Mayor Ken's hot London

This is London grabbed a quick curry-to-go with Mayor Ken Livingstone as he took to the bustling streets of Brick Lane to launch this year’s curry festival.

In between mouthfuls he talked about his favourite dish, his plans for the East End and how he hopes to see Olympic competitors shovelling curry down their throats in 2012.

How hot can you go?

I grew up in London after the war when the food was abysmal. No-one went out to eat because the good restaurants were for the very rich and it was fish and chips for everybody else.

So for me, the quality of life improved dramatically when we started to see Asian and Chinese restaurants appearing and then we could go out and have a more enjoyable meal.

As for curries - I’ve gone to Dhansak level, but Vindaloo is just beyond my toleration range!

Which would you choose - eel pie and mash or a vindaloo?

I love smoked eel but I’ve never really liked eel when it's cooked in other ways. So if I had a choice I’d have to go for Vindaloo — so long as it wasn’t vindalooed eel!

Which famous person would you most like to share a curry with and why?

Where do you begin? There’s that nice Gordon Brown for a start — I could take him for a curry and then I could actually lobby him about more money for London.

Do you have a message for the stereotypical ten-pints-and-a-curry louts?

I don’t think that loutish behaviour is the problem it used to be in London. London’s much more confident about its racial diversity these days and it’s one of the things people like about being in London.

I know there are other parts of the country where sure, people have a curry and abuse the staff, and they should be arrested.

How will Brick Lane benefit from the Olympics, if we get it?

Brick Lane will be literally just ten minutes from the Olympic village whether you’re coming in on one of the new rail lines or on the DLR.

I don’t have the slightest doubt that Brick Lane will serve more curries during the Olympics than at any time before or after - gallons of Korma and rice will be poured down the throats of hurdlers, shot-putters and the rest of the competitors alike!