Where to watch the tennis in the sun
Plus: Our local news roundup, recommendations for the week and a conversation with the man behind the much beloved Bombay Delight
Dear Wimblers — welcome to this week’s edition of The Wimble! Amazingly, this email goes out to nearly 700 people — far more than we expected to join the list after just a month. I’m so grateful to everyone who has shared us with friends and spread the word — please do forward this edition to anyone you think might like to sign up, or use the share button below.
The tennis starts on Monday and Wimbledon fever is very much here, with tennis displays in every second shop window and big screens going up in the Quarter and on the Piazza. We’ve got some great tennis-based recommendations below, and plenty of things to do if you don’t know your Emma Radacanu from your Markéta Vondroušová.
I have a few things I’d like to mention before we get into the newsletter. Firstly, please continue to send in your photos for the ‘photo of the week’ section. I’ve had some lovely entries over the past few days and I’d love to keep the momentum going. Secondly, we’ve just launched our referral scheme. Head over to the leaderboard section of our Substack to see the prizes we’re offering for referring The Wimble to friends and family. And finally, do send me any tips, ideas or recommendations for the coming weeks — if there’s a story that needs telling, we’ll do our best to feature it here. Contact me at zak@thewimble.com.
I think that’s it for now. Happy reading!
Snippets of the week 🗞
🍾 British fans can handle their drink, unlike the French, says AELTC — after the French Open banned fans from drinking alcohol in their seats, the AELTC was asked if they would do the same in Wimbledon. The answer was clear: “We don’t feel the need to put an edict in place,” said one source to The Times. “British Wimbledon fans are a bit different to French fans.” Read more here.
💧 Wimbledon introduce £5 refillable water bottles — visitors at this year’s Wimbledon will be able to buy a QR code sticker for their reusable water bottle, allowing them to refill it with Evian water all day. Scam or bargain? Read more in The Mail.
📚 Sue Barker’s new book Wimbledon: A personal history makes the Sunday Times Bestsellers List — grab a copy here if you want to read all about the glamour of 70s and 80s tennis, showbiz, and what it’s like to date a star.
⛽️ Wimbledon faces increasing pressure to drop Barclays as its sponsor — the bank has come under fire for its support of fossil fuels with campaign groups criticising the AELTC for its partnership with Barclays. In-depth details here.
Where to watch the tennis next week 👁️
🎾 Courtside at the Wimbledon Quarter — if you like beautiful open spaces, head down to the Wimbledon Quarter’s Courtyard from the 1st-14th of July to enjoy every last minute of the tennis. Sit beneath their sliding roof, grab a Pimm’s, and recline on a deckchair. I like a Pimm’s, but I’m more of a negroni man myself. Each to their own.
📺 Big Screen on the Piazza — Love Wimbledon are continuing their tradition of showing all Wimbledon matches for free in the Piazza. This is a spot for those who love the energy of a large crowd. As ever, expect a great atmosphere, delicious food, and the local sense of camaraderie that July brings to Wimbledon.
🐕&🦊 — if style and glamour are your thing, wander up to the Village this year and grab a drink at the Dog & Fox. Chill out in their “Sipsmith sipping terrace” (that’s a mouthful — pardon the pun) accompanied by their ‘Game, Set and Catch’ seafood bar. And don’t worry if you end up having one too many, the Dog & Fox has 23 hotel rooms to crash out in.
🏆 The Alexandra — this is for those who love a real pub. A favourite amongst locals, the Alex is one of the best spots to watch the tennis this year. You can’t beat a local and respected boozer — trying is futile.
Call out for interviews and local stories 📢
I want to hear from you! More specifically, I want to hear your stories, to interview you and to feature you. If you’re a business owner, you can play the guitar with your eyes closed and your hands tied behind your back, you’re the oldest living resident in Wimbledon, you’ve recently moved here from abroad, you’re THE pub regular, or you’re the best busker in town — you get the point — please reach out! Send me your story or something about yourself: zak@thewimble.com.
The Wimble’s to do list 🎯
🍺 Pub quiz at the Fire Stables — with all the madness that is the tennis, why not have a relaxed Sunday evening over a casual pub quiz? Actually, when is a pub quiz ever casual? I take pub quizzes very seriously because I hate losing. See you there.
