This is over the road from my house and kind of feels like being transported back in time to the goth night I used to go to when I was 15. But much much bigger with much more entertaining outfits, cages, lasers and… BBQ.

A charming family-run restaurant offering a great selection of freshly made hand-rolled pasta. Delicious:p

Inspired by Dave Eggers’ projects in the USA such as the Pirate Store in San Francisco and Superhero store in Brooklyn, The Monster Supplies Store in Hoxton is home to the Ministry of Stories: A volunteer run organization, founded by Nick Hornby, to help young people with creative writing of all kinds through workshops and free mentoring sessions. The store is the “Purveyor of quality goods for monsters of every kind” with fascinating bottles and tins containing everything from eyeballs to Zadie Smith’s short story Mortal Terror.

Excellent breads & pastries, including their famous sourdough & doughnuts!

My favourite no-frills Malaysian restaurant and takeaway hidden away in a basement. Expect to queues for up to 30–40min, but well worth the wait.