Inside DAPPY BELSIZE PARK K-TOWN’S “I hate fake Top 10 Your SQUAT people” MUST DO essential for April guide issue eleven april 2014 North ’s award-winning cultural guide kentishtowner.co.uk FREE

continued inside... WHOSE TOWN IS IT ANYWAY? likes to see their cultural options. That’s why we even live here idyllic. But over-objecting, the preserve of the EVERYONE neighbourhood at all, right? infamous nimby, has the very real potential improving. A thriving, independent high Sure, none of us are immune to a good to damage all that’s good about living in a street with busy pubs and a mixed community grumble. Living cheek-by-jowl with tens city. And it’s something that’s on the rise – are all prized, as is access to a wealth of of thousands of others is never going to be everywhere. cont. p10 FIRST MONTH HALF PRICE FOR THAT EXTRA LIFT YOU NEED Get two hours free with a fitness professional and your first month half price* when you join before 30th April. Now that’s better. To find out more, visit your local leisure centre or go to www.better.org.uk

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GLL_Globals_2014_April_NewspaperAds_265x370mm_Camden_fv.indd 1 31/03/2014 17:00 the kentishtowner 3

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Contributors Sarah Fox Fleur Disney

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To advertise please call 0207 607 5765 or email [email protected] Windows on the past, eyes to the future BACK ISSUES Available from shop.kentishtowner.co.uk above: 1920s original ESPITE economic hard It’s bigger than you might think, kentishtowner.co.uk where you’ll Home & Colonial times, there’s plenty so we present a guide to its four also fi nd everything from T-shirts sign, uncovered on at high street level to distinct neighbourhoods, as well and tote bags to an exclusive new Queen’s Crescent, D celebrate, at least in our patch of as a tip for the best place to eat. kids’ range of hoodies and sweats. March 26th 2014. north London. But all this hangs And if you’re still bored, there’s See kentishtowner. under the constant shadow of a our essential Top 10 things to do co.uk for full story nimby attitude. Don’t know what this Easter. that means? Turn to page 10 and Till next month, fi nd out. If you’re thinking of taking a weekend break this spring, don’t Elsewhere in this issue we forget we have a thriving travel TEAM KENTISHTOWNER publish exclusive photos from section. Head to kentishtowner. inside the famous squatted former co.uk/travel. And online is where Pizza Express building, interview the liveliest debates take place too. Dappy ahead of his two dates in Islington, and give the lowdown If you like our Nimby and the on new eateries both in the area Hipster comic strip, why not – and across the capital. Not purchase an original A3 print strolled west to Belsize Park? from our online shop: shop. 4 the kentishtowner Ich Bin KENTISHTOWNER DAPPY, 26, SINGER AND PERFORMER Costadinos Contostavlos – or Dappy – is a singer-songwriter and rapper best known for being the lead singer of the Camden Town-based trio N-Dubz, along with his cousin and their friend . Proper locals, N-Dubz got together as a bunch of teens when they were at School in . Dappy appeared on this year’s Celebrity Big Brother.

When were you happiest? What is your guilty pleasure? I have great memories growing up in My favourite Greek restaurant right by Camden. It’s a fun place to be as a young Camden Koko. There are two opposite person – rich in personality and a very each other but I can’t remember their diverse crowd. I still like going to the little names (on Plender Street, we would imagine caff by the tube every time I go to the he means – Ed). studio. Who or what do you hate and why? Where would you like to live? I hate fake people. I have a small child now so anywhere inner city wouldn’t be my fi rst choice, but I have What’s been your best experience? lots of friends and family in the area so we All experiences are good: some you want to visit all the time. do again, some you don’t.

What is your favourite sound or smell? Would you do Big Brother again? I love the smell of all the Chinese food in No. I did it to repaint a picture to some the market. Getting a dirty takeaway from people in the media who made me out to be there is my guilty pleasure – I think every some sort of monster. I wanted to change time you eat one it takes fi ve years off your that perception and I think I did. life. What do you like about your appearance? What is your greatest life achievement? My tattoos. My favourite one is the one My children and my music career. about my dad on my neck [Dappy had ‘RIP Dad’ tattooed when his father and N-Dubz What is the most important lesson life has manager died in 2007]. taught you? Be patient. What’s the worst thing anyone’s said to you? What is your earliest memory? I would not want to shame the person who The Camden ripper Anthony Hardy lived said it. in my block. I was at number 4 Hartland on Royal College Street and he was at number Tell us a secret. 21 – so that was a bit scary. Which one?

