bob stanley - Kentishtowner

St Etienne’s
BOB STANLEY
on 20 years of
Mario’s Café
issue three april/may 2013
“My secret?
I don’t care if
you don’t like
tattoos.”
North London’s award-winning website – in print
OUR BIG FAT
K-Towner
Wedding
HOW ONE COUPLE
KEPT IT LOCAL
kentishtowner.co.uk
FREE
CELEBRATING LOCAL CULTURE
Full story – page 3
omics,
e, the
pubs,
wns,”
COMPLIMENTARY BOTTLE OF WINE
WHEN DINING AT CÔTE CAMDEN
MÂCON VILLAGES OR CÔTES DU RHÔNE
To redeem, present this offer when dining or mention ‘Kentishtowner offer’
when calling to make a reservation.
“Côte is fantastic” – THE SUNDAY TIMES
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Offer valid everyday with the à la carte menu until 31/05/13 at Côte Camden only. One complimentary bottle of wine per table per visit
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KentishTowner_ISSUE_03.indd 1
25/03/2013 17:15
15/04/2013 17:19
KENTISHTOWNER READER EXCLUSIVE OFFER
Win A bumper box of
farmers’ market delicacies
visit kentishtowner.co.uk/win
40 of the finest artisan UK producers will be there every fortnight at the brilliant City
& Country Farmers’ Market.
2013 Camden Lock Market Local Calendar Friday 19th April City & Country Farmers’ Market launch at Camden Lock
Friday 26th April We Make London – 30 artisan craft stalls
Friday 3rd May City & Country Farmers’ Market
Friday 10th May We Make London
Friday 17th May City & Country Farmers’ Market
Friday 24th May We Make London
Friday 27th May Bermuda Day
The 24th and 27th May events fall within the Love Your Local Market fortnight.
Come and enjoy your local craft market and be part of the community!
KentishTowner_ISSUE_03_pp0203 DONE.indd 2
15/04/2013 17:16
3
the kentishtowner
Editor
Stephen Emms
Co-Editor
Tom Kihl
Subbing
Kate Burt (thank you!)
Designer
Olly Skinner
Logo
Russell Loughlan
Writers
Nikki Verdon
Tim Sowula
About our Cover Art
F
OR THIS, our third issue, we wanted
to celebrate the cultural richness of the
area. And who better to help us than
illustrator Sian Pattenden, creator of the North
London Arts Map?
An artist and journalist, Sian has lived in the
borough of Camden for over 12 years. “On and
off for more,” she says, “and I still get lost. Last
year I went from Kentish Town Road to Talacre
‘the quick way’ and landed up in Queen’s
Crescent perusing the nylon t-shirts.”
Contributors
Sian Pattenden
Bob Stanley
Photography
Tom Storr
(tomstorr.com)
Published by
London Belongs To Me Ltd 2013
www.londonbelongstome.com
Send us nice things:
The Old House,
39-41 North Road
London N7 9DP
Got a suggestion?
please email us at
[email protected]
To advertise
please call
0207 607 5765
or email
[email protected]
So this new map, besides being something to
pore over in the pub, has a useful purpose too
(GPS be damned!) “Yes, I actually needed a
map, as when I start looking at an A-Z I get lost
again in the two-dimensional landscape: the
road names, the random patches of green and
those tiny little triangles which represent the
police stations.”
Welcome to our spring
arts special.
Sian was asked to illustrate the North
London Arts Map a couple of years ago as part
of a drive by Enfield, Barnet and Haringey
councils to show the vast wealth of arts venues
in the boroughs.
And as fans of the original, we were keen to
commission her take on NW1 and NW5. “It’s
inspired by Katharine Harmon’s You Are Here,”
she says, “which includes a series of evangelical
maps from the nineteenth century, illustrating
the spiritual path all souls wander. I was
entranced, and picked up a pencil.”
We think you’ll agree it’s a work that rewards
repeated study. It’s inevitably a personal edit,
however. “There are bound to be a few places
I’ve left out,” says Sian. “It’s not necessarily
comprehensive.”
So what appeals to her most? “It’s rich in
resources, in geography (towerblocks bordering
parkland), in history. There’s a frothing mix of
classes, races and cultures. The red-faced lady
stands outside the library waving to Jonathan
Ross in his sports car; the man with a cardboard
box on his head talks Sartre with Melvin Bragg
on the Heath. Probably. We’re all lucky to live
here. I hope we will all stay here forever (death
is no object with Highgate Cemetery nearby).
Maybe it’s the best place in the world.”
Want to buy the map? See Page 11.
above:
Stephen Emms
W
E WERE thrilled that
the response to last
month’s second issue
was even better than the first,
with many outlets running out
of copies quickly, and even BBC1
News getting in on the act (see
pic above). And woop woop, being
shortlisted for a Newspaper Award
(Best Digital Service) alongside
The Guardian, Sunday Times and
Huffington Post was nice too.
But to business. We’ve long been
fans of Sian Pattenden’s outsider
art and we’re excited that she
created this exclusive cover for us.
And if you like it, why not consider
buying an original print from our
new online shop?
KentishTowner_ISSUE_03_pp0203 DONE.indd 3
Speaking of which, have you
checked out our south London
sister title belowtheriver.co.uk yet?
It carries many of the same slots
as kentishtowner.co.uk so tell your
friends and family in that neck of
the woods.
Till next month,
The St Pancras Express Menu
£21 for 2 courses,
£25 for 3 courses
Saturdays 12-3, 5:30-6:30
Sundays 12-10pm
NW12AR
Don’t forget we publish daily
online, often several stories a day.
And online is where the liveliest
debates take place too.
