In the alley people are smoking, the maroon door is open, and it guides us inside a warehouse. Along the way, we can notice plants, four throw rugs, a couple of bikes, and longboards parked in the corridor. Music that is coming from the amplifiers proves we are at the right place. We step into an open space filled with records. Later we would learn there are about 30,000 on the shelves. Yes, the zeros are correct, 30K. Hon is closing a deal. This is the place he resides, has occasional parties, and operates <a fr-original-style="" href="https://instagram.com/vinylpimp?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Vinyl Pimp</a>. Hon: A record shop owner, amateur photographer, BBQ master, and music connoisseur. These are just a few of the adjectives we could combine to describe him. He is, what we would call a Hackney Wick dynasty.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">ID&nbsp;</h2>My nickname:&nbsp;Hon Gao (Big brother Hon in Chinese)I have recently biked to:&nbsp;Holborn for my haircutAfter living decades years in London, I have recently discovered:&nbsp;You can cook BBQ on the street without much interference from the authority&nbsp;I live in:&nbsp;Hackney Wick, East LondonI am from (in my heart):&nbsp;Hong KongA Londoner you must meet:&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.instagram.com/topuptruck/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Ella Shone</a>, she started the Top Up Truck to help us become sustainable.Only a true Londoner would know:&nbsp;To never swim in the Thames<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/3/1661358758357.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.00" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">These are just some of Vinyl Pimp's favorite records<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;"><h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">SHOOT THE BREEZE</h2>How long have you been living in London? What made you a Londoner?I first moved to London in 2005, straight after uni finished. I have always enjoyed my trips to London during my school breaks and decided to make it long-term.Where is your hood? How did it change since you moved in there? What are the side effects of gentrification?This is my 14th year as a resident of Hackney Wick in East London. It used to be full of young creatives living and working in warehouse spaces, but the property developers also got the memo, bought up a bunch of lands, and started building flats not too dissimilar to Ikea furniture. The main side effect of gentrification is the loss of character in the area, and it all looks and feels a bit same.What makes you keep going, holding on to London? What surprises you most about the city?My business and friends are what keep me here. I live in one of the remaining close-knit communities.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/3/1661343596616.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.00" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Luk Man Hon or Hon Gao<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">A place you are regular at on any given Sunday?The local farmer market is my go-to place on Sunday's, as I like to eat in season and chat face to face with the farmers and producers.Is London still a music capital? If so, in what way?London is still very much the cultural hub in the country. If we are speaking strictly in music, there are events of every style and genre just about any day of the week. Classical, metal, jazz, rock, or squat techno raves, we have got it covered.Any local gem you can share with us?Grow in Hackney Wick has a lovely view of the canal, and they are doing things right!A fast track for a fast-paced city?Goldie - Inner City Life

Aposto London

Vinyl Pimp owner, amateur photographer, BBQ master, music connoisseur. 

LUK MAN HON / 陸文康, record shop owner in Hackney Wick

A bosom friend is with us at the table this week. Berkok Yüksel, founder and food writer of Apéro, is turning our destination to Smelt&amp;Co., a corner restaurant in Balat.Berkok begins by telling us his profession. “I think the main aim of a food writer is to describe a dish through the facts of culture and history, recent food trends, agricultural policies, technological change, and the restaurant industry that created it.”We are at a modest and friendly table surrounded by numerous wooden chairs. We look out to a magnificent view.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/5/1661523713978.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="0.67" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">An inside view of Smelt &amp; Co.Photograph: Deniz Sabuncu<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">“When you think of Smelt &amp; Co. as a fine-dining restaurant, the location is in an unexpected district. Why do you think they chose this neighborhood?” we ask Berkok.“I think Smelt &amp; Co. is not a fine-dining restaurant. I think Samet and Sinan Chefs are two individuals who are not very fond of the word fine-dining. Smelt &amp; Co. has a menu that adopts a technically as well as intellectually modern approach. Its ingredients are locally sourced, and it finds inspiration from various places. However, the restaurant’s chef-customer relationship dynamic, which comes with fine dining, is far from the understanding that transitions between servitude and snobbery, or the attitude that values glamour and luxury. I think the aesthetic atmosphere of the place consists of the individual tastes of the chef-operator duo. The reason why they chose it is also related to the authenticity and charm of the place.”The conversation is getting deeper over time. He mentions that Smelt &amp; Co. certainly contributed to the gentrification process of Balat, but it was not the one that initiated it. “Perhaps Balat is in a special place in this gentrification cycle. It is a neighborhood whose surroundings have changed many times not only over centuries but over millennia” he adds.Let's keep it to ourselves what we ordered from the menu. We leave Balat and Smelt &amp; Co. with a fresh mind and a satisfied stomach. Stay tuned and follow us for future taste maps.

gentrification ile ilgili hikayeler