How did growing up in Camden infl uence What has your career taught you? you? Never give up on something you can’t go a It’s taught me to be strong and genuine. day without thinking about. It’s a beautiful place but there is an underworld. We didn’t have much money What is your favourite dish and why? so times could be hard for us but we always It’s always going to be something Greek. had dreams to be fi nancially stable. When we worked and we got success, it felt really What did you do today? good. I’ve been writing all day.

What makes you unhappy? Describe yourself as an animal. Not having enough time in the studio. A panther. Ha!

What simple thing would improve your Dappy plays two nights at 02 quality of life? Academy Islington on Thurs 10 and More time with my family. Friday 11 April.

What is your most unappealing habit? Interview: Sarah Fox I don’t have one. “The Camden ripper Anthony Hardy was in my block – that was a bit scary.”

6 the kentishtowner FOOD Spring Lambs PLACES WE QUITE LIKE RIGHT NOW

So many tasty restaurants to try this season – all within a stroll or short bus hop from the neighbourhood.

Le Coq Chicken Shop for grown-ups? Perhaps. It’s £17 for two courses, and the food is pretty good. We ate calcots with Chinese seaweed to start, followed by Rotisserie Sutton Hoo Chicken with winter coleslaw and rice. The poultry comes from Kennel Farm in Sutton Hoo, where there are just 213 chickens per hectare. Just a couple of choices to start and for dessert, and only one main, but it changes weekly. St Paul’s Road N5

Blanchette Right opposite one of our favourite Soho tapas bars, Copita, head to this new bistro for Gallic sharing plates – things like top: the Vine steamed mussels, braised lamb shoulder with anchovy and right: kitchen at Q Grill onglet with snails en persillade. Interior is classy: candelabra, bottom left: tiling and exposed brick, with stylish counter that overlooks Blanchette the action. Nice charcuterie, homemade terrines, and oysters bottom right: too – and, of course, French wines. 9 D’Arblay St W1 Le Coq The Vine New management is giving this long-established K-Town favourite a real boost. From the reinvigorated menu we’ve enjoyed Cornish mackerel with spiced puy lentils and tarragon cream and chargrilled squid with cumin and garlic. But on a recent blissfully hot Sunday lunchtime (when the mood was almost Ibizan on the dining terrace), we raved about a stunning starter of kohlrabi, chilli, coriander and sesame, a deeply fl avoursome corned beef hash and poached egg – and best of all, whole sole with cockles and garlic dumplings. A tad less impressive, perhaps unsurprisingly, was a weekday £7 lunch special. 86 Highgate Road

Q Grill From the people behind Upper Street’s Fish & Chip Shop, this glam joint with “rustic” interior is vying to be the area’s new Pizza East. And they’ve poached the head chef of Hix, Phil Eagle, who’ll be dishing up raw, grilled and smoked things aplenty, from scallop ceviche to pecan wood-roasted chicken, pulled pork sandwiches, ribs and hotdogs. We particularly heart the tender NY strip steak. 33 Chalk Farm Road, NW1.

Polpetto We’re big fans of Russell Norman, so much that we even followed his footsteps to Venice to check out some of the HHH bacari that inspired Polpo. Polpetto was its tiny offshoot S HH above the French House, now relaunched on Berwick Street HH! right bang in the middle of the market. The food offering is divine: we scoffed game faggots, cavolo nero with anchovy, The Horseshoe fabulous beetroot and gorgonzola (each dish about £8). And Did you know Camden Town Brewery owner Jasper Norman himself was busy serving the room, despite his Cuppaidge has a fl agship food pub in Hampstead? In fact, new-found stardom on BBC2. Berwick Street W1 it’s the only place we ever eat at when we’re up there. Stephen Emms Best of all is the £8 weekday lunch, which combines a hearty main - in our case a fi llet of fi sh in chewy ciabatta with more-ish chips - and a glass of wine or beer. Yes, for £8. Excellent value. 28 Heath Street the kentishtowner 7

Casa Tua The blurring of the lines between co ee shop, restaurant and “Trained mixologist-owner, drinking den – so popular ‘on the Giuseppe Miggiano, poured continent’ – has been all too rare in London. So raise a spritz to this a potent Campari while we game-changer grazed on bruschetta”