Inside this issue: Bob Stanley,
founder of seminal 90s band Saint
Etienne, commemorates the 20th
anniversary of their iconic track
Mario’s Café, Nikki Verdon picks
highlights from local galleries’
current shows, and we chat to
Weekend Roast Menu
£27 for 3 courses
St Pancras Renaissance Hotel
Euston Road,
Scratchline Tattoo’s very heavily
inked owners.
Elsewhere,
staff
writer
Tim Sowula talks us through
his decision to have a “big fat
Kentishtowner wedding”, we
discover what makes eccentric
toy shop owner Kristin Baybar
tick, and we hop on the 393 bus
to another vibrant corner of north
London, Stoke Newington, in our
Free Weekend section. And don’t
miss our verdict on the Colonel
Fawcett, the acclaimed gastropub
which has just hired a new chef.
Monday to Friday, 12-3, 5:30-6:30, 10-11
www.thegilbertscott.co.uk
020 7278 3888
15/04/2013 17:28
4
the kentishtowner
Ich Bin
KENTISHTOWNER
Jesse Singleton and Susanna Widmann set up Scratchline Tattoo on Kentish
Town Road a little over a year ago. Susanna studied as an illustrator, while
Jesse has always had an interest in traditional arts, particularly body
adornment, and has worked in the industry for over fifteen years. “We have
both been employed in other London studios but always dreamt of opening
our own shop,” he says. “Kentish Town was Susanna’s idea as a location and
it’s proved to be a brilliant choice. We’ve been made to feel very welcomed
by everybody, we love the villagey feel and the fact that – it seems, anyway! –
all Kentishtowners know each other.”
JESSE SINGLETON
SUSANNA WIDMANN
What is your earliest Kentish Town memory?
Buying my first pair of skates from Norm at
[now defunct shop] Skate Attack.
When were you happiest?
Actually I’m very happy at the moment. A job I
love and a beautiful family.
Tell us a secret.
You don’t have to have any more reason than
“liking them” for getting a tattoo.
What is the most important lesson life has
taught you?
It’s still trying to teach me patience.
What has your career taught you?
There are no stupid questions. You may be an
expert in your own field but that doesn’t mean
other people have to be.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Popping out to buy a cake from Earth in the
afternoon when I’m drawing.
Where do you hang out?
I like The Lion and Unicorn, the Oxford, the
Assembly House and the Grafton mostly, so I try
to rotate.
What is your greatest life achievement?
Getting to this point. Balancing the shop and
the family is hard work but I wouldn’t change
it.
What has your career taught you?
Working with the public is amazing.
Understanding people, it’s a neverending
learning curve.
Where would you like to live?
Little Green Street.
What is your favourite sound or smell?
The perfect pitch of a properly
tuned tattoo machine.
Where would you like to live?
Leverton Street is one of my favourites. It’s like
being in a quiet and beautiful little town.
What makes you unhappy?
The blank look you sometimes get
when trying to explain why getting
a tattoo in someone’s kitchen is
not a great idea...
What makes you unhappy?
Narrow-minded people.
What simple thing would
improve my quality of life?
Definitely more sleep.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Getting to work before opening,
leaving the shutters closed and going to
sleep for a half hour.
Most unappealing habit?
I speak over the top of others if I get
frustrated.
What do you most dislike about your
appearance?
The blank spaces. And why are they always
in the places that hurt most?
What do you most dislike about your
appearance?
The bits without tattoos.
What’s the worst thing anyone’s said to
you?
“I’ve got a great idea for a tattoo! I want an
arm full of stars. Different sizes, some with a
thick line, some with thin lines, some all black.”
What is your favourite dish and why?
Calçots (Google it). They give you gloves and a
bib to eat them. What’s not to like?
Describe yourself as an animal.
Last time I looked, human.
What’s the worst thing someone has ever
said to you?
This tattoo was done by a mate in the
kitchen, can you fix it?
Tell us a secret.
I don’t care if you don’t like tattoos.
“My secret? I don’t care if
you don’t like tattoos.”
What’s your favourite dish?
Eating barbecued sardines and bread with
tomato and drinking beer on a beach in the
evening.
We are an Italian family from a fisherman’s
town near Venice and we bring to the
neighbourhood our experience in cooking
pizza and fresh fish.
320 Kentish Town Road
Tel: 020 7482 3460
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5
the kentishtowner
FOOD
“What looked like - quelle
horreur! - piped cream was
actually goat’s cheese, rich,
moreish and delicious.”
A new chef at acclaimed Camden
backstreet pub Colonel Fawcett
Fawcett. But is
he any cop?
I
CHEEKY COFFEE... AT
Housepresso
N EARLY January last year, we
published one of our first reviews
to create a genuine stir online.
We gave 9/10 to a newly taken over
backstreets boozer, with a head chef,
Dorian Kirk, who was just 21 years old.
Dorian left at the start of this
year, and in a wise choice, the three
young owners hired Andrew Evans,
an experienced chef who, most
interestingly for Kentishtowners,
was at the helm at The Highgate, an
acclaimed mid-noughties gastropub in
what is now the all-conquering Pizza
East.
From a thorough list of gins, we
started with a classic martini, and a
Bombay Sapphire with Earl Grey, the
former a better aperitif than the latter,
really more of a longer drink to schlurp
in a noisy bar. We moved onto a decent
Falanghina white, although – tsk, tsk! –
it wasn’t quite chilled enough.
Evans’ menu ploughs the same
furrow as his predecessor’s, inventive
British fare voguishly heavy on
shellfish paired with pork. A starter
of razor clams with wild boar and
caramelised red onion proved more
exciting on paper than in the mouth,
but “heritage” beetroot carpaccio
was a beautiful dish to look at, its
sweet earthiness and combination
of textures lifted by the tartness of
marinated shallots. What looked like
– quelle horreur! – piped cream was
actually goat’s cheese, rich, moreish
and delicious.
