Chinatown

Newport Court is the 21st Century home to London's Chinatown; however, the brightly coloured streets, filled with restaurants, street-food vendors, supermarkets and speciality stores, were not always the haven of Eastern culture they are today.

The History of Chinatown

In the 1670s, the owner of the area, gave permission for what was - at the time - military ground, to be converted into a liveable housing area;later, after the surrounding land to the east was acquired from Lord Newport, further houses and a livestock market and slaughterhouse were built. In the next hundred years, the area had developed a pretty lively reputation and was now known as an immigrant area, a go-to place for the incoming French Huguenots.  Very quickly, Gerrard Street became a hot-spot for many of London's creative elite, housing many of the centuries most famous painters, metal-workers, writers and politicians in a liberally alcoholic atmosphere. 

By the 19th Century, the area was well-known as a criminal slum of London and it kept this reputation until the new streets of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road became driven-through in the late 1880s. During this time, the immigrant population of the area continued to grow, with Italians, Jews and Maltese filling the small court. 

By the 1920s, the area was known for its clubs and cheap commercial rents: the notorious '43 Club' came to the area, and by the 50s, Ronnie Scott's late-night jazz club; it was then that the Chinese community moved from its home in Limehouse, originally chosen for its proximity to the HQ of the East India Company, but now an area badly bombed in the Second World War. Soon this move was followed by an influx of Chinese workers arriving from Hong Kong, which was at the time, a British territory. 

And so, by the 1960s, the Chinatown we know today was really established; the area became home to the shops and restaurants we recognise today and it developed a reputation for world-class Chinese cuisine. The Chinese Gates, the Pavillion and the street furniture was added as the community came of age, signalling its success as an Eastern cultural heritage area in this part of Central London. 

Chinatown Winter 2014

Along with its fascinating history, the reason I've chosen Chinatown for the blog, is because of another yummy secret I discovered recently.

In these cold winter months, with every day getting colder, you'd be forgiven for spending your weekend tucked up in bed with a blanket and a hot cocoa; however, I'm here to say: DON'T! Wrap up and head down to Chinatown where, for a few pound, you can sample some of the amazing hot street food the area has to offer. 

My partner and I were walking through Newport Court a few days ago, when he stopped dead and  stood pondering the temptation of a small food stall tucked into the red brick wall. We've passed through Chinatown millions of times, but now with the cold London wind blowing off the river, he had been completely drawn in by the idea of a hot pork bun to warm him up. I was easily persuaded to accompany him in his choice and soon we were walking along the West End, clutching these wonderfully hot pork buns, steaming in the cold air. 

AND THEY WERE DELICIOUS.

Filled with a patty of juicy marinated pork these soft, fluffy buns, ideally formed into one hand-sized blob, were the perfect remedy for the cold and I'd recommend them in a heart-beat.

Head to the Yang Guang takeaway bun stall in Chinatown, near Leicester Square tube, and spend the best £1.70 you possibly could in this winter weather!