bolland & Crust is the resident chef at Ninety One Living Room.
Walk-in
The Granary Square installation ‘elsewhere’ by Berlin-based artists
King’s Cross Christmas Market
What is it? Christmas Market. Market with Shōtengai (Japanese commercial district) at Lower Stable Street; curling and 'elsewhere', a totemic structure illuminating Granary Square for the festive season.
Where? King's Cross
When? Until 2 January 2023
Why should you go? To stop by the pop-up store Stories Behind Things and choose to buy sustainable gifts this year.
Duly noted: Between 25 January - 23 April, Lightroom hosts David Hockney: bigger and closer not smaller and further away, a digital retrospective of the artist’s work.
Plan ahead
Freddy K
FOLD Presents Freddy K - All Night EXTENDED
What is it? Dancing all night long. Since the early 90s, Freddy K’s marathon sets have become infamous for their sultry grooves.
Where? Fold
When? 18 February
Why should you go? To dance to the rhythm of Freddy K, techno DJ and producer since 1991 who is also the boss of KEY Vinyl.
Duly noted: This is a 21+ event.
Bertina Lopes, Omaggio per la morte di Picasso (Homage on the Death of Picasso)
Women Artists and Global Abstraction 1940–70
What is it? Exhibition. This exhibition celebrates the practices of the numerous international women artists within the Abstract Expressionist movement.
Where? Whitechapel Gallery
When? 9 February – 7 May 2023
Why should you go? To learn more about American artists Lee Krasner and Helen Frankenthaler; Mozambican-Italian artist Bertina Lopes or South Korean artist Wook-Kyung Choi.
Duly noted: Follow Whitechapel’s events. There is a screening of Estonian Women’s Artists on 2 February for example.
Early birds
Aurora Orchestra performance
Inside Beethoven At Printworks
What is it? A musical experience. Aurora Orchestra, Nwando Ebizie and Southbank Centre team up with Printworks to present a new take on Beethoven’s mighty fifth symphony.
Where? Printworks
When? 23 March
Why should you go? The orchestra will be exploded across the space, listeners will be walking amongst instrumentalists as they perform.
Duly noted: Performance 1 starts at 6:00 p.m., and performance 2 at 9:00 p.m.
• Two cabmen's shelters are added to National Heritage list by Historic England. The one at the Chelsea Embankment, built in 1912, and on Pont Street in Belgravia, built in 1892, are now grade II-listed.
The Pont Street shelter
- Today, The Pont Street shelter is the perfect spot for a breakfast roll. The Chelsea Embankment, known as The Pier, was restored as a public micro café.
- Cab shelters, in the late 1800s would allow cabbies to take a break and get some hot food 24 hours a day because back then it was illegal to leave a vehicle unattended. Out of 61 built between 1875 and 1950, only 13 are left today.
Under the marquee, a true Mexican: Corrochio’s
An underground taqueria with pizzazz, now with a dancefloor.
There are more taquerias on Kingsland High Street than there are smelly butchers on Ridley Road Market. This unexplained multitude of Mexican restaurants on the road (within 10 minutes walking distance from the Junction in both directions) is perhaps the result of a gentrified neighbourhood looking for excitement in the dining sphere. But the over-tacoification often comes with a lack of flavour and an abundance of 'concept'; produce and technique that don’t recreate original tastes and decor that mimics Mexican culture to a level of accuracy similar to Speedy Gonzalez. Yet among the eight Mexican joints, I can think of off the top of my head, there is one that feels less like a gimmicky recreation of culture and more like Mexicans trying to do wonders in a hole-in-the-wall: Corrochio’s.
Aguachile, a weekly special
As a taqueria and cocktail bar, Corrochio’s is for casual nights that are special. Maybe for a slightly romantic weekday date or a dinner with friends. The cute and sometimes cheeky messages on the marquee lead the way to the underground bar, akin to entering a pyramid if the tomb belonged to a hipster Aztec emperor.
In the dimly lit, lively lounge there are a handful of tables surrounded by vividly decorated walls. Not cheesy enough to have Frida Kahlo paintings but with an appropriate amount of Dia de Los Muertos flair. The number of ornaments has the necessary attention-grabbing quality, pizzazz if you will, to fill the silence during dinner. Interesting enough for the uninterested guest to look around and find something to ogle at while the overly interested one tries to establish extended eye contact after the second marg. The menu fits this dynamic perfectly too, as it is approachable enough for the newly initiated Mexican tastes but also lists regional and niche dishes to keep a level of gastronomic excitement.
Cornholio, a muddled corn-based cloudy margarita
What to eat/drink: Go here for the tacos and then regret not trying the more regional and less mainstream dishes. It feels to me like the Mexican chefs in the kitchen occasionally miss a dish from their home and include it in the menu for a bit. The safe options are the Gobernador tacos with shrimp, the lengua (tongue) tacos or whatever birria they have. The vegan and vegetarian options here are also much better than any other taqueria I have tried in London, probably thanks to their salsas [mostly cruda (hangover illnesses caused by a previous bout of heavy drinking), as it should be] and the overcomplicated mole dressings. Another nod-earner is the hefty guacamole and chips starter, which by the laws of space and time should not be this good in London, as any North American would attest.
The cocktails here are proud to be on the spicy to salty spectrum, with even Clamato micheladas making appearances. The margs and mezcalitas pack the perfect fresh punch for fatty and drippy tacos but my favourite so far is the sweetly unique cornholio, a muddled corn-based cloudy margarita with a tajin rim (of course).
And then some: This autumn Corrochio’s also extended to their neighbouring lounge (where Ruby’s used to be) and opened a bar: Cantina. It’s not the most popular yet, the queue outside is not comparable to other dance joints in Dalston, which makes it perfect. More importantly, they serve tacos. Music goes on until 2:00 a.m., with the rare sighting of Mariachi bands.
Where: 76 Stoke Newington Rd, N16 7XB
When: Great for weekday nights. Booking is recommended, especially for weekends. Taco Tuesdays are also worth going to with 4 small tacos and a decent margarita at £16, among other deals.
Dear Londoner, we would love to hear from you! Email us your questions or feedback at: [email protected] and DM us if you've heard a rumour about a day rave, where the party is going on after 2:00 a.m., or if you know another Mexican taqueria we should discover.
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