Our two mains both impressed,
although we had a bit of a debate with
owner Ross over the use of samphire
in March. He insisted it was British,
and therefore seasonal; I argued that
it was impossible. The answer? It was
imported from Holland.
Okaaay. But the dish it came with,
a sea bass with a very tomatoey
consommé and five foraged herbs
– the others being sea beet, sea
alexander, monk’s beard, sea fennel
– was light and fragrant. Meanwhile,
sole with prawns and burnt butter had
a luxuriousness that went better still.
Slightly less impressive? An egg
tart, a tad bland, lifted by a tangy
rhubarb, both stewed and in sorbet.
Our verdict? The menu is back
on track. Perhaps work in progress
in parts, but it’s still a gem of a local.
Stephen Emms
1 Randolph Street NW1. 3 course
meal for two with wine around £70.
Kentishtowner Rating 8/10
C
OFFEE, cake and property. That’s the
interesting proposition at Gospel Oak’s tiny
Housepresso, and it’s one that works rather well.
Despite its diminutive size, the corner coffee shop serves
a steady stream of Kentishtowners dashing to and from
the overground or school. Owner Gavin finds the laidback atmosphere perfect for his carefully crafted, more
personable approach to the stressful business of buying
and selling a home.
On previous visits we’d always felt the coffee to be
fairly good, but not quite great. However a brand new
La Marzocco machine really brings out the best in their
strikingly strong house coffee. The exact blend of beans
is a secret, but Gavin says it’s a roughly 80 per cent
robusta. A bold choice and not for those with a dicky
ticker, it delivers a powerful taste and kick.
Barista Alana is a Brazilian who trained in New
Zealand and she clearly knows her stuff. Both a
Macchiato and an Americano were delicious and went
well alongside some of the newly stocked cakes and
breads.
The range is all produced by the aptly named Artisan
Baker, based in Park Royal (yes, they did try to source
things a little more ‘hyperlocally’). A chocolate tart – a
snip at only £2 – was beautifully bitter with a perfect
pastry base, while a mini baguette proved satisfyingly
crusty and dense.
Excitingly, a new branch of Housepresso is opening
up soon in the vicinity of Kentish Town tube, expanding
on the civilised estate agent concept, while bringing that
dark bean blend into the heart of the manor. Hopefully it
can retain the quirky feel and friendly social vibes of the
original too. Tom Kihl
KentishTowner_ISSUE_03_pp0405 READY.indd 5
Top 5 COCKTAILS IN THE MANOR
• Damsel at Shebeen (£7), Kentish
Town Road: a tiny glass full of sloe
gin, lime and mint served at the right
temperature; not a drink for the fainthearted. But it’s terrifyingly quaffable
so watch those stairs on your way out
of these former Victorian police cells.
• Raspberry Mojitos at The Grafton,
Prince Of Wales Road (£7): fun,
unpretentious, a bit excitable and not
too sickly, just like this uber-popular
K-Town boozer itself. We like to sip
ours in a candle-lit booth upstairs.
• An 1873 at the Gilbert Scott, St
Pancras (£10): try the house cocktail,
named after the year the Midland
Grand Hotel originally opened. It
combines English classics of aromatic
gin, apple and rhubarb with cranberry
juice and Co2 from a siphon.
A Negroni at Pizza East, Highgate
Road (£8): Linger at the buzzy bar
with this classic Venetian aperitif
which combines equal parts of gin,
martini rosso and campari.
Espresso Martini at Bull & Last,
Highgate Road (£8): not strictly “onmenu” but ask away and the skilled
barmen here will mix you almost
anything. Always spot-on: never too
sweet, and served with a delectably
frothy head. Stephen Emms
15/04/2013 17:30
6
the kentishtowner
ART
Never visited a local gallery?
Read on.
S
IAN PATTENDEN’S brilliant arts
map is, of course, just the tip of
the iceberg. Camden and Kentish
Town’s growing gallery scene is a not-sowell-kept secret. Lively off-piste places
abound like the Freespace, Parlour, Flaxon
Ptootch, Map and Mario’s. Then there are
internationally-respected spaces like the
Beardsmore, contemporary art gallery
the Cob on Royal College Street, and
photographer Rankin’s iconic Annroy,
shaped like a roll of film.
of British figurative painting. The Jewish
Museum is showing of a selection of work
from the major retrospective R B Kitaj:
Obsessions, currently displayed at the
Jewish Museum Berlin. The exhibition
features over 20 works in which Kitaj
explored his Jewish identity. 129 Albert
Street NW1.
The centrepiece, of course, is stunning
ex-Methodist Chapel the Zabludowicz
Collection, renovated back in 2007 by
the team behind The Tea Building in
Shoreditch. And don’t forget just off
Camden High Street is NW1’s newest
statement of intent, a 12,000 sq ft former
furniture factory called DRAF London.
Finally, this summer sees a packed schedule
in operation at the pop-up Collective
galleries, run by Camden Town Unlimited,
which make use of empty shops and offices
across the borough.
In the atmospheric surrounds of the
new DRAF gallery, immerse yourself in
French artist Benoit Maire. This, his first
solo exhibition in London, introduces a
large group of new works: photographs,
sculptures and videos. The Weapons in
the title of the show are the objects that
the artist creates as measuring tools; these
become weapons through assemblage or
performed actions. He explains: “I wear on
my wrist a weapon that gives me time. In
the bathroom, I stand on a weapon that says
a weight….” And so forth. It’ll all become
clear once you step through the doors.
