by Nick Nash

Created on: January 14, 2010   Last Updated: January 15, 2010

Dalston is an area of East London in the borough of Hackney and begins in the west with Kingsland Road and ends in the East at London Fields. In recent years it has become one of London's premier centres for entertainment and nightlife as many people working both in media and in the city moved there because of the relatively cheap house prices. This has left Dalston a vibrant place mixing those who have recently arrived with the varied communities (large Caribbean and Turkish communities exist in Dalston) that have inhabited the area for years. Most things that happen in Dalston are centred around, or very near, Kingsland Road. If you can get past the skinny jeans and funny hair-dos of some residents there is a lot to offer here.

Eating and drinking in Dalston is as interesting and varied as its inhabitants. Turkish and Vietnamese restaurants are commonplace and usually very good. Most have unassuming interiors and service but the food is exceptional. Of these I can recommend for Vietnamese Huong Viet (12-14 Engelfield Road) as a real treat with wonderful, classic Vietnamese dishes cooked with excellent, fresh ingredients at reasonable prices. It's just off Kingsland Road and is structurally and decoratively inconspicuous - in fact from the outside it's hard to know that it's a restaurant - but don't be fooled. Upon entry you will notice the walls plastered with magazine and newspaper recommendations and reviews. This is not a new discovery by any means but still a fine place to dine.

For Turkish I can recommend two places. The most well known would be Mangal on Arcola Street. There are 3 Mangal restaurants in the area but this one is the best and again cheap, especially if you bring your own booze. The usual array of kebabs is on offer and all are of fine quality and portions massive. I can strongly recommend the Chicken Beyti but make sure you go with an empty stomach. It is rich and hearty! The second restaurant pick is on Kingsland Road itself and is called Evin Cafe. They do great set menus that are various meze dishes (veg and meat options available) which are all very fresh tasting and average at under £10 per person for a feast. The hunkar begendi (aubergine dip to us in England) is exceptional!

Honourable mention must also go to two wonderful examples of Britain's favourite restaurant types: fish & chips and Chinese. Faulkner's Fish on Kingsland Road is widely regarded as one of the best in London and I personally don't think I've had better,

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