London: Borough Market, The Shard & Bermondsey Street!

London is a city that's been trading for a long time, for how long I can't give that answer. Southwark has changed rapidly but parts remain the same since the 1200s, I don't think the hipsters had pounced just yet? Bermondsey serves a certain sophistication even though it sits within a myriad of council flat projects. L, Borough Market and Bermondsey regrets nothing!


Noted as far back as 1276 London's Borough Market has been serving the city with fresh fruit, vegetables and much more for a very long time. From the authentic English food stalls I saw a strong presence of International delicacies ranging from Tapas to Ethiopian street food. London beats its own drum, transforming the timeless Borough Market bridging the gap from yesterday to now! Food has become fashionable all of a sudden with a new wave of artsy food on offer at London's number one market. Join the hype! Won't you? I did! Restaurants aren't my scene at all, I enjoyed a gourmet chicken and leek pie from one of the open air speciality food stands. Standing cheek to cheek with Southwark Cathedral the infusion between the two formidable structures sets the perfect spark completely! Truth be told the Borough Market is worth a look around even if you don't buy anything. Watch out for the crowds! Really!

I'm no stranger to fancy food markets because I trusted the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria in Barcelona, I dined on freshly fried fish, washed down with an ice cold glass of Spanish Cerveza. London's Borough Market served me a simple food experience with my gourmet chicken and leek pie but it was so super busy it was a challenge to find a seat or a pocket of calm. Denoting the craziness I know that atmosphere was there 100% in London! Barcelona's market being away from home showed me some spice but London won hands down because I was in and out without hassle. Oh those crowds on a Saturday afternoon are a challenge to say the least but nothing in life is given to us easy. Stand your ground, that's the only way to get what we want! Protecting Borough's Market has been in place since 1832 when the market's building's were declared as a Grade II listed property. In my mind market's don't have anything on Bilston but I'll give Borough Market a positive shout out!


SE1 officially made her comeback! Once an area not to regard highly Bermondsey has been transformed with a tonne of trendy developments, restaurants and boutiques that are right up my street. Known for the location of Guy's Hospital, this corner of South East London is branching out into the big time! Touching the clouds with her razor sharp design the Shard added a luxury flair to Bermondsey to build a new image with a brand new Shangri-La Hotel with its five star service it shines above the council estate projects to show that the Southside can be chic! I don't have that five star reservation fee so I'll just marvel at the Shard from a distance amongst the ever-changing SE1 neighbourhood. Let's give a big up to Bermondsey! Keep your hustle sis!

Bermondsey has a great mix between up-town yuppie realness and council estate grind, I took some time during my last two visits to London to appreciate that there's another kind of Londoner who lives in the shadow of the Shard and Bermondsey Street, playing by the rules I respected that. If I lived in London I would choose Bermondsey but being a part of 'generation rent' I wouldn't be able to afford a redeveloped warehouse apartment, I would be be serving Southwark Council Estate Overness! There's nothing wrong with being normal but with a city wage I'd quite fancy myself as a city yuppie type! Check out Bermondsey for yourself, its just down the road from London's Borough Market so there's no excuse. I know that the Shangri-La takes an interest in SE1, hustle your grind!


Bermondsey Street is my kind of hipster London! I love Spitalfields and Shoreditch but Bermondsey Street had me stunted from the second that I first saw it in June 2014! Keeping it on the one concentrated street, she serves full reinvigorated architectural gems realness! Original features glowing with perfection, I bloody loved it! Chic restaurants, boutique retailers and much more hipster goodness lines Bermondsey Street, anchoring a new generation of cool to this part of SE1. Word on the street is that Bermondsey Street wasn't the safest place in the area before the abandoned warehouses and outlets were snapped up by developers but nowadays its the place to be seen! Fuckoffee served me up a more than lunch, I felt part of a movement of New London with an unapologetic free vibe that felt amazing! Choosing a fresh smoothie and a hot spinach and butternut squash soup, it was worth my coins! Tasty!

Make your coffee time different with a bit to eat and a chat at Fuckoffee? It's a stunning place in more ways than one! Did I see that correctly? Bermondsey Street caters for the fashion conscious pooch with a dedicated doggy boutique and if children were on the cards I would take a look at that other store, no child of mine would look shabby! Time moves forward with a new trend, I hope the hipster vibe of Bermondsey Street digs its heels in good and proper! Staying overnight can be done along the Bermondsey hangout because the Bermondsey Square Hotel looked good to me. I might well catch a film at the Shortwave cinema in the square because it looked positively en-trend indeed. Affirmative! Trust and believe Bermondsey, I know you will stay fierce to be the top French Bulldog of the street! Endorse the Borough Market with its gourmet bites, historical worth and crazy vibe. SE1 is my hipster hangout, hustle 'generation renters' we can live excessively! B, you need to Fuckoffee right now!

Why Don't You Fuckoffee!

Joseph Harrison

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