Symes Mews, off Camden High Street NW1
Keep an eye out on kentishtowner.co.uk,
and in particular our Pinboard section, for
weekly news about all these galleries and
venues, many of which are free. Stephen
Emms
above: Zabludowicz
right: DRAF London
TOP THREE CURRENT
SHOWS
THE JEWISH MUSEUM
RB Kitaj: Obsessions. The Art
of Identity
Until 16 June 2013
It’s a tragic tale, that of Kitaj and the loss
of his adored wife, an episode he never
recovered from. She died suddenly not
long after a retrospective of his work at the
Tate in 1994, a show that was supremely
slammed by the critics, with Kitaj blaming
the harsh critics for his wife’s death. The
trauma resulted in him leaving the UK
to settle in LA and many say the episode
resulted in his subsequent suicide in 2007.
But R B Kitaj is one of the most significant
painters of the post-war period. His work
defied the trend in abstract art prevalent in
the 1960s and brought him to the forefront
KentishTowner_ISSUE_03_pp0607 READY.indd 6
DRAF
Weapon: A solo exhibition by
Benoit Maire
Until 11 May ZABLUDOWICZ COLLECTION
Invites: Pio Abad
11 April – 19 May
Have you caught the tremendous Paintings
show, featuring works by Matthew
Chambers, Francesca DiMattio and seminal
German artist Albert Oehlen (and which
I reviewed on Kentishtowner.co.uk)? If
you have, the Zabludowicz is also running
its Invites programme offering emerging
UK-based artists a platform to show their
work within a commercial gallery space.
Generally curated from degree shows, it’s
selected and the artists given space for a
solo presentation for a period of a month
each. Throughout the year work from the
likes of Lucy Tomlins, Berry Patten and
Heather Phillipson will be shown. So get
yourself down there to be one of the first
to see the artwork of a future star. This
month: mixed media artist Pio Abad. 176
Prince Of Wales Road, NW5
Nikki Verdon
15/04/2013 17:10
7
the kentishtowner
Call yourself a
Kentishtowner?
Walk the 16-mile
borough boundary
right: St Joseph’s
far right: pondering
the view from
Dartmouth Park
IT WAS
to be an odyssey back to our teenage
years, I thought, this walk with my old
friend Charlotte round Camden. The borough was
created in 1965, a merger of Hampstead, St Pancras
and Holborn, its name chosen for no other reason than
Camden Town lies at its centre. Our 16-mile loop would
barely brush its hedonistic heart.
It’s a sunny morning as we meet in Tufnell Park,
on the eastern boundary with Islington. Near the
nineteenth-century Caledonian Park Tower, we pass
my first flat, before continuing down York Way, where
Charlotte has spotted a strange little sign wrapped
around a lamppost: “Your kerb-crawling is not a secret
any more.” Shudder.
Regeneration is in full swing and today blue sky
smiles over the fenced-off building sites, dandelions
and celandines adorning grassy banks. We cross the
canal and pass King’s Place, home of The Guardian,
the pop-up Shrimpy’s restaurant in a converted petrol
station, and mighty St Pancras International.
When you trek miles through the city, the hours
ebb and flow around you. “I get my bus from there,”
Charlotte says, as we drift down Tottenham Court
Road. “How strange to see it with totally different
eyes.”
Weaving our way up to Fitzrovia, as builders clang
poles on a vast construction site, the memories drip
on to Hanway Street, the scene of many a lost night.
Charlotte points up at the Troy Club. “Do you remember
drinking red wine there with Anna, the skateboarding
lesbian nun from Big Brother?”
Leaving a sun-drenched Regent’s Park, where pink
bodies bask like seals, we trail through the drowsy
streets of St John’s Wood and Maida Vale, and are
relieved to reach cosmopolitan Kilburn High Road,
with its crammed pavements and exotic blend of Arab
shops, workers’ caffs and Irish and gentrified pubs.
Urban walks give you a thirst for text, and our two
favourite sightings are here: The Famished Café (could
there be a better name?) and The Good Ship, “a pub,
bar, club transmogrification”.
We climb Shoot-Up Hill into the pebble-dashed
enclaves of NW2. Charlotte is reading the map (“It
doesn’t come naturally to a girl, you know!”) and is
convinced the boundary goes through Hampstead
School, so we argue about whether we can simply stroll
We’re plunged from suburban
modesty into a shimmering world of
silver birches with luminous leaves.
through the gates – and whether we look like parents.
We don’t, says Charlotte. “But,” I protest, “we could
have a child of 18!”
At Hampstead Heath, we’re plunged from such
suburban modesty into a shimmering world of silver
birches with luminous leaves, brilliant-yellow gorse
and the smell of nettles. I point out my favourite bench
inscription: “To Mr Jo And His Dogs. ‘Dead, Gloriously
Dead!’”
We ponder its meaning (did the dogs die at the same
time? Why gloriously?) over fish and chips at the white
clapper-boarded Spaniards Inn. Then, snaking round
the rarefied grounds of Kenwood House, we glimpse
Highgate, its idyllic charm compromised by traffic,
chain restaurants and uniformed schoolboys with
braying voices.
Before the final descent to Tufnell Park we pop into
St Joseph’s Church, notable for its iconic green dome.
“You know, religion never leaves you completely,” says
Charlotte as she lights a candle.
We’ve been on the road for six hours. At Dartmouth
Park, just below the grassed-over reservoir, we look out
over the estates of Holloway, Emirates Stadium and the
East End beyond.
It’s an unheralded view of London, unrecognisable
to a tourist, but as vital a part of this sprawling jigsaw as
any. Two girls swing idly in the children’s playground
below. “It’s been a break from the world, this walk,”
says Charlotte, as their laughter, and raw language,
swells in the breeze. Stephen Emms
The new House Presso Property Café is opening on Fortess Road this month. Expect our usual Sicilian espresso
and Artisan Bakery delights plus a wide range of property, local history and architecture books and magazines for
you to browse.
