I first heard about Hurwundeki from a wonderful brown paper bag (that I still have) given to me by my friend Lara which contained the most amazing birthday presents ever! (A baking tray and a number of excellent head-bands for the curious amongst you.) Months later, my friend Rebecca suggested meeting there and I was amazed by it's fantasy cornucopia charm.
Visiting Hurwundeki is a little like stepping out of the dull grey pages of Hackney Road and into the magic realism of a Carter-esque side-show funfair.
A sandy beach gives a home to faded carousel horses and rusted pumpkin coaches;
old wooden chairs threaten to tumble over, precariously balancing on the uneven ground; a ramshackle railway arch is transformed into the heart of trendy Shoreditch without being remotely annoying or pretentious. (A miracle in itself.)
You can sit in Hurwundeki for hours at a time and they don't mind. You can order one coffee and use the wi-fi to your heart's content and they won't be rattled.
You can hang out by yourself or with friends and their small children and they will be absolutely cool with it. It is possibly simultaneously the greatest meeting point and private out-of-the-house working place in the whole of London. That is a mighty accolade to bestow on a place but I believe Hurwundeki may well be worthy of it.
They serve delicious Square Mile coffee which is roasted in nearby Bethnal Green and a host of delicious home-made salads and sandwiches and - joy of joys - occasionally cherry pie. 
It is most certainly off the beaten track, however, it is also well worth a journey right the way up the Hackney Road purely for the sake of visiting this most delightful cafe haven. You can walk through the beach and enter a world in which your writing/reading/designing dreams can all come true.
Back with baking soon, honest!
Silver Whimsy x