EW INDIE coffee shops in London have the Words: pleasant side effect of pushing aspirations beyond Tom Kihl the established Italo-triumvirate – ciabatta, biscotti, Photos: N Stephen Emms Lavazza. But what makes another little hangout a hot destination? Well, a booze licence certainly helps; as does having an effortlessly affable owner, and chef with the ability to make simple food sing. All of which seem happily present and correct at Casa Tua, which has quickly carved out a role as a bustling community hub, just opposite Camden Road station. follow-thorough tang. By-the-glass Mezzogiorno (£4.50) set On our Tuesday lunchtime visit, couples giggled across off the zippiness of the fi lling a treat too. lazy afternoon Aperols, offi ce groups dallied over returning All smiles and genuine warmth, Giuseppe seems rightly to their desks and a series of gesticulating Italians dropped in. pleased with all he has created here in a few short months. Close your eyes and you could be tucked away on a Milanese And he’s already maximised every opportunity to keep the backstreet. place busy throughout the day. An attractive selection of The relaxed, urban holiday vibe continued as host and brunch items draw the early(ish) risers, while live music and trained mixologist, Giuseppe Miggiano, poured a potent cocktails keep things lively after dark. Weekends often see Campari while we grazed on bruschetta, struck by the baking workshops, mixology masterclasses and other foodie- obvious quality of the ingredients versus their £3 price tag. focussed events. A board of meat and cheese antipasti (£5) made an equally The result is just the sort of place everyone wishes they affordable, perky light lunch choice too. Like everything else had tucked at the end of their street: slick and modern in on the menu, it’s available to take away if you’re in a dash, operation, yet still bearing all the best hallmarks of a family- although lingering in the cosy interior, admiring the framed run, home-cooked Italian cafes of old. Espresso, for example, black and white pics and old gramophone, is surely the point. was very strong, probably a good thing after such middle-of- In our case, the boards were merely the prelude to a the-day indulgence. succession of hearty Italian café staples, all presented with The relaxed, highly civilised blurring of the lines between clear fl are. On recommendation, we went for a chalkboard coffee shop and drinking den, so popular ‘on the continent’, speciality of the day, in this case pumpkin and pecorino ravioli has been all too rare in London’s idiosyncratic licensing in a salsiccia sauce (£7.20). The pasta muddled the sweet veg environment. It is a simple premise, but deceptively diffi cult and tart cheese well, while the meaty sauce managed to be to pull off this beautifully. both light and comforting. 176 Royal College Street, NW1 The dish was, however, easily surpassed by the café’s most Meal for two with wine about £30. popular pasta, a house tortelloni of chicken and pancetta (£8). Kentishtowner Rating 8/10 Six generous parcels burst with buttery richness and a spicy Tom Kihl 8 THE BIG PICTURE the kentishtowner

words: Fleur Disney photos: The Suspenses

Inside K-Town’s squat The former Pizza Express on Kentish Town Road has found itself at the centre of what its guardians would describe as a “social movement”

the current residents entered the landlords and owners were like that.” INITIALLY property without permission, setting The Suspenses collective was set up to show how about cleaning up the mess left over when it was deserted, important “disused spaces are to the cultural wellbeing of a task which took three days. But they now have permission society,” Gee continues. “An empty building is a resource for from the landlord to reside there until it is put back into a local community that should simply should be put to use. use - as a future indie cinema and/or residential fl ats, if the Once upon a time this was common: post war communities grapevine is to be trusted. would get together, rebuild and re-use bombed out or These pictures are from recent parties held by the abandoned buildings for the common good. And I think we squatters, which highlight the possibility for using empty could use a bit of that Blitz spirit right now when times are urban units to allow creativity to fl ourish. All too often it’s tough for everyone.” the case that artists and performers are hindered by a lack of The Suspenses crew have already proved the merit money and space with which to exhibit their work. behind this thinking at previous locations in east London. “Camden and Kentish Town are quite iconic when it They are keen to involve local residents, so if you’d like to comes to London’s cultural heritage,” says Gee, seasoned get involved on the creative side - to model on the catwalk, squatter and event organiser, “and the building itself is share a fashion range, exhibit art work, try out your amazing. I think it’s important to give credit to the owner performance skills in spoken word or visual arts - just stroll for coming to an agreement with the guys living there so down to the old Pizza Express, knock on the door and meet “Camden that it doesn’t just remain cold, dead and empty. If only more the new neighbours. and Kentish Town are quite iconic when it comes to London’s cultural heritage” the kentishtowner THE BIG PICTURE 9