Our estate agency side is now in full swing. For a valuation or to register as a buyer or tenant contact Amon or Gavin
via www.housepresso.com. We are a local agency living in and loving our manor and aim to provide a fantastic
service at a sensible rate.
House Presso Property Cafe 1a Mansfield Road Gospel Oak NW3
KentishTowner_ISSUE_03_pp0607 READY.indd 7
15/04/2013 17:10
8
the kentishtowner
KENTISHTOWNER WEDDING
We were
thrilled to get
Arancini Brothers,
the award-winning
lower Kentish
Town Road caff, to
bring their balls to
our table.
My Big Fat Kentishtowner
Wedding? Nearly!
Tim Sowula and his bride Elizabeth wanted to keep it as
“Kentish” as possible on their wedding day. So how did they get on?
H
above: the happy
couple
below: Arancini’s
Dave dishing up
OW do you choose from the thousands
of suppliers who are all keen to relieve
you of your money and charge you a
wedding premium on your big day? Can you
really keep it local? Is it, in fact, possible to
have a big fat Kentishtowner wedding? We
wanted to. And late last year, we did. Well, as
much as we possibly could.
Writing as survivors, we found that you can
still organise a lifelong memorable day without
setting foot in a Wedding Show. Our advice is
to ignore the pages of adverts at the back of the
magazines, and start by looking around you.
Find suppliers you can actually meet in person,
and do so on more than one occasion.
Ultimately, keeping it as local as possible
was not just a great idea from some right-
on ideological or economic perspective. We
discovered so much more about where we
live, were able to talk face to face with those
supplying our wedding day and a great deal
of stress was taken out of the planning, as we
didn’t have far to go to arrange anything.
Of course, there are things we haven’t
covered – music, wedding cake, transport,
rings. So here follows a by no means definitive,
but hopefully useful guide to some of the
essentials.
Venue
We took a long time finding a reception
venue. For a classy affair, you could try Burgh
House in Hampstead, or Lauderdale House
in Highgate.
Although Kentish Town is blessed with great
pubs, we couldn’t find one that would squeeze
200 guests all on one level. Our church was in
Clerkenwell, so we settled on The Butchers
Hook and Cleaver, a beautiful venue nearby
with accommodating staff and a very relaxed
atmosphere.
Then for a sprawling family lunch in Kentish
Town the following day, we booked upstairs at
The Vine, as their sharing plate cicchetti menu
offers something for everyone, and it’s a great
jumping off point for a triumphant walk on
Parliament Hill.
Food
For us, it was ultimately all about the food.
We searched online for caterers in NW5 and
found that Marcia Barrington runs a kitchen
out of Bartholomew Road cooking some
inspired and tasty food and is well set up for
any smart do.
Monica Prebble is another local caterer we
spoke to and provided a good value quote for
our afternoon tea brief (lots of food, pretty
informal, no cupcakes).
However, our food was decided upon in
quite a serendipitous manner. We enquired via
the waitress at Arancini Brothers, the awardwinning lower Kentish Town Road café, if
they did weddings, and after a bit of persuasion
(they’d never done one before), we managed to
get them to bring their balls to our table. Dave
and his team were superb on the day, the food
was outstanding, and most importantly they
were a pleasure to work with in the months
preceding.
Drinks
If your venue allows you to supply your
own, then in terms of beer, can you do better
than Camden Brewery? Personally, we doubt
it, and the boys were able to do us a very good
deal. Swigging their Pale Ale from the bottle
went down a treat with the food.
For wine, don’t forget Tufnell Park’s Theatre
of Wine (which also has regular tasting
evenings) can offer great advice, and Oddbins
on Kentish Town Rd can supply pretty much
anything and everything, including glassware.
In the end we went for Majestic in Chalk Farm
as they had some great deals at the time, and
we found them easy to work with.
KentishTowner_ISSUE_03_pp0809 READY.indd 8
15/04/2013 17:11
the kentishtowner
KENTISHTOWNER WEDDING
9
Flowers
Flowers are another area where there’s a lot
of pressure to spend money as it’s “the most
important thing”, at least according to the
mother-in-law.
Looking around Kentish Town, Jayne’s on
the high street is good to explore and their
blooms are always very fresh and will last.
In the end we found that Gary at Covington
Florist in Swain’s Lane could understand
exactly what we were looking for and offered
some good suggestions. Take pictures with you
when you talk to florists, learn a few names.
Now, I’m pleased to divulge, I know what a
delphinium is.
Natasha’s flower stand under the canopy
by the tube station can sort you out with
everything from bouquets to last-minute
extras. The day before our wedding, we bought
all our table flowers from her for a brilliant
price, and she was really happy to help out
with our colour scheme.
Outfi
ts
Elizabeth chose
a local dressmaker in
Islington, Jacqueline Byrne, but there are
bridal shops in Islington, Belsize Park, as well
as vintage suppliers in Camden Lock. The
budget is really important here, and try to
ignore those bridal magazines as much as you
can if you’re not really up for anything too,
y’know, weddingy.
For the boys, hiring your outfit is still most
common, but if you want a new suit with a
local connection, Nigel Hall Menswear, now in
Soho, originally started with a stall in the Lock.
KentishTowner_ISSUE_03_pp0809 READY.indd 9
Stationery
If you want to produce a smart invitation,
orders of service, thank you-cards, anything on
paper, then Harrington & Squires, tucked away
on Fortess Road near lovely ice-cream parlour
Ruby Violet, can design and produce all your
cards through a traditional press. Great for
getting the personal touch that’s all the rage.