Where: Fire Stables
When: Sunday 30th June, 7:00pm-10:00pm
🥬 Market on The Piazza — from chimney cakes to traditional Turkish gözleme, head into the centre of town this weekend to enjoy Love Wimbledon’s monthly market. If food and drinks don’t sway you, there are a dozen other artisan stalls selling clothes, accessories and homewares.
Where: The Piazza
When: Saturday 29th June / Sunday 30th June, 11:00am-6:00pm
🍽 Ladies Before Lunch — pop along to the Guild Lounge next Tuesday to meet friends and make new ones. This event is totally free although you can buy light refreshments from the Guild’s HomeFood Café. Secure a spot here.
Where: Guild Lounge, Wimbledon Guild
When: Tuesday 2nd July, 10:00am-12:00pm
Q&A: “I had my eye on Wimbledon for a very long time.”🥘
This week I met Ajay Chaurasia — owner of Wimbledon’s Bombay Delight — to talk about authentic Indian food, Wimbledon and his transition from chef to business owner.
Z: Tell me about yourself — how did you start out as a chef and eventually become a business owner?
A: I’ve been a professional chef for over 25 years. I’m also the owner of two restaurants and two more brands: Mumbai Delight, Bombay Delight, Vegan Deluxe and Biryani Box. But I started my career with the Taj Hotels. I was an apprentice chef for three years and I worked in an array of sections as part of my training: butchery, fishmongers, a Mexican restaurant, Indian restaurant, banqueting. That was my starting point and then I joined JW Marriott in Mumbai for a year. After that I got a job for two years with P&O Cruises Australia. I must have visited most of the countries in the South Pacific: Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia.
Z: What was it like cooking on a cruise ship?
A: I was cooking modern British, modern European food. Basically continental cuisine. Because it was a cruise ship, we had to cook something different every day. Italian. English. Then the next day might be Mexican. I had to cook for 1,550 guests every single day, plus 650 crew [laughs] every single day. It was actually a really good experience and I received some nice awards for my time there.
Z: What happened next?
A: I found an opportunity in the UK, specifically in the Docklands area, and I started my journey as a chef again. I rejoined JW Marriott at the Mayfair Hotel. It was there where I worked in a French brasserie for five years before working with BAFTA helping to design the menu with them. It wasn’t until 2012 that I started Mumbai Delight. So, it’s been 12 years now since we launched successfully. Mumbai Delight is a small, beautiful restaurant. The customers are really local people and they’ve been very supportive. After Mumbai, I opened Bombay Delight in 2019. Bombay Delight is very similar in concept to Mumbai.
Z: Why did you choose to open a restaurant in Wimbledon?
A: I had my eye on Wimbledon for a very long time. Wimbledon has always given me a sense of warmth; you talk to the people there and you feel a real positivity. Every time I went, I always felt that I should do something there. I spent nine years trying to find a spot. People are very nice in Wimbledon. They’re very cooperative. They also understand a lot about Indian food and culture. Bombay has a unique menu. It’s not like 90% of Indian restaurants in London. And I think the people of Wimbledon appreciate that. They appreciate things like our food festivals — like the Rajasthan festival finishing this month.
Z: Let’s talk about Indian cuisine in general. Do you think the market and the attitude towards Indian food has changed in the UK?
A: Yes, I’ve found three key things that have changed. One is that people really want to eat Indian food, even more than before. The second is that people are now well educated on the different types of Indian food. It’s not the case anymore that people will go to a restaurant and say, ‘I just want masala or vindaloo.’ People now understand authentic dishes. It’s more about discovery. I might even say something to a customer about our food that they already know. The third and main difference is that people are very health conscious these days. People used to think of curry as being oily food that was simply unhealthy. And I agree that some restaurants cover their food with colourings and additives, but we’re very controlled and balanced with that in my restaurants. We don’t use any colourings or artificial flavourings. People understand the quality of the cuisine and they come back time and time again because they feel good after eating their meal, and that’s because it’s not unhealthy or really fatty food.
Z: They go back because they know your food is good.
A: Absolutely. When you cook at home you realise how simple the ingredients in a dish can be. In that way, you can enjoy the flavour and feel good afterwards. I’d rather buy something that’s high quality than save £2. I’d rather spend a bit more and be educated on what I’m eating.
Z: What’s been your most popular dish?