PUBLIC SPEAKING Suzanne Tugwell osteopath

HEN SHE WAS A teenager, tracheotomies to give them support and a body where certain parts might not work Suzanne Tugwell suffered a advice. That really inspired me. I’d speak very well, but that there are nevertheless W near fatal accident that was with medical students too. They always ways to build strength. If it wasn’t for to set her life on a unique path. Today she told me I was an interesting and rare case the people I befriended, there wasn’t owns The College Practice on Highgate (the fi rst person they’d seen survive a fat much help at the time. I felt something Road; her passion for treating the injured, embolism from a fractured femur, to be was lacking from my own rehabilitation pregnant, or those just needing a physical exact) so I was carving out a role, even experience and osteopathy seemed to tune-up, comes from a deep level of though I didn’t know it. offer that holistic interest in what happens personal experience. beyond the injury. I had to build strength, but more When I was 14 I had a motorbike importantly confi dence. For months Working with people physically, accident. I was in hospital for six •we didn’t know if I was going to be able it’s all quality of life. People can •months and very lucky to survive. They put to walk again. Having gone about in a •come in with a sprained ankle and it’s the me into an induced coma on a ventilator wheelchair, even standing up was an effort. end of the world. Or they might have to that damaged my larynx and trachea. A All my muscles had wasted, but a family face an operation and just really need some series of operations didn’t work and I friend had just trained for the fi rst London advice. Either way, I like that fact that I can ended up having to have a tracheotomy. Marathon and she introduced me to some help them, face to face. I had to learn to breathe again, from my of her exercises. I lacked the confi dence to current practice in the 1991 recession. I’ve stomach, and to speak via a box. go to a gym or a class, but slowly with her, I love meeting so many people who watched families grow, and am really proud my body was getting stronger to the point make a living doing something of the collective of practitioners we’ve built I went back to hospital for where I was running and cycling again. •they have a passion for. This area is up here. And, you know, it all started with operations for another 15 years. full of them. I get a window into so many that accident. •Having missed a lot of school, I also had My motivation became to learn walks of life while giving people their to work out what I wanted to do with my how to help other people from my treatment. I’ve been part of this community Look out for an extended interview with life. The hospital regularly invited me to •own experience. I could certainly tell since living in Camden Square in the 80s Suzanne on kentishtowner.co.uk later this meet with people who had just been given them all about being able to accept living in and squatting in the property behind my month 10 the kentishtowner Does anyone really have ownership of the area they live in? Nimby ˈnɪmbi/ noun A person who objects to the siting of something perceived as unpleasant or hazardous in their own neighbourhood, especially while raising no such objections to similar developments elsewhere.

O, WHAT IS A NIMBY? Coined in 1980, this acronym simply means “not in my back yard”, and refers to city-dwellers who Ssee it as their mission to go about lodging complaints and blocking licences. A few such disproportionately powerful voices can make a decent stab at extinguishing fl ourishing cultural hotspots. But would anyone really still fi ght for such restriction if it also directly leads to boarded-up shops and rundown listed buildings? Apparently so. Over recent weeks a curious saga has been playing out in Kentish Town over local lad William Borrell’s plans to turn derelict public conveniences into a subterranean cocktail lounge (see interview, right). The decaying toilets, at the junction of Highgate and Fortess Road, have been closed since the 90s. And yet objections being publicly lodged are quite misplaced: “people hanging around smoking cause obstruction and noise”, “rowdiness and late night brawling”, “drunk people on the very corner of an extremely busy intersection, with bus routes on both sides”, “we need toilets, not bars” and “someone might run across the road without looking”. All this from residents who already live next to the always lively Forum – against someone pouring investment into an otherwise abandoned and grubby blot on the main drag. Isn’t it all a knee-jerk over-reaction based on an outdated idea of debauched late night drinking?

OUR area attracts many creative entrepreneurs who have correctly seen the opportunity to build successful businesses in retail units previously unloved for years. But for how long will they bother? Just across the road from the toilets is the famous Bull and Gate, which sits empty into a second year over disagreements as to what is considered an appropriate refurbishment for its listed Victorian interior. There’s a real danger it might never open again, despite having Young’s, one of the UK’s most trusted breweries, keen to revitalise it with a £1.5 million spruce-up. Meanwhile the highly sophisticated libations being concocted the kentishtowner 11

Meet the hosts... Grow Your Own Martini One of the unique creations Dave Mulligan Shebeen at Knowhere TELL US YOUR STORY? I moved to Kentish Special Town and got lucky – spotting an ad to work on the concept for a new bar just down the street. I was gifted a bottle of illegal Irish Poitin from my father for getting the place open, which led to us becoming London’s leading specialists in the legal version of the drink. DESCRIBE YOUR BAR? It’s an upmarket locals’ bar where people can come and relax with a good drink, away from the hustle and bustle of busy pubs. WHAT SHOULD WE DRINK WHEN WE VISIT? Poitin! Especially Ban – our very own brand. Let our educated bartenders be creative with the spirit and do what they love to do, which is to make you happy. MESSAGE FOR LOCALS? Please come down and see the bar before making judgements. We’re really nice, and this is a very relaxed kind of drinking, not a rowdy one.