There are other treasure troves in Kentish
Town if you’re into DIY stationery, and adding
little touches to your day: Morgan’s stationers
have pretty much everything you need, and
if you’re craft minded, you can spend hours
in London Bead opposite KT tube station
choosing ribbons and other embellishments.
We were lucky to have family who designed
our invitations, so all we needed was a good
printers. Sujit and the team at Kentish Town’s
Kall Kwik were friendly, great to work with,
and it was so handy to walk into the shop, look
at proofs and pick up the invites and orders of
service a few days later. They made what we
thought would be a big headache a breeze.
Photography
Kentish Town is a creative hub, and everyone
left: Arancini Bros
treats
above: flowers by
Natasha
in the area seems to know a great photographer.
Kentishtowner staff photographer Tom
Storr is, of course, one. We say meet your
photographer in person, a few times if possible,
so it means that on the day you’ll be much more
relaxed with them and aware of their style; and
that makes for better pictures.
But because it’s an expensive and crucial
part of the show, make sure you get someone
you actually like. We really connected with
Monica Magiera (from nearby Stokey), and her
photos are – as you can see here – wonderful.
Right, that’s the easy bit of married life
done...
15/04/2013 17:11
10
the kentishtowner
LIFE
TIPS
Kristin Baybar
Owner, Toy Shop
“The whole of
Gospel Oak was
flooded. We
couldn’t even open
the door of our
basement.”
1.
CONSTANT change is wretched. My window
display hasn’t altered since the 70s. People are
thrilled to see that. I had one grown woman gasp when
she brought her boyfriend here. She said, “I didn’t know
if you were real or a dream, but it’s exactly the same!”
6.
I BUY THINGS because I like them, not
because they sell. My shop is a highly individual
collection of things, not necessarily toys. I like to foster
craftsmen. Children take away another side of life when
they leave here.
LIFE IS filled with happy accidents. I
developed TB in the 60s. I’m sure it was from the
kapok I used to stuff toys with back then. It used to float
up. So I started making lampshades instead. We had a
workshop where Housepresso now stands. In 1975 a
huge raincloud rolled up the Heath and got stuck. The
whole of Gospel Oak was flooded. We couldn’t even
open the door of our basement. But we were given the
keys to this place and since there was a school opposite
we thought, why not get a few toys in? So suddenly I was
working with toys again.
4.
7.
5.
Interview: Tom Kihl / Photo Tom Storr
Find Kristin Baybar at 7 Mansfield Road NW3
2.
IT’S GOOD to have your eggs in two baskets. I
have mine in dollshouses and toys. Why? Because
little girls also have brothers.
3.
IN PEOPLE’S minds, big size equates with
big love. People think that if child is feeling sad
they should buy them a tremendous bear, but often it
terrifies them. Aesthetics have largely gone from life,
replaced with hideous things. I look at a toy for what it
is. Then ask, is there enough beauty in it?
CHILDREN today are hooked on their sugar
fix. They used to spend their pennies on small
KentishTowner_ISSUE_03_pp1011 DONE.indd 10
toys, now they queue up to spend it on fizzy drinks. Then
it leads to alcohol. I could have told the government
they’d have a serious problem with alcohol years ago.
I LIKE TO keep an air of mystery, a little
magic. There’s never been a sign and people often
don’t think we’re open, but the hours have always been
the same too. My mother called this area – the original
Mansfield Road – the Hampstead Slums! We are a
Kentish Town treasure, aren’t we?
15/04/2013 17:24
11
the kentishtowner
KENTISHTOWNER EXCLUSIVE OFFERS
Half price
3 Pairs of Camden
nutritional therapy Rocks tix to be won
Limited Edition Print Calling
of Sian’s Map
under 25s!
Nutrition For Health is a locally-based
company that uses food as medicine. It
offers a therapy that aims to cure your
health issues at their root, rather than
simply treating the individual symptoms.
Nutritional Therapist Amber Silverman is
offering a great half-price deal: book your
first consultation before the end of May
quoting the Kentishtowner and get a half
price 45-min follow-up session.
There are loads more information and
testimonials on her website: nutritionfor-health.org and you can book your
appointment and discover more about
the process by calling 07973 738 152 or
emailing: [email protected]
If you like this issue’s cover artwork and
would like to have it gracing your wall, not
just the coffee table, we have a limited
edition of 200 full colour A3-sized prints of
the map, each individually numbered and
signed by the artist.
Every true Kentishtowner will want one
of Sian’s beautiful local maps, plus there’s
the added warm glow from the knowledge
that each sale helps support your favourite
free online/print publication too. So thanks
from us too!
Simply visit shop.kentishtowner.co.uk
(or click the button at the top right of any
page on the site). The maps cost just £32
including post and packaging, while stocks
last.
KentishTowner_ISSUE_03_pp1011 DONE.indd 11
IN THE absence of the much-loved Crawl,
Jubilee and White Noise clubs promoter
Chris McCormack is bringing his own
Camden Rocks Festival to NW1 for the
second time on June 1.
Over 100 bands are expected to play
across 12 venues, including Irish heroes
Therapy?, London faves The Rifles, The
YoYo’s, Charlie Simpson, Glen Matlock, and
Carl Barat (DJ set). Most of Camden Town’s
key venues are involved, from the Purple
Turtle to the Lock Tavern and Enterprise.
And tickets are only £20 for the whole day,
which has to be cheaper than almost any
other summer bash. Right?
But you have a chance to win one
of three pairs of tickets by answering
this simple question. Where are Therapy
from? Just email the answer to info@
kentishtowner.co.uk, we’ll pick winners on
Friday 24th May.
Many Cultures One Community is a
brilliant lottery-funded project providing
locals, and in particular young people, with
opportunities to engage with the heritage
of Kentish Town.
