Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Welcome to Alamut, the reworked Swan in Tottenham
Just checked out the newest restaurant (not cafe) in South Tottenham, Alamut. It's the latest incarnation of the old Swan pub, which dates back to the 1450s and was where Isaac Walton wrote The Compleat Angler. It was closed as a pub in 2008, was then rebuilt by Paul Simon with a block of flats next door, and was an African restaurant till a couple of years ago. It's now been extensively refurbished and re-opened as a Turkish/Persian restaurant, Alamut. The cuisine is similar to the Green Lanes offering, main dishes around £10. They don't yet have an alcohol licence but that should happen in a couple of weeks. It's a great addition to the recently revived Tottenham Green, along with the little cafe opening soon in the old church nursery.
It's located at the junction of Philip Lane and Tottenham High Road, opposite the monument. 341 bus to the door. Facebook page.
Oh and this is an imagined reconstruction of the original castle at Alamut, I'd like to see this as the new central feature of the Green:
Tags for Forum Posts: alamut, restaurant
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Pam, I've often read that Izaak Walton wrote the Compleat Angler in Tottenham, and even in The Swan pub. But I've never seen any reliable evidence that either is true. It seems probable that when he wrote the first edition of the book he was living in Staffordshire.
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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Well my facsimile of 1st ed copy has an engraving of the Monument as the frontispiece, and he writes about walking from there to the Lea. It was written and revised in stages, more of a diary, so at least some of it was written where he was staying ie at the Swan. Sometimes stories are too good to reference.
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Permalink Reply by sally mustoe on
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your imagined reconstruction would be a marvellous place for children to play whilst parents gorge themselves on delicious Turkish/Persian food (and raki when available!) SM
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I looked at the Google Books facsimile of the first edition but couldn't find a reference to The Swan in Tottenham and only two references to "Totenham" and one to "Totnam Hil". What page numbers does yours have for the Swan in Tottenham (Or Totenham?). Nor could I find the Lea.
For me, far more interesting than an unreferenced story was the suggestion in several online sources that as a Royalist publishing a book in 1653 during the Commonwealth (English Republic) he juxtaposed a serene, orderly, neutral world of fishing, nature, and the calm of the English countryside where he was "much pleased to walk quietly by a brook" ; with the then alternative - the "disorder" of the times.
In other words he was engaged in myth-making; a gentle and discreetly slanted version of the truth which suited his political views and his social position.
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My copy is in storage while I sort out my book crisis, so the image is only from memory.
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The food at the restaurant and the service are very good and you can buy alcohol across the road to drink there.
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Speaking of new eateries in the SoTo area, may I recommend Chennai Express has just opened on West Green Road?
They serve South Indian food, including fantastic Dosas (and I say this as someone who has worked in India). Eat in or take away. At the moment it seems to be BYOB but I don't know if, like the Alamut, they are planning to apply for an alcohol licence.
They don't seem to have a website at the moment, but they are opposite the turning to Kirkton Road, fairly close to the new Lawrence Road developments.
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Information from Haringey's website, Licensing application page.
Chennai Express London Ltd
118A West Green Road, South Tottenham, London N15 5AA
Hours open to Public
Sunday to Thursday 12 Midday to 11pm
Friday to Saturday 12 Midday to 3am
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we went to Chennai Express yesterday....amazing food! Highly recommended. The fish fry is fantastic. Vegetarian dishes are very good. Very good price.
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SoTo lolz.
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That's been an in joke as long as I've lived here. You must be new ;)
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Oh, I've heard it before, I just never got beyond the retching. :)
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