Helen Gay Knowhere Special TELL US YOUR STORY? We fi rst found this basement when looking for a pop-up space last summer. It needed a lot of work hours blocked. Anyone who has actually witnessed classic conservative, anti-gentrifi cation stance so became an all-consuming the passion and attention to detail in both would about leaving neighbourhoods “as they’ve always commitment. attest that neither are going to turn out a drunken been”. The golden age to which people refer like DESCRIBE YOUR BAR? It’s an extension of our living room, of us. army of vomiting revellers. But still they endure this almost certainly never really happened and was We want you to relax in the corner while we do the work, and feel censure from the vocal few, instead of praise for always a time of real hardship, whether in Brooklyn like we’re part of the furniture too. We’ve trawled antuiqe fairs to world-class innovation and fi nancial injection to the or London, NW5. fi nd all the pieces. It’s a labour of love. area. Living in a city is as much about the soundscape WHAT SHOULD WE ORDER? Drinks you won’t fi nd anywhere else. More extreme – and worrying – is recent as it is job opportunities and the wealth of Try a Park Bench - deconstructed cider served in a Strongbow can opposition to new student accommodation on entertainment. Lives can indeed be made a misery with a brown paper bag around it and sausage roll on the side. Holmes Road, which only feels like the latest attempt by unchecked noise pollution or brawling patrons, MESSAGE FOR LOCALS? Come and have a look. There’s nothing to force a single worldview onto a postcode long but yoga centres? Pizza options? Diminutive cocktail untoward going on, no trouble. We’re a young couple who’ve celebrated for its diversity. Surely a range of ages is shops selling libations at a tenner a pop? devoted their life savings into this project to make it work. vital to the health and vitality of any locale? It all seems so counter-intuitive, at a time when the Thanks goodness for a fresh – and yes, transient – indie UK high street is under real threat of extinction. student population here. They too, are not an invading Those of us lucky enough to live in locations where army of youthful abandon and late night shouting. exciting new businesses want to open are in danger William Borrell Geographical make-up is always changing – must of having our neighbourhoods hobbled by the self- Ladies & Gentlemen always remain changing. Look at the Victorian fears appointed “fun police”. TELL US YOUR STORY? After of Kentish Town going downmarket with the arrival A ‘them versus us’ relationship is never healthy. resurrecting a small distillery in of the railway. There was, of course, no hallowed era Yet we must all be mindful of slipping in to it, since it northern Poland fi ve years ago and to which we should be trying to return. is a most basic facet of tribal human nature to do so. creating Vestal Vodka, I’ve been The alternative to later opening hours and old running pop-up bars and the Vestal pubs turning gastro essentially means a return to Voyages fl oating bar in King’s Cross. SO why are the scales terribly skewwhiff in favour the mass 11pm kicking out exodus: those of us who I saw an opportunity for the disused of the UK’s nimbys today? Especially as it’s a power grew up in Kentish Town in the early 1990s will toilets near my home and, two years that can reach perverse levels if left unchecked, even remember regular brawls outside the Vulture’s Perch of planning later, I’ve applied to more when wielded by the wealthy. Witness the (now late-licensed classy food pub The Oxford). Not change their use to a neighbourhood recent spat in leafy Primrose Hill, where a proposed to mention - if you step further back to the 70s - the bar. quality bakery and pizzeria – the kind of business rowdy scenes at the Cardinal Wolsey (now Hoot ‘n’ DESCRIBE YOUR BAR? For most people a neighbourhood bar pretty much every high streets in the country would Annie’s) and Jolly Anglers (Nando’’s). Some golden might seem a strange concept but it’s really a place much like welcome with open arms – generated protests for era. that in TV’s Cheers, where regulars are encouraged to hang out being “another” pizza restaurant. This is also where a Does anyone in their right mind really want the after work and exchange ideas and thoughts. We’ll source a lot of grumpy neighbour has ensured by law that windows toilets to remain boarded up, the Bull and Gate to ingredients from allotments locally and focus on seasonal menus and blinds must remain closed at the famous Triyoga become fl ats, the talented mixologists to move on? Of and craft larger. Please look out for some of my mum and auntie’s studios, because he doesn’t fi nd the occasional sound course not. homemade sausage rolls and scotch eggs made fresh daily. of “ohm” being softly chanted to his liking. Nobody has ownership of the area they live in. WHAT SHOULD WE ORDER? We’re still fi nishing our menu, but a And it’s not just the older crowd who are prone The magic of a metropolis, much like life itself, is that popular one from our boat is called “Proper ‘Anchor” and is served to crushing urban regeneration if they don’t like its we are simply there in the thick of it for a defi ned in a martini glass with aged Vestal Kaszebe 2013, grapefruit juice, soundtrack. A vibrant nightlife scene transformed period of time. agave syrup and Angostura bitters. east London’s formerly decaying Hoxton Square into That time should be a celebration, an explosion MESSAGE FOR LOCALS? I’ve sought to engage with all neighbours an achingly hip address, only for some of the new of different lifestyles and leisure choices, with on this project as I feel it can add to the prosperity Kentish Town is residents to clamp down hard on the very venues that opportunities to enjoy them all. currently enjoying. Whilst I’ve read there are a handful of objectors had fuelled their swanky apartment’s desirability. Tom Kihl – who I understand object to most proposals in the area - I have It’s also not just London, either. Over in New been overwhelmed by support. My hope is that people can see that York City last month, fi lmmaker Spike Lee went off Check out artist Ollie Sylvester’s new exhibition at small independent operators are at the core of what makes Kentish on a controversial rant about the gentrifi cation of 17 Flora Street, Covent Garden, from 30 April. Buy a Town amazing, not large co– ee chains and national estate agents. I Brooklyn, with newcomers complaining his father limited edition print of the “Nimby & Hipster” comic hope this project excites you as much it does me. was playing acoustic jazz – as he’s done for 40 years strip from shop.kentishtowner.co.uk – too loudly. But in his anger, Lee also displayed many of the traits of a nimby himself, holding a 12 FREE WEEKEND the kentishtowner FREE WEEKEND? Belsize Park possesses neither the swooping history of Hampstead, the craziness

