Travel Report: Cool Spots Around Tooting Bec.

Cool Spots Around Tooting Bec, London.

Following my individual articles on Tooting Bec Common, Dee Light Bakery and Richard’s Kitchen, here’s a roundup of my favourite spots from across Tooting Bec, South London.

In terms of tourist attractions there’s little, if anything, to draw overseas visitors to the London neighbourhood of Tooting Bec. Moreover, it’s a pocket of the capital that many domestic tourists know little about. This is surprising in some respects, as Tooting Bec is actually home to South London’s premier indoor market.

Dating back to 1930, Tooting Market is an exceptionally diverse shopping complex that shows why Tooting Bec is one of London’s most multicultural neighbourhoods. Head down any of the aisles and it feels like taking a stroll through several continents. A Punjabi man measures a customer’s shirt in his store while an African lady welcomes a client through the doors of her nail salon.

Elsewhere, a cockney butcher slices up some prime beef as a Moroccan craft vendor blows on his cup of mint tea from behind a row of rugs. There’s also a Chinese noodle joint, an authentic Japanese sushi stall and a place offering excellent Italian sourdough pizza.

Cool Spots Around Tooting Bec.

In the clothing stores, you can find t-shirts referencing one of Tooting’s main claims to fame. This Straight Outta Tooting shirt includes an animated image of the English actor Robert Lindsay from the 1970s British TV sitcom Citizen Smith.

In the show Lindsay stars as Wolfie, an unemployed slacker with strong Marxist beliefs. As self proclaimed leader of the revolutionary Tooting Popular Front (himself and a bunch of loser friends), he sets off on a quest to emulate the achievements of his hero Che Guevara by securing “power to the people!” and “freedom for Tooting!”

My friend Henry and I love a bit of British comedy, hence we were really keen to download this lost sitcom. But alas we didn’t think much of it at all, the so-called comedy falling very flat indeed. Nevertheless, it was cool to see parts of 1970s Tooting pop up in a few episodes. Such as the wonderfully unchanged Tooting Broadway Underground Station in the opening credits.

The market was also home to one of Tooting’s last standing record shops, Dr. Vinyl. A somewhat cramped and ramshackle place, it very much appealed to the former record collector in me. The kind of place you can have a thorough rummage around before unearthing that missing Stooges album you’d always wanted.

Dr Vinyl.

I recall the woman who worked there being very warm and chatty on the afternoon of my visit. In fact, according to a sign by the register, I’d been fortunate to meet her and not her colleague. Unfortunately, Mr. Google tells me that Dr. Vinyl is now permanently closed. How very sad, as these kinds of places are fast becoming an endangered species. I can only presume the pandemic finished them off.

Complimenting Tooting Market, the neighbourhood virtually bursts at the seams with independent stores, hole-in-the-wall mobile phone booths and charity shops. Yes, we’re a long way from Notting Hill, Toto! My favourite second hand joint is the charming Wandsworth Oasis Charity Shop on Trinity Road.

This place is fantastic for a bargain hunt, with second hand furniture, clothes, toys, paintings, bags, jewellery, posters and… just about anything really. Yes, they’ve even got a generous supply of Princess Leah piggy banks. You know you want one.

This is actually just one of nine stores in and around Wandsworth which raises money for Londoners living with HIV. Wandsworth Oasis has been active since 1989, raising over a million pounds for a range of HIV charities.

Cool Spots Around Tooting Bec.

The Trinity Road branch is one of Tooting’s biggest second hand book stores. Paperbacks range from just 50p each, or 5 for a trifling £2. This is where I picked up the excellent Chocolat by Joanne Harris as a gift for Sladja.

And where, much to my amusement, I came across Margaret Thatcher: The Downing Street Years. This was the book my eccentric Uncle Doug bought for my sister Natalie’s 10th birthday back in the day. Oh how I recall the bemused looks on everyone’s faces that afternoon. “Um… thanks Uncle Doug!” she exclaimed. Brilliant.

Moreover, Wandsworth Oasis is where I bought my faithful teaching companion, Elmo the puppet. He was a bit raggedy even back then, but hey, he only cost me £2. 1492 teaching hours later and Elmo is still going strong as I write this blog in the seaside town of Tivat in Montenegro.

Besides shopping, Tooting Bec is a fantastic neighbourhood when it comes to cafes and bakeries. My top pick goes to the excellent Dee Light Bakery, already reviewed on these pages. But I’d also like to give a shout out to their next door neighbour, Foxcroft and Ginger.

If Dee Light was too busy for my liking, or indeed I just wanted to mix it up, I’d simply park myself next door. Part bakery, part bistro, part craft beer bar, there’s something for everyone here. Though for me I would invariably come for a vanilla latte and one of their deliciously dense chocolate chip cookies.

Foxcroft and Ginger.

As I worked, usually on a blog post, I’d see local families come and go for brunch. And believe me, Foxcroft and Ginger is no greasy fry up cafe. Their Bacon Butty, for example, comes in a brioche bun with Korean Ketchup. Furthermore, you can choose from a variety of sides such as smoked salmon, chorizo, avocado and golden hash browns to go with your eggs on sourdough toast.

I can also give a wholehearted thumbs up to Tartine Artisanal on Tooting High Street. This place is definitely more bustling, but I always liked the friendly Algerian owners and their multicultural team of waiters and waitresses.

