California Gourmet Food In Hatch End

This is ALEX, the happy co-owner of California Gourmet Food in Hatch End. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Alex started out with a pizza delivery business up in Newcastle in the north of England. Very much to the north, way north. Where's Newcastle? It's the last big city on the east side of England before Edinburgh. 

He loves living in London. He says, "The people here are so educated and friendly. Everybody who has walked into the new shop has wished us well. They say we have enhanced the area."

Who is we?

"Me and my brother-in-law."  

Pickwick Walk

Pickwick Walk is a beloved feature of Hatch End. It adds lots of little shops, about half a dozen. The cobblers and keys and handbag shop is facing Uxbridge Road on the front with a doorway in the inside corridor. The hairdressers and nail bar is on the right of them. Inside you will find more shops including the hire car unit.  Next to Alex's on Grimsdyke Road is a small barbers and hairdressers. When it was under threat of being turned back into one unit residents of Hatch End were quite worried. The small businesses thought they would be forced to move.  

Alex said he has signed a 12 year lease which is good news. His shop will be around for a while and so will the whole of Pickwick Walk.

What else did he tell us about what he has done to improve the place and Hatch End.

Tables for two for tea-time cake.    Photo by Angela Lansbury.                          

First question, is he sure that he can keep the chairs and tables outside. I read some time ago that a shop in Pinner had been told not to put hardware out on the pavement, "turning the place into a bazaar".

Alex assured me that he owns the area he has turned into seating and has permission. So he and we are safe.

Unlike other restaurants in London which have just concrete floors outdoors, he has used green plastic grass to create a countryside feel.  We look around and notice the edging strip under the bricks. He has even covered the black brick drainpipes with green imitation leaves. 

We sit under the tree, a real tree. If you want a real tree, you have a real tree. Of course a real tree drops real leaves into your food and drink. Local residents regularly wipe droppings off their cars. The area is full of wood pigeons and magpies plus the occasional parakeet. For the first ten seconds I am wary of overhead birds, but I don't see any!

Notice the disguised drainpipes. An idea many places should copy. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

The window opens to reveal Alex preparing our cheesecake at the back of the shop. Hello again. This is a bit like a West End comedy, with actors appearing first at the door and then unexpectedly at the window.

We asked for cheesecake for tea. Alex said the whole menu is avoidable all day, burgers, pizzas at the very good value price of under £10 for the small and £12 for the large. (For more details see my previous post on this place.)

 We asked for the cheesecake to be cut in half and shared between two of us. No problem. Alex dashed off for a knife.

We had a large plastic basket and a jolly red and white striped liner and plastic knives and forks. Not what I was expecting. More picnic style. But it made a change.

The cheesecake had been frozen but it was surprisingly nice, tasty and moist, better than the dry, tasteless tea time cakes at some other places I won't mention. The only thing missing was coffee.

He said he would get a coffee machine, specially for us. I don't know if he will, or if that was a joke. If enough people ask for coffee, I expect he will.

If you must move on for a coffee later, doing a cafe crawl, Hatch End has plenty of places for coffee. There's: Costa; Fellini, which you see from California Gourmet.

Cheesecake, at California Gourmet. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Alex's new place is on the corner, at Pickwick Walk, facing Fellini and the Uxbridge Road, as you can see from the above picture.

California Gourmet Foods

Pickwick Walk

Grimsdyke Road

Hatch End

HA5 4HS

Tel: 0208 421 4344.

Author

 Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

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