ETRACTORS would say it’s the safe bit “stuck in the middle” of more characterful Dareas, all endless hilly streets of samey – if gorgeous – stucco white villas. Casual observers might nod that it’s “where celebs live”, you know the names – Tim Burton, Chris Martin, Matthew Williamson, David Walliams.

But stop, for a second, and glance at this large swathe of NW3 again. Did you know, for example, its name means “beautifully situated”? And that it was fi rst recorded back in 1317? For many centuries, the area’s focus was lofty Belsize House, rebuilt several times until it was pulled down in 1853 (it’s now a walled-off enclosure of eight houses, Village Close).

And this stately past still informs the present in its European feel, home nowadays to a wealthy international (including large French and American) population. It’s the closest you’ll get to feeling like you’re en vacance – while being a mile or two from home.

The main thoroughfare is Haverstock Hill, and it’s on or off here that most of the action takes place. There are four key areas. Why not loop through each one sunny weekend and make a day of it?

Ballaro and 1. Hip: Steele’s Village top: The bit where the hill plunges down to Chalk Haverstock Hotel What? left: Olliver’s Fish Farm (regard the view over the city!) and, to the left, & Chips Kentish Town. bottom: Co ee: Legal Cafe has a road-facing terrace that’s The Isokon & good for people-watching. Mondrian plaque Booze: superior cocktails at The Hill, or rowdier on Parkhill Rd sessions at legendary boozer Steele’s, where there’s always an eclectic crowd as well as weekly comedy and live music nights (though it’s not the truly bohemian pub it once was). Eat: Oliver’s for posh fi sh ‘n’ chips, decent sushi at Akura, Persian specialities at Tandis or on-trend steaks and fi sh at atmospheric US-style brasserie The Hill. Note: Sir Richard Steele was an early 18th century writer who lends his name to both area and the eponymous boozer.