Over the next six weeks (beginning April
18) two of the most capable students on
their upcoming interview/sound editing
Thursday workshops will win an H2 zoom
(a handheld digital audio recorder).
Workshops take place 4-5.30pm at Acland
Burghley School.
Meanwhile, two of the most “enthused”
students on their forthcoming history
walks will win a Kodak digital camera.
These take place every Tuesday from
April 16 for 6 weeks, 4-5.30pm, also
at Acland Burghley School. Head to
manyculturesonecommunity.com or call
Sara on 07792 143 296.
Good luck!
15/04/2013 17:24
12 FREE WEEKEND
the kentishtowner
“It’s a
genuine
wow
moment:
rundown,
boarded
up and the
perfect
setting
for horror
films”
FREE WEEKEND?
Bump along on the 393 bus for half and hour and step out at one of
S
O IT’S a sunny spring
morning, the Heath looks
inviting, but you want an
adventure. Ever thought about the
393 bus? Probably not (and I really
don’t blame you). A Kentishtowner
doesn’t need to venture deeper
into North London, but let’s
give Stoke Newington N16, the
destination of the 393, a go.
After all, it’s where the bloke
and I now find ourselves living;
originally something of a shock,
having lived in the borough of
Camden forever – with eight years
and two kids in Gospel Oak alone.
OK, so let’s begin our journey.
As Holloway Road skims by and
then leafy Highbury, we reach
Clissold Park and the famed
“buggyville” village community of
Church Street (Stoke Newington
does have the highest population
top: the Banksy
mural
above: The White
Hart
opposite: Spence
Bakery
of under-fives in Europe). Like
NW5, Stoke Newington is a very
multicultural area, with large
Asian, Irish, Turkish, Jewish and
Afro-Caribbean communities, and
has long had a distinct, alternative
character.
Stokey itself covers a pretty
large area of North Hackney and
Church Street, by no means the
be-all-and-end-all of things, is
a good place to start. So jump
off at Bouverie Road and you’re
probably in need of brunch and a
tipple. But relax Kentishtowners –
you’re still in zone 2!
First head to Homa for Eggs
Benedict and a glass of champagne.
Their focus is organic ingredients,
locally sourced where possible,
and includes ‘N16 salmon’
courtesy of Stoke Newington
based Hansen-Lydersen.
Top 5 STOKEY BOOZERS BY WILL VERDON
The Auld Shillelagh
An N16 institution, this is a trad Irish
boozer with the best bar staff in the
area. Guinness is of course the tipple
of choice, and you’ll be knocking back
the Red Bull and Jagermeister if you
stay too long. Ouch.
White Hart
For its enormous un-pretentious beer
garden, summer BBQs and bohemian
vibe. Right in the heart of Stoke
Newington High Street, and handy
for Mint Clothing.
KentishTowner_ISSUE_03_pp1213 READY.indd 12
The Shakespeare
Tucked away amongst the residential
streets of Stokey toward Newington
Green, with its original Victorian
tiled exterior, this attracts an off-thebeaten-track crowd. Not a whiff of
gastro and good range of lager, ales
and great wine list for the missus.
Jolly Butcher
N16’s very own real ale and cider
house; like a much bigger, rowdier
Southampton Arms. Stinks of chips
but constantly sourcing a huge range
of artisan and craft beers, specialist
London breweries when they can.
Packed to the rafters on a weekend
evening but pretty quiet and relaxing
for a Bloody Mary and roast dinner
early Sunday lunchtime. And yes, they
serve Camden Town Hell’s.
The Prince
A nod has to go to the very local locals’
pub, The Prince, for being the most
kid-friendly pub around. Mrs V and
I have been known to take the anklebiters here for their early Friday night
dinner, with us taking a breather over
a pint in our exhausted hands.
Walk it off in magical Abney
Park Cemetery, Europe’s only denominational garden graveyard
when it opened in 1840, and now
one of the Magnificent Seven
London cemeteries (as well as
being Hackney’s first nature
reserve).
Enter through a small gate on
Church Street and head toward
the centre of the park where the
gothic Abney Chapel rises eerily
through the dilapidated graves,
crawling with ivy. It’s a genuine
wow moment: rundown, boarded
up and the perfect setting for
horror films, magazine shoots and,
most notably, Amy Winehouse’s
classic Back to Black video.
At the bottom end of Church
Street
lies
vibrant
Stoke
Newington High Street, which
leads straight down to Dalston
and provides an ever expanding
home to even more independents
like Gallo Nero (an atmospheric
Italian deli), Mint clothing –
perfect for a vintage shirt – and
Hung-Up Pictures, which recently
moved from Shoreditch up here. A
stylish gallery, it exhibits the likes
of Banksy and Polly Morgan. “I
had always had an affinity with
the place,” says owner Ben Cotton,
“its bohemian gritty feel.”
Potter back up Church Street to
have a mooch around the vintage
furniture at The Cobbled Yard
and The Restoration in Bouverie
Mews; seek out a gem at the
second hand bookstore and scour
the plethora of vintage clothes
stores (Strut Man is the current
fave of hipsters in need of some
vintage Helmut Lang), flower
15/04/2013 17:12
the kentishtowner
FREE WEEKEND
13
Dinner review
Black Pig & White Pearls
I
T’S ON the part of Stoke
Newington High Street that has
long languished, neither quite
clinging to Church Street’s well-heeled
coat tails, or Dalston’s hipster keks. But
it’s now firmly on the up, and worth
booking dinner here whether you live
locally or not.
Its interior is all flickering candlelight,
reclaimed furniture and bare floors, a
painting of the titular porker on one
wall. Specials are chalked up on the
board, and the Spanish waitress is
friendly and clued-up.
