I was born and bred in west London, around Ladbroke Grove, but I moved east in 2014 and I am so glad I did.
I love Mile End — it reminds me of what west London used to be like before it became wealthy and gentrified, and the tapestry of community seemed to fray. When wealth comes, lots of walls and gates and fences seem to come with it. When I moved to east London, I felt that community again.
The other thing I love about Mile End is that it is not Shoreditch, I am not into all that chaos.
Eating and drinking
There are so many places that you are spoiled for choice, but my day-to-day is the Pavilion café in Victoria Park, for delicious coffee and cakes and a bit of people-watching. I also like The Coffee Room on Grove Road, which is a really old-school, Italian-owned place where they know you by name.
Mae + Harvey on Roman Road is another favourite, healthy and tasty, and owned by Tasha, the hardest-working woman I’ve ever met.
I have not drunk for a couple of years, but I would recommend Satan’s Whiskers on Cambridge Heath Road, which has the best non-alcoholic cocktails for me, while my beloved sips something a bit stronger.
Where I work out
I am a ridiculously early riser, like 5am to 5.30am, and I like to take my yoga mat to Victoria Park and work out under the stars, where there’s also monkey bars and things like that to use.
I joined Fightzone London on Pritchard’s Road about a year ago. I love that place. It does mixed martial arts, and it feels a bit like a family.
There is also a climbing wall at Mile End Park, which some of my friends use and I have been tempted by.
To commune with nature
I love walking along the Regent’s Canal, all the way to the Limehouse Basin, and often I will jump on my bike and cycle along the canal to Upper Street.
Grocery shopping
I am a fan of a market and Roman Road Market has some really good Turkish stalls for fruit and vegetables. And on Saturdays and Sundays there is a really good organic market in Victoria Park.
For a culture fix
Rich Mix on Bethnal Green Road is doing some really great things.
And I’ve got to talk about Genesis Cinema, which is this independent cinema on Mile End Road. The owner is Tyrone Walker-Hebborn and he offers £5 tickets because he really wants to get people back into the cinema, and I love that.
Getting around
Bike is my preferred mode of transport. If we are filming in east London I often cycle to set, and I can be in the West End in half an hour. But I do love the Elizabeth line. I can get from Whitechapel to Tottenham Court Road in something ridiculous like eight minutes.
Dream street
I love Tredegar Square, and all around there. I like all the gorgeous old houses; they seem like they’d be really spacious.
Something you only see in Mile End
On Saturday Roman Road Market is an absolute delight. There is a South Asian food truck, Home Made Delights, run by a family, which I really recommend.
What’s the catch?
I don’t drive any more but don’t like how they are closing off all the side roads so that all the traffic is funnelled into the main roads. How is cars idling good for the environment?
In three words
Vibrant, green space, fun.
Nabil Elouahabi is currently filming season two of the thriller Trigger Point alongside Vicky McClure. Catch up with season one on ITVX.
Schools
Most local primary schools hold “good” Ofsted reports. For older students, Central Foundation Girls’ School is also rated good by the schools’ watchdog, as is the Stepney Green Mathematics and Computing College for pupils keen on numbers and tech.
This isn’t really private-school territory, but the high-performing City of London School is three miles west.
What it costs
Buying in Mile End
Average flat price: £424,550
Average house price: £892,430
Renting in Mile End
Average one-bed rent: £1,500 pcm
Average three-bed rent: £2,840 pcm
