Chapter 4 Restaurants and Sites

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Hailed as the curry capital of London, Brick Lane offers a number of enticing eating establishments. Many of Brick Lanes’ restaurants are famous for their zealous waiters who stand outside beckoning tourists to come eat at their restaurant. They will usually be posted at the entrance clutching a menu and dressed in suits and ties. If you should make eye contact with them, be assured that they will do everything in their power to lure you inside. It is easy to be waylaid by these smiling and enthusiastic pitchmen, as they can be boarder-line aggressive at times, but just keep in mind that their restaurants are typical tourist traps. It may seem strange to think of Brick Lane as a tourist destination, especially considering its long history of poverty and desperation.

During my trip to Brick Lane, I stopped to eat at Café Naz. Located on 48 Brick Lane, Café Naz specializes in contemporary Indian cuisine. My group and I were treated to a buffet style lunch. The food was kept in heated metal buffet trays and offered a range of different food items. There were nearly twelve different curries, naan, rice, chicken, samosas, chutneys, and tikka masala. I learned that chicken tikka masala is the most popular dish in Britain. Many consider it “a true British national dish.” It should be noted that chicken tikka masala is to Indian food what burritos and nachos are to Mexican food – highly popular items that were created to mirror authentic flavors for white Americans or Brits. Places like Café Naz and other curry restaurants have been a major attraction for tourists seeking to find a good place to eat.

Head past Heneage St. and you will undoubtedly miss the thirty-meter tall steel pole jutting up over the local skyline. Atop this spire is the crescent moon of Islam and serves as the areas minaret. Traditionally, minarets are used to call the faithful to prayer. However, the architect intended this to only be an artistic piece. Built back in December 2009, this feature is a recent and controversial addition to the area. Despite the large Muslim population in the area, many community leaders believed to be disrespectful of Brick Lane’s history and that it would escalate racial tensions (Jeory, 1).

The minaret is located on the corner of Brick Lane and Fournier St. – otherwise known as Heresy Corner. This is also the location of the London Jamme Masjid (Great London Mosque). This building symbolizes the rich cultural and religious history of the area. The building was originally a chapel for the French Huguenots in 1742. Then in 1889, the chapel became Spitalfields Great Synagogue to accommodate the influx of Jewish immigrants. The most recent switch happened in 1976 and the building remains what we see today – a mosque. Many believe that placing a minaret outside of a building that has historically been the home to all different religious faiths is disrespectful.

If you take time to examine the building, you will notice on the side is a sundial with the words “Umbra Sumus” inscribed above the hours. This phrase, from Latin, translates to “We are the Shadows.” It signifies the destitute status of the immigrants who fled to this area to escape religious persecution, economic turmoil, war, or famine in their country of origin.

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