Things we loved? A spectacular
wild boar paté, rich and meaty on a
still-cold spring evening; the bonfire
smokeyness of the chorizo; the arroz
negro, a deliciously black, garlicky
squid in its ink; soft, sweet pan rubbed
with tomato; a crispy-skinned pork
belly with slices of apple.
The only dud? A dish of octopus and
chewy, cold hard pots. A rioja at £22
was perfectly unoaked; and the house
tempranillo at £16 decent enough.
We’ve been twice now and the food
dazzled more on our first visit, an early
Friday night, than a second, Tuesday
dinner when they were accepting cash
only. Presumably the head chef was off
that night.
Still, it’s an enviable neighbourhood
eatery. Oh, and it was empty until
around 9pm, which, we agreed, gave
the impression of Barcelona, or perhaps
Bilbao, off season. Stephen Emms
61 Stoke Newington High Street.
Kentishtowner Rating 8/10.
Meal for two with wine around £60
EXPLORE STOKE NEWINGTON
north London’s most hipsterish hangouts.
sellers and other independents.
You may even spot my bloke
whiling away his hours at Lucky
Seven, a treasure trove of vinyl, as
well as books, DVDs and CDs. And
if you’re a Banksy fan, don’t miss
the famous mural on the same side
of the street.
Now take a rest at one of the
lovely cafes on Church Street: Blue
Legume, The Parlour, Spence Cafe
(with highly addictive bakery) or
our current favourite the Fat Cat,
whose flat whites and chocolate
brownies are pure temptation.
KentishTowner_ISSUE_03_pp1213 READY.indd 13
A must on a sunny spring
day is a trip to Clissold Park
and its café run by Company of
Cooks (Kenwood, Regents Park).
Granted you won’t get lost like you
may on the Heath, but it’s a great
city park and there’s loads for the
kids to do with a new playground
and skate park, animal enclosures
and plenty of ducks and swans to
keep them occupied.
And if you find yourself in
N16 after hours why not try The
Waiting Room (formerly The
Drop) below The Three Crowns,
where you may catch a set from
local Gilles Peterson or indulge in
a night of Electronica, indie disco
or 80s. Alternatively head over
the high street to Babble Jar, all
chandeliers and bare wood, for
cocktails and live music. If you
can bear to put a foot into Dalston
(though still N16) pop into the
speakeasy Ruby’s; then head
straight back up to Oui Madame, a
new French eatery from the guys
at Favela Chic, nestled amongst
the myriad of Turkish restaurants.
Nikki Verdon
15/04/2013 17:38
14
MUSIC
the kentishtowner
above: Bob
Stanley
right: Mario in
action
20 Years of
Mario’s Cafe
In 1993, Kelly Street’s iconic Mario’s Café
was immortalised in song by electronica
outfit Saint Etienne. But as Bob Stanley
from the group explains, the paean is, in
fact, about a wider local love affair.
IN JANUARY 1990 I moved into a basement flat on
Dartmouth Park Road with my best friend, Pete Wiggs.
This was before the era of Tony Blair’s Barnsbury, let
alone the Millibands’ Dartmouth Park; several houses
on the street still belonged to Camden council. We’d
both grown up in Croydon, and both been to college
in London, but this felt like something brand new.
We had friends round the corner. Our families were
nowhere in sight. Even if we only had Croydon as a
comparison, NW5 was a new and exciting locale.
Pete had a slightly ratty old Renault and we’d
drive around parts of London that, back in Croydon,
had only been names in the A to Z: Gospel Oak,
Haggerston, Arnos Grove, low-key glamour. We
sought out cafes. I remember the best, densest fried
bread being in a long thin cafe under the railway
bridge at Hackney Downs; the Regent Milk Bar on
Edgware Road had a floor to ceiling vitralite interior;
De’Marco’s on Junction Road wore a sign on the wall
outside claiming it had won a “silver cup award for
ice cream.”
Our most visited cafe was on Brecknock Road,
opposite Tufnell Park tube, and it was called the
Moonlight Cafe - in fact, unlike all of the above, it
still is. In the same month that we moved into the flat,
me and Pete went to Ian Catt’s studio in Mitcham
and recorded a cover of Neil Young’s Only Love Can
Break your Heart, the first Saint Etienne single. Once
it began to sell and it became apparent we’d have to
start writing songs of our own, it made sense to draw
on our wide-eyed love of London, especially the part
in which we lived. One of our favourite songs at the
time was a late sixties soul record called Under The
Streetlamp by the Exits - we adapted the song’s idea
of meeting up with your friends and talking about
your hopes and dreams, transferring the location
from a Chicago street corner to a cafe in NW5.
There was only one problem. Moonlight Cafe was
a song title that might have suited Chris De Burgh
but it wasn’t for us. On Kelly Street, NW5, was a
little place that had just opened up called Mario’s
Cafe. We cheekily borrowed the name, and hoped
Mario wouldn’t mind (I’d like to think he’s had a few
customers over the years on the back of the song).
Though it had been written in 1991, Mario’s Cafe
became the opening track on our second album,
So Tough, in March 1993. The album cover had a
distinctive ‘bunny ears’ font in green and gold. Not
long after it came out, me and Pete were chuffed to
see that a cafe called Flapjacks had opened on Kentish
Town Road which borrowed both the font and the
colour scheme. It was a funny way to show you were
‘home’, but there it was. The signage has changed,
but Flapjacks, Mario’s and the Moonlight Cafe have
survived the two decades since. And I’m still within
walking distance of all three, even if I don’t eat fried
bread as often as I used to.
“Moonlight Cafe was a song title that might have
suited Chris De Burgh, but it wasn’t for us.”
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