2. Indie: England’s Lane What? One of the older byways of the area, dating back to 1745. Co ee: Black Truffl e. But you’re spoilt with the excellent Ginger & White and Cinnamon too. Booze: The Washington, an attractive and once-hip Grade 1-listed corner boozer. But skip the food. Eat: Black Truffl e for shared plates of charcuterie, or Ginger & White for stylish boozy lunches. Retro H Italian and Indian restaurants aplenty too. SH HHH Note: The excellent butcher’s, Barrett’s, has been in HH! the biz since 1860s. And the decorative shopfront of the pharmacy at No.28 has remained unchanged for a Arty Quarter Don’t miss the former artists’ century. Living in Space is posh interiors. district. Yes, remarkable as it may seem now, during the late 1920s and 30s the eastern corner of Belsize Park was a hotbed of artists dotted about in the Mall, Parkhill 3. Big Bucks: Haverstock Hill Road and, from 1934, the concrete, functional Isokon, What? The main drag, with its continental pavement (the Grade I-listed iconic modernist building on Lawn terraces and oxblood red tiled tube station. Road). Dutch minimalist Mondrian moved into a room Co ee: it’s quite chain-y here, so try Gail’s or (at 60 Parkhill, see the blue plaque above) overlooking Euphorium after a rummage around Daunt Books or the studios in 1938. Sculptor Barbara Hepworth, Pomona deli. who lived in nearby Mall Studios with husband Ben Booze; The George, a once-famous tea garden dating Nicholson, described how “his wonderful squares of back to 1715. Secret courtyard out back too. primary colours climbed up the walls”. And the poet Sir Eat: Chez Bob for a £10 two-course set brasserie Herbert Read – who lived on the terrace too – described menu (before 8pm, daily), Jamon Jamon for tapas, the neighbourhood as like the “artists of Florence and Weng Wah House for upmarket Chinese, or Chez Siena…in the Quattrocentro, a nest of gentle artists.” the kentishtowner FREE WEEKEND 13 EXPLORE BELSIZE PARK of Camden, nor the rowdy spirit of Kentish Town. So what’s the point of it?

Nous for chicken kiev and chips in a terraces and community spirit. Paved area “Parisian” interior. Need to stay overnight? with benches to soak up atmosphere. Try the Haverstock Hotel, a stylish new Co ee: Roni’s Bakery, the bagel shop boutique place. buzzing on a Saturday morning. Great Note: the tube became an air raid shelter in alfresco terrace too. During the 1930s east the war (entrance at Downside Crescent). A Booze: the only pub became upmarket “deep shelter”, it runs for over a quarter of pan-Asian restaurant XO, chucking a bit of a mile. Also worth a visit is the Everyman West End glamour at the Village. But you Belsize Park was a cinema, and WAC Arts in the Italianate can still swing by and drink in the bar. splendour of Hampstead Town Hall. Eat: lots of choice, from smart Greek hotbed of artists, all (Retsina) and cosy Turkish (Beyoglu) to Indian (Hazara) and modern British (the 4. Quaint: Belsize Villlage Belsize Kitchen). dotted about in the What? The cute bit where Ornan Road Note: it’s not that old, alas, only dating back becomes Belsize Lane. Think pastel to the mid 1850s. Stephen Emms Mall Studios, Parkhill Road and the concrete, functional Isokon

The hot table: Ballaro

T’S now almost impossible to chef and head chef (most recently at imagine that this was the boozer Novikov in Mayfair) he’s friendly too, Ifeatured on Chris Evans’ anarchic greeting diners and regulars at the start 90s show TFI Friday. Or indeed its latter of the meal and later on a “walkabout”. day incarnation, The Havers, an earthy He even takes care to sit down and respite from the upscale chains uphill, explain how dishes are sourced or and the palatial villas in the sidestreets. created. It’s a nice touch. Ballaro opened at the end of last The food is Italian in both its power year after months of renovation. and deceptive simplicity: “I refuse to Suitably named after the famous market use cream,” Carmelo tells us at the end in Palermo, it’s schtick is upmarket of the meal. Sicilian calamari are tender Sicilian, with an emphasis on vegetables and crispy, but the twist is that they’re and fi sh dishes. It’s “neighbourhood”, paired with earthy chickpea pancakes; without feeling parochial – with a splash better still is creamy burrata with baby of unexpected Knightsbridge glamour plum tomatoes – the fi rst of the season. too, courtesy of the stylish dining room, Chitarrine (a homemade spaghetti) with all lime leather banquettes, Tuscan slate veal osso buco ragout is the stand-out fl oors and large windows. pasta dish, packed with the hit of thyme Some of the reviews have and Nero d’avola (of which, incidentally, drawn attention to the conservative we also drink a fi ne bottle from the atmosphere that pervades the streets good list of Sicilian wines). of this part of NW3, but on our chilly Less dazzling is a piece of sea bass Tuesday evening visit the restaurant is with caponata (the ratatouille-style full. Sure, the crowd is hipster-light and cooked aubergine salad), but only relatively beard-free, but the mostly because it comes before a climactic mature diners are all whooping it up pillowy pink rack of lamb, its sweet in groups of four over prosecco and tenderness matched by pumpkin and endless wines-by-the-glass. o– set by mellow braised radiccio. This As we sit down, the initial frostiness is the dish to return for. of the maitre d’ is replaced by an It’s still busy with well-heeled admission that his English is not very groups celebrating birthdays as we good. He’s from Puglia, still trying to cram in a vanilla pannacotta with get his head round the various London assorted fruits. We glimpse the good- accents. But he is gracious and smiley. value £12.50 two-course lunch menu – The chef boasts probably the fi nest and vow to come back for that. name in north London cuisine: Carmelo Kentishtowner Rating 8.5/10 Carnevale. An imposing character, with 154 Haverstock Hill, NW3 2AY a background cooking as both private Stephen Emms 14 the kentishtowner

