In The (Real) Other London: Spaghetti Eddy’s

[lumenquill]

  So I want to start off this one by saying this is not a sponsored post. It’s my first time talking about a local business on my blog so I have to disclaim that a bit. I’m not getting paid for any of this.

Anyways, I don’t know who introduced me to Spaghetti Eddy’s. It wasn’t my parents, I can say that for sure. A friend from high school perhaps? Or maybe a family friend? I don’t know, I couldn’t tell you. But I can tell you about a notable time I went there and shared the experience with others.

It was my first year in college, I must have been in my very early twenties at the time. I was in school for Video Game Design, something I wouldn’t end up pursuing or finishing schooling for due to a multitude of reasons. However, for that time I held onto hope I could complete it and befriend my classmates. I had left high school in a burning ball of drama that was happening more around me than to me, having less to do with my perspectives or actions and more to do with others fighting around me, and was anxious to make friends with other people.

So, in our campus situated in the midst of downtown London, Ontario, I suggested after class one day that I, a local, show a few other students some of the best places to eat out around the campus building. A handful of students agreed, one citing he just deposited a cheque and wanted to spend it, and we marched to Dundas and Richmond and then down Richmond a ways to Spaghetti Eddy’s.

Spaghetti Eddy’s is a somewhat precariously placed restaurant, its entrance situated down a narrow alleyway lit by hanging lightbulbs and then through a large wood door into a basement restaurant. Most people, upon seeing the entrance, raise an eyebrow at the location at least, more likely make a crack about it or show concern. In this case, several jokes were made by my fellow students about getting mugged in an alley before the door opened.

Once the door opens though, suspicion gives way to confusion, and then awe. See, the door to the establishment is held closed by a leather boot hanging from a pulley system, and once you notice the boot you will almost immediately notice how many other objects are hanging from or situated in the ceiling of Spaghetti Eddy’s. Bikes, old cameras, lamps, a booth that one might play a demo playstation at in a department store circa 2001 or earlier, there is no end to the wonders hidden in the ceiling of Spaghetti Eddy’s.

Once your prompted to look down from there however, you will see rustic wooden booths and breadbaskets also hanging from pulley systems. At this point a waitress calls for you to seat yourself, and you’ll sit down and notice each booths wall is covered in names and dates scrawled by various visitors over the years. When I asked the server about this last time I was there, she simply replied with a shrug and told me people like to do that.

the atmosphere is undeniably rugged, but also very whimsical. Theres something about it that feels like a magical place hidden away from the rest of the world, something about the cluttered rafters and wooden booths that feels otherworldly and yet, very warm and inviting. At least, thats what my fellow students told me at the time, in so many words.

Spaghetti Eddy’s, as its name suggests, specializes in pasta. They have chili and nachos and other such foods on the menus, which are all situated inside laminated record covers of records from the 80s and 70s, but you aren’t here for that. You want that Spagheddy.

Alright, I lie, my standard order is not Spagheddy because I personally dislike tomato based sauces. I get the seafood fettuccini. Alfredo sauce, (likely imitation) crab, and shrimp. Yum.

 

At the point where your pasta arrives is when you start to understand the point of Spaghetti Eddy’s, if there is one. The bowl is almost the size of a mixing bowl with the dinner portion, there is no skimping on sauce or toppings, it is a giant portion of pasta you receive here. And its…. Not actually all that spectacular. Not to say its bad, its not at all bad, its great to be honest, but its not going to blow you away like the atmosphere will. Tastes good, is contenting, and a huge portion, but good, not amazing. Its got a sort of loveable mediocrity to it. A comforting feeling of not breaking any boundaries but still being good enough to come back for when your in the mood or area.

So, my fellow students were pretty thoroughly impressed with the large portions and warm atmosphere, as you do when your a hungry broke 20something just learning that eating out costs more than cooking, but there was one small problem. See, there are many add ons you can get to your pasta at Spaghetti Eddy’s. I don’t usually unless its a special occasion, but you can get extra cheese, meat, vegetables and what have you, and the guy who deposited his cheque recently was surprised to learn add ons do add up to a pretty expensive pasta. His cheque also hadn’t processed yet. Poor guy.

So, I was nice enough to foot the bill for him, and he not only paid me back, but also bought me coffee every time we had class together for the rest of my time in the Video Game Design program. I appreciated it a lot, and when I was struggling in our drawing and character design classes he also taught me techniques for sketching that I have recently passed on to my roommate in his pursuit of learning to draw better. 

I haven’t kept touch with anyone from that program, but going to Spaghetti Eddy’s that day taught me that it was a fantastic way to introduce people to London as a place. Its a hidden gem that balances a comforting mediocrity with a strange and unique atmosphere if your willing to go digging for it. It really is the true essence of London, Ontario at its best.

Since then I’ve made it a tradition to take long distance friends to Spaghetti Eddy’s every time they come here for the first time. It’s a good introduction to the vibe, and when Other London Volume 2 came out, we had a party of about eight or nine people crammed in there. It was fantastic and lively, I’ll never forget it.

So, if you’re in downtown London and any of this appeals to you, check out Spaghetti Eddy’s. It’s a London staple for a reason, I suppose.

And, as a side note, if you need to take home leftovers, which you probably will because man thats a lot of pasta, don’t carry them around downtown with you in a duffle bag. My roommate learned that the hard way his first time there, his Spagheddy exploded all over his bag in the middle of Museum London, it wasn’t good.