Last month, was the first in my series on #CelebratingDiversity in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC), helping to unfold the lesser known, yet rich and deeply diverse modern cultural heritage of North Cyprus. My explorations took me to The Academy, in the capital Lefkoşa, where I had the chance to tuck into some […]
Beyond the mainstream news and politics in the local press, there is rich, deep and layered amount of history buried in North Cyprus, and a similar amount of diversity. I’ve set out to explore and tell stories about the latter, such as how a young Filipino woman came to be running The Academy, a pan-Asian […]
A restaurant, popular with celebrity TV stars and Premier League footballers, has been stripped of its licences by Redbridge Council for not complying with licensing conditions. Melin Chigwell in Woodford Bridge was also found to have continually ignored COVID-19 regulations and guidelines, putting its patrons’ and staff members’ safety at risk. Under the management and […]
A Turkish restaurant in Woodford Green, Essex, has been branded a “Covid factory” after hosting illegal events during the pandemic and could now lose its licence as a result. Melin Chigwell was declared a “real and continuing threat to public health” by Conservative Councillor Paul Canal during a Redbridge Council Licensing Committee hearing on Tuesday, […]
A menacing 60-second message from Ali Melin to his staff at Melin restaurant in Chigwell, Essex, telling them, “you take money from me, I’ll take something from you” has gone viral, prompting a huge backlash. The restaurant owner warned his staff that they were not entitled to keep any tips for themselves: “I would just […]
A leading chef from London is calling on people to support a campaign “to revoke [Home Secretary] Priti Patel’s categorisation of low and unskilled workers. Selin Kiazim and her Oklava restaurant partner Laura Christie launched their online petition last week. Titled “Revoke Priti Patel’s categorisation of ‘unskilled’ hospitality workers”, it’s been signed by over 1,800 people and […]
Positive reviews and a stream of maximum marks from happy customers at The Golden Chippy have propelled it to the top spot on TripAdvisor. Hüseyin Kanizi’s fish and chip shop on Greenwich High Road beat 17,462 others, including Michelin-starred eateries, to be crowned “number 1 restaurant in London”. Many of the 465 reviews on TripAdvisor […]