MUST DO April 1. DO EASTER STUFF Fashionable local boozers are pulling out the stops for the long weekend. The Abbey Tavern is open for partygoers until 3am, while the Grafton are running their annual bunny hunt around Kentish Town in the week leading up to the annual choc-fest. “Each day we will be posting a picture of said bunny with a clue and whoever finds our bunny will be in for a prize,” says owner Joel. And that means free Fat Butcher meals, wine and beer. Yay. 2. BOOK CC14 New name alert. Multi-award winning godfather of the urban festival Camden Crawl is back with a fresh look, new dates and a bit of rejuvenation. Lots of great acts like ABC, Of Montreal, Steve Mason and Kent’s Cocos Lovers. Set to take place on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st June throughout NW1 & NW5, look out for some very local activity too with yours truly. From £26.50 www.thecamdencrawl.com 3. GO GABBY From April 14 you could do worse than download the new single, I’ve Improved, from Kentish Town’s cult-like troupe, Gabby Young & Other Animals. It’s the lead ditty from their upcoming third album, which oozes seductive cabaret and fleeting pop. ‘I never want to write purely sad music,’ says Gabby. ‘All my songs have to have hope in them.’ Thank God for that. www.giftofthegabrecords.com 4. TRY NEWBIES Lots of new arrivals across the ‘hood, both now and later in the year. There’s posh greengrocer PG Parkway Greens, which has just flung its perfectly painted doors open on Parkway, bean merchant Brewbar Coffee on Camden High Street, and new bakeries on Kentish Town Road and Fortess Road. On the latter there’s also set to be a fishmonger and café called Lure Fish Kitchen, from June. 5. SEE ‘EM LIVE 3 Not been to Kentish Town’s famous music venue the Forum for a while? Plenty of quality artists get stuck into over the next few weeks, from electronica maestros Cut Copy (April 16) to punk rock threepiece indie Alkaline Trio (April 26) to shirt-dodging R’n’B ledge Nelly (May 8). More details on mamacolive.com/theforum 6. TRAVEL BACK IN TIME For something cerebral this month, don’t miss this exhibition of the alternative theatre of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, which closes on May 8. Expect feminist work, gay and lesbian, young people’s theatre, experimental and much more. Camden Local Studies Archives Centre, 2nd floor, Holborn Library, 32-38 Theobalds Road WC1X 8PA 7. FROLIC AT THE SPRING FAIR The newly invigorated Queen’s Crescent Market is back with a seasonal bash on Saturday April 26th. It promises a green theme and there’ll be stalls from the local schools, a cake competition and a fancy dress extravagansa. There’ll also be the regular fishmonger, baker, longstanding fruit ‘n’ veg stalls, clothes, and thriving antiques market. Check out the just 1 9 uncovered 1920s Home & Colonial shop signage, (as seen on page 3). 8. HELP CREATE KENTISH CLUSTER It’s not just posh coffee and rejuvenated community pubs that are booming 2 in Kentish Town. There’s a sizable collection of tech companies that have chosen to base their brightly coloured offices here too. So many, in fact, that we’ve teamed up with a few of them to organise a regular networking drinks thingy, the first of which will take place on Friday 25th April. Interested? Email [email protected] for full details. 9. ROLL UP AT RUFUS Missed this new hot sandwich deli on Highgate Road adjacent to the Expressions studios? The owner used to be a paper boy in this area in the eighties; now he specialises in salt beef bagels, pulled pork baps and falafel wraps. And even better, it’s a stylish Skandi-style space, more like a café in Copenhagen than K-Town. Linton House, 39-51 Highgate Rd NW5 1RS 10. ADMIRE ARTWORK AT ST PANCRAS We loved the big Olympic rings and also the dreamy clouds that have hung over St Pancras station previously as part of Terrace Wires, the arts space much like Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth, but situated above trains instead of beneath Nelson. The follow-up, Hackney-based artist David Batchelor’s Chromolocomotion, is unveiled this month. It’s a Tetris-tastic collection of 44 giant, interlocking splashes of colour. St Pancras Station

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