Brick Lane

Finding dinner on Brick Lane (in East London) is not as easy as one might think.

The street has long been the core of the Bengali community in London, and it's famous for being lined with curry houses. Easy enough to find one, right? So I thought when I set out.

I get there, though, and every restaurant has at least one or two guys whose job it is to pounce on anyone who even glances at the menu and vehemently encourage them to come in. Tactics range from a halfhearted "looking for good food? Try here!" to men who will offer you astronomical deals -- two rounds of free drinks, 25% off the menu price, special appetizer platters. They would be enticing, if every other restaurant didn't have the exact same offer.

My time in Thailand taught me to tune out anyone trying to give you a "very special deal, miss!" so I tried to focus on selecting the best-looking restaurant. Unfortunately, there are dozens and dozens and I couldn't possibly tell which would be delicious and which would have bones in my chicken jalfreezi. It then occurred to me that virtually every restaurant was empty, except for one across the street that was bustling with people. I figured that a random selection of 30 Londoners had to have better judgment about Bengali restaurants than I do, so I followed my herd instinct and went in. Indeed, the food -- though served at a terrifying pace -- was very good.I tried chicken madras, a lemony curry, for the first time. If you're ever in the neighborhood, I highly recommend checking out Aladin (132 Brick Lane).