A Day in Shoreditch | Markets and Cat Cafe

Headed into London yesterday for the purpose of visiting a cat cafe that was booked a few months ago. Hubby and I took the train into town from Cambridge and arrived at a place called Shoreditch. We had about an hour to kill before we were due for our cat cafe booking so we did a bit of exploring!

Our first impression of Shoreditch when we left the train station (which was very modern) was that it was mixed of super hipster and vintage with a hint of like down town back streets. The vibe the area gave off was so exciting and strange, like it was trying to be a few different identities at once. 

Sclater St.

Leaving Shoreditch High Street (train station), we turned down Sclater Street which had a huge fresh produce stall with loud and enthusiastic sellers and lots of make shift stalls selling random things. Something that caught my eye was the contrast between the two sides of the street, one side had trendy modern eateries and the other side had the little table stalls with pretty cool graffiti in the background. After doing a little bit of research, the area is known for really good street art and I can definitely appreciate it.

Brick Ln.

After Sclater Street, we turned down Brick Lane and met with hoards of people! The market scene just kept on going! There were so many things to see, stalls everywhere! At one point, we walked into an area of open air food stalls and then into a hall with more international food stalls! I forgot to take photos of these as my mind was just thinking about all the delicious food I wanted to eat! Make sure you bring an empty belly! After our visit to the cat cafe, we returned to the food hall for some Vietnamese, Mexican and Chinese food! Around the corner was a beautiful artisan type market called the Backyard Market which had stalls of handmade goods and produce.

Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium.

Our destination! I've been wanting to visit this particular cat cafe since we arrived in the UK as you know... I need to fill my love for all thing cats! We met up with Miss B for this exciting experience! Lady Dinah's contains two levels with the cafe and small sitting area on the entrance and ground floor. There's cat themed merchandise for purchase on the counter. The lovely staff asked us to wash our hands before proceeding downstairs into the Emporium. There were a couple of cats lazing about and sussing us out.

Wow! The downstairs area was decked out in an Alice in Wonderland theme with faux green grass on the walls, huge tree and cat scratchers in the middle and vines and cat walks on the ceiling. The staff introduced us to the cats as they made themselves known. Some were interested in us and others did their best to watch from a safe distance. Different from Catmosphere in Sydney, this cafe has the dining tables in the cat room so you can dine and interact with the cats at the same time. Luckily, they show no real interest in the human food. We had vouchers for tea and scones and we also ordered the tart of the day (today was a Bakewell tart) and a coffee (you can also have high tea and other yummy treats!). The staff were super friendly and helpful and really enjoyed playing with and looking after the cats. We were there for 1.5hrs which was plenty of time to catch up, enjoy the food and be around the cats. The downstairs area was full up at lunch time so if you're interested in visiting, it is best to book well ahead of time!

Alice - the lickity cat! So smoochy as well!

I hope I got all their names right! 

Miss B wanted to check out the Columbia Road flower markets when we finished up at the cat cafe. It was only about a 10 minute walk. Oh boy! I don't go to flower markets very often... or at all, I didn't realise how popular or packed it was going to be especially just after lunchtime. We tried to squeeze down the little street filled with flower stalls on either side and could barely move. We left Miss B to fend for herself in the crowd whilst hubby and I popped in and out of the little shops on the street the stalls were on. We found some cute birthday cards and little gifts for family back home! We all made it out of the flower market and Miss B had also made a purchase. Then we decided it was food time! Luckily, we had an array of choices back in Brick Lane!

I hope you enjoyed our day in a little part of Shoreditch. Such an interesting place to visit! Now time to rest up again!

Fluffy Peter!

Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium

152-154 Bethnal Green Road

London, UK