A: I can tell you what my customers fight for: the monkfish alleppey and the lamb angara. When I change my menu, I always give the new dishes to my regular customers to try. When I do this, the regular customers always say to me, “These are great, but you’re not going to remove the lamb and monkfish are you?”When I hear a comment like that, I get the message.
Z: What would you like to achieve in the future, both at Bombay and beyond?
A: I want to continue to have a very nice and beautiful team behind me. It may be my menu and my concept, but the team is key and they’re working very, very hard. I want to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully create something even better for them and for my customers. It would be good to extend the business into catering and perhaps another venue, making sure that I can match the same quality. Taking part in the community and contributing is also very important. Recently, we participated in a charity event and we raised £1,025. We donated all of that. The key to everything is making sure that people trust you. I’ve learned over the course of my career the importance of being trusted.
Photo of the week 📸
Please keep sending us your photos of the week to zak@thewimble.com
Property of the week 🏡
Look, I’m not saying that I need four reception rooms, but they wouldn’t go amiss. This place is enormous — you could move the whole family in and still have room for a pool — and for a humble £12,000,000 you can make this mini-mansion yours. Check out the details here.
Two’s Company: Pascal Rogé and Elena Font at the King’s Art Festival 🎼
King’s College School are running their Arts Festival this year from the 24th-29th of June. On Monday, I treated myself to Pascal Rogé and Elena Font performing some of classical music’s most recognisable compositions.
Pascal Rogé is a legend amongst classical music lovers. A student of the Paris Conservatory, he made his first public appearance in 1960 with a rendition of Debussy’s Preludes and has gone on to play in almost every major concert hall and with every major orchestra. His collaborations include Charles Dutoit, Alan Gilbert and Lorin Maazel — to name a few.
The venue was in KCS’s modern concert hall. The hall, though impressive in terms of its size and technology, has a feeling of intimacy. The evening took us through French classical music’s finest compositions, focusing heavily on the work of Debussy, though pieces by other composers — Poulenc, Ravel, and Fauré — also featured. Rogé walked out alone, took a small bow and sat down by the grand piano. After a short, sharp breath, he began to play. Debussy’s Estampes was first. I’ve always been a lover of Debussy and it’s been a while since I’ve witnessed a classical concert; I’ll admit that I found myself moved in the opening harmonies of Pagodes.
Following Rogé’s performance was Elena Font, a 23-year-old rising star who — incredibly — gave her first concert in Barcelona at the age of eight. Font’s playing is soft yet precise, and she performed a delicate and beautiful rendition of Debussy’s Images II.
After the interval, both Rogé and Font played three duets together. There was a sense of vitality in their union. Though their playing styles are unique — in the sense that a person’s voice is unique — Rogé and Font have a natural harmony when they play together. It’s no surprise that the two have embarked on a tour and I wish them the best of luck, not that either of them need it.
Word Salad 🥗
This week’s Word Salad is on famous people who were born or have lived in the Borough of Merton! To win, you need to find the surnames of five notable people who have graced the streets of Merton. Since Merton has quite a long list of celebrities, I’ve put some clues below to make things a little easier. Click here to play.
You can play more Word Salad puzzles on iOS and Android by downloading the app.
Clues:
Cult folk/rock singer and lead singer of Fairport Convention. [5]
Footballer turned actor — starred in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. [5]
Comedian and presenter on The Great British Bake Off. [8]
Poet born in Wimbledon who previously featured in our ‘question time with The Wimble’ section. [6]
Famous English poet known commonly for his poem ‘The Flea’. [5]
Question time with The Wimble 🔍
Last week we asked what the Latin inscription “Sine Labe Decus” above the Tesco’s in the town centre means. The answer: “Honour without stain”.
Q: Which German “philosopher of pessimism” spent a short period of time living and studying at Eagle House in 1803? There’s a blue plaque there now, but try to figure it out without cheating! The answer will be posted in next week’s newsletter.
You’re up to date 👋
I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s newsletter. Look out for upcoming features; you can read last week’s piece on the Wimbledon Brewery here. Keep sending in your photos of the week. Also, head over to our Instagram to nominate your ‘local star’ for their chance to be featured in an upcoming Q&A or article. As ever, please do not hesitate to get in touch at zak@thewimble.com. In the meantime, have a great week and enjoy the tennis!