Shay writes:

Today, at last, sees the opening of our very own Hanbury Street chippy.
Right on our doorstep. Primed to pump our arteries full of clogging, deep fat fried goodness.
300 builders, in a small room, must have been hacking away with teaspoons and painting with toothbrushes for 6 months, lord only knows what they’ve been doing.

But in typical hipster pencilled moustachioed east end style, (soz Duncan, and any number of you) the great British tradition of Chip shop puntastic names has been shunned. A tragedy. And a missed opportunity, I feel. But how typical.

In Wales we could savour the hake and chips at a 'A Fish called Rhondda'.
In Brighton we could breathe in the salty air of Codrophenia.
Who can resist treating the wife to 'A Salt N Battered' and nipping in Battersea Cods Home for a large sausage when peckishness takes us?
Even Neil grew up on a diet of deep fried Mars Bars in the Frying Scotsman.
So suffice to say an obvious Oh My Cod would have done us nicely (OMC)

But what do we get? "Poppies".
Nothing to do with anything remotely battered or fishy. A middle class St. Martin’s fashion student pretty dress of a name.
 
So, I propose we think up our own, given the history and culture of the area. Maybe we could get them to change it. Starters for ten, but you can do better.
 
Plaicey Emin
Gillbattered and George
 
Names please. Winner gets a free lunch. (I’ll chuck in a gherkin too.)
 
For the afishcionados “The concept of a "Fish Restaurant" was introduced by Samuel Isaacs (born 1856 in Whitechapel, London;). Isaacs' first restaurant opened in London in 1896 serving "fish & chips, bread & butter and tea for nine pence.”
 
All of this food chat has made me hungry. I’m off to Balti Towers on Brick Lane for a cuzza.
 
Love,

Shay
(Lots of vinegar.)

Many piscine puns later, here are the competition results in full:

1st: JACK THE KIPPER – local, relevant as per brief. From the brain of David Winterbourne.
 
2nd: The KRAYFISH TWINS – OK, in the area. (Miles Niblett.)
 
3rd: THE HANBURY HADDOCK – liked for its simple pureness. (Marvin Samuel.)

If only "Poppies" had consulted W+K before ordering up the signage then there might have been a queue out the door on opening day! Oh, hang on…

David Murray samples sausage, as deep fried at Poppies.

Muzza's sausage verdict: 'Nice light batter but a bit greasy.'

The Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.

Draymen at the Brewery.

Wieden + Kennedy's London offices are partly located on the site of the Truman Brewery on Brick lane in London's east end. Founded in 1666, the brewery was once the world’s largest in the world.

Truman’s was synonymous with East London. For hundreds of years it was famed for its good beer and many pubs in the area are still branded with the name. But in 1989, Truman's was shut down, the breweries and the pubs sold off.

The cooperage yard, seen from the top of the chimney.

Our local The Golden Heart, back in the day – a Truman's pub, like many round the east end.

The Golden Heart now.

News reached us (belatedly) that the Truman has risen to brew again! Yay! Not a global brewing empire, but a local brand, with a beautiful identity! The people behind this say:

Beer needs a brewery, which is not something we have (yet).  So, we went to see our friends at Nethergate Brewery, who are very good brewers. Together, we created Truman’s Runner – our first new beer for 21 years.

Aside from beer, you need basic principles. Truman’s once lost sight of these and paid a high price. We went back the Metropolitan archives to find the principles that once made Truman’s great – they will be centre stage once more.

They are to be professional, to be innovative, to work with our local community and to make the best beer possible. They might not be revolutionary, but they are important.

We’re up and running now and we’ll keep on going until we build Truman’s a new brewery in its real home – East London.

We might never be the largest again, but then biggest has never been best.

Wise words.

The new Truman's brand is based on the black eagle motif that can still be seen on many buildings in the neighbourhood. (Including the side of W+K Towers.)

For more info on Truman's beer, see their website here.

You can buy Truman's beer at a number of local pubs, including the Ten Bells in Commercial Street, just round the corner from W+K's palatial offices on the edge of the brewery. The Ten Bells – seen in the top right of this busy photograph (above) of Commercial St in 1905 – is almost as old as Nicholas Hawksmoor’s neighbouring Christ Church, Spitalfields. Once the church was completed in 1729, funds were raised for the installation of a standard peal of eight bells, and in 1755, The Eight Bells Alehouse was recorded in Red Lion St, the thoroughfare that became Commercial St in the nineteenth century. And The Eight Bells was renamed The Ten Bells in 1788, when a new set of ten chimes was installed in the belfry at Christ Church. Info and pic above from the excellent Spitalfields Life. Much more here.

The Ten Bells is infamous for being (allegedly) a drinking haunt of one or more of the victims of Jack the Ripper.

 
NB – our admiration for the work of Truman's in no way diminishes our esteem for valued W+K client Heineken. New global campaign from W+K Amsterdam rolling out now.