It’s a big old place, so even when it’s busy you can usually squeeze yourself in somewhere. Their coffee is reasonably priced (about £2.30 for a latte), while you can also grab a loyalty card that offers a free coffee for every nine consumed.

I loved the Algerian influence on the menu and indeed often submitted to a plate of hummus and pitta bread for lunch. Or maybe a pot of mint tea instead of yet another coffee. I recently read that the cafe has new owners, so I’ll be curious to see how the place has changed when I get back to London in 2022.

Cool Spots Around Tooting Bec.

Despite the fact that I rarely go there anymore, I couldn’t leave the Walker Wyatt Coffee shop out of this piece. This was the first cafe Henry introduced me to during my maiden spell living in Tooting Bec.

Walker Wyatt Coffee is the brainchild of Walker Wyatt Estate Agents. They used to have a large office on Tooting Bec Road before launching the cafe sometime in 2009. After a while the estate agents closed and they set up a small office space right in the cafe itself, discreetly tucked away in the corner.

Most days you’ll see a suited Walker Wyatt worker clicking away behind a big desk. Which is kind of weird, as he sits working surrounded by the morning coffee crowd. At least he doesn’t have to get up from his desk for a cuppa.

Walker Wyatt is an excellent cafe in many ways. The coffee is top notch, the service is excellent and their baked goods are wonderful, especially the flapjacks. When the weather is fine, it’s cool to sit outside and sip on your latte as people hurry in and out of Tooting Bec Station, just across the road.

Ultimately though, the tiny interior and often hectic foot traffic make Walker Wyatt far from ideal as a regular working base. Which is why I eventually began seeking greener coffee shop pastures. Still, I will almost certainly pop in for a drink and a bite next time I visit. For old times sake. And so Sladja can experience the Walker Wyatt vibe I’ve told her so much about.

Walker Wyatt Coffee Shop.

Enough about coffee. Tooting Bec also has an awesome selection of eateries that cater to all budgets. If you haven’t already, please do check out my report from the excellent Richard’s Kitchen. Elsewhere, there’s a delightfully no-nonsense, old school pie and mash restaurant called Harrington’s on Selkirk Road.

The restaurant opened in 1908 under the stewardship of a local couple, Bertie and Clara Harrington. Back when I last visited in 2015, the old joint looked as if it hadn’t been decorated since 1908. Not everyone’s cup of tea I would imagine, but for me the place oozed character and charm.

With its wooden benches, tiled tables, lime green walls and giant wooden boat carving, one can almost imagine Bill Sykes and Nancy coming here and considering themselves “at ‘ome!” All the while an ancient clock on the wall ticks on, presumably witness to all manner of characters and stories over the years.

“Awright lav, what can a getcha?” asked the woman behind the counter. Dressed in a greasy apron and tatty hairnet, all that was missing was a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, Dot Cotton style.

Cool Spots Around Tooting Bec.

Both Henry and I kept it simple. Indeed we both wanted the same thing: a large crispy lamb pie with buttery mash drowned in liquor, a salty, non-alcoholic parsley sauce. Simple eats but my god, British Pie and Mash, you can’t beat it.

In the years that have since passed I see that Harrington’s has had a flashy makeover. It was sorely needed of course and yet part of me feels the restaurant has lost something. Thus I feel glad, dear readers, to have brought you the old joint as it was.

For an authentically greasy cooked English breakfast, look no further than Costas Cafe. From the moment you walk in the door you could be in an episode of Eastenders. I suppose it’s this kind of food that gives British cuisine a bad name. Yes, it’s a heart attack on a plate, but I don’t care. I consume roughly 2-4 fry ups every 2 years, so it’s a case of indulging with a clear conscience.

At Costas I really go for it, dousing my sausage, beans, mushroom, egg and hash browns in salt, pepper, vinegar, tomato sauce and even brown sauce for good measure. Divine.

And yet Tooting Bec’s culinary highlight, in my book at least, is its amazing array of Indian restaurants. Most of which lie across Tooting High Street. A handful are perfect for a sit down dinner and special occasions, though my regular haunt is Chatkhara, where a more informal vibe prevails.

Chatkhara Indian and Pakistani Restaurant.

It’s also perfect for a takeaway. In fact, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve come for a Butter Chicken or a Lamb Bhuna to run back to Henry’s place on Elmbourne Road.

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Last but not least, I’ll leave you with Tooting Bec Tube Station, my local underground stop. Opened in 1926 and built by the legendary London Underground architect Charles Holden, it sits on the northern line between Balham and Tooting Broadway.

No matter where I’m going in central London, I only ever seem to need half an hour on The Tube. Unlike most Londoners, I’m guessing, I adore The Underground. Almost certainly because I don’t have to use it to commute every day during rush hour. Part of the charm for me is my routine of stopping to read the station’s Thought of the Day.

For the most part, I don’t have much tolerance for fridge magnet wisdom. But at Tooting Bec Station you never know what you’re going to get. An extract of a poem by Keats, some song lyrics by The Smiths, a bit of Enid Blyton or Roald Dahl.

Cool Spots Around Tooting Bec.

I don’t know who is responsible for the board, but I love the idea of this being part of someone’s daily duties. Whoever it is obviously has a sense of humour, as there are plenty of funny quotes, stories and anecdotes throughout the week. Even more amusing is when he or she is clearly too busy to think of something clever for the board. God bless Tooting Bec!

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