Locked down

Down at the lock. As the sun starts to threaten over the Camden sky, an obvious spot to chill at is by the lock, but with a multitude of venues to choose from, what is one to do? Well the good news is that most spots are good, obviously different venues for different purposes. Starting on the Camden side of the lock, we have Lloyds, a cheap drink haven that feels like you are drinking in any regional city centre; Peterborough, Watford, Leeds. Now, this is not necessarily a 100% bad thing, there is a time and place for being chavtastic, but it is not on a Friday night as I recently discovered by going there in error…,But with beers at a pound, it’s a reasonable afternoon drinking and sports watching spot.

Crossing the fairy bridge (although unfortunately the fairy lights have been removed from the tree...) we first come to the Lockside Lounge. A long bar, the atmosphere does not suffer from the shape and it also has a decent outside area where you can sit and overlook the going-ons of the food market. I ate here for the first time the other day and was very happy – solid pub grub done well. Across from here we have Lock 17, an old time favourite. The beers on tap are not to my preference, and it is sometimes difficult to get served, but this place has great DJs – formerly liquid D&B on a Thursday and this awesome old(er) chap on a Friday. With three floors an outside space, there’s plenty of nooks and crannies to explore in here, and the drinks are reasonably priced.

Crossing the road, you could come to In Spiral Lounge, a kind of hippee-festival vibed place that only sells vegetarian, organic food and organic drinks to match – try their special beers. The music in here is wicked and you can sit down by the canal, so it makes a great end-of-evening spot, in my opinion.

Going back in to the Stables area, we come to the Proud Gallery – a trendy spot for trendy kids, but also worth checking out. The building is divided in to three areas – a photo gallery, a large, open-plan live music space and then an actual stables area – where you and your chums can sit inside a stable like a horse and admire the cobbled streets. Drinks are not cheap here and beer is only in bottles, which is a no-no in my book. But if you are looking for a bit of fun and a change to the typical Camden watering holes, pop in.

So there’s some comments on a few of the venues immediately by the lock. Obviously a short walk away are other venues such as the Hawley Arms, the Lock Tavern and the Bar that Flies, all of these shall be discussed in later instalments. I’d also like to talk about Dingwalls and Jongleurs, both within the same building as Lock 17, so eyes will be peeled for a suitable gig and a suitable comedy night.

And let’s just hope the sun comes out.

Pub review - The Flask

A short bus ride on the 274 takes you from Camden town to Highgate village, via a lovely, windy uphill road that the bus often struggles with. Highgate is a top spot, not just because of its village picturesqueness, not just because it makes a great starting point for a Heath adventure, but because Minty from Eastenders can often be spotted - hoorah! And aside from that, there are a number of top drinking and dining spots.

The first I shall start with is the Flask, which is a charming, hobbit-like pub with low ceilings, dark wooden beams, real fires and nooks and crannies. The only downside to this place is its popularity, which makes an impromptu visit difficult, and a telephone reservation worthwhile. This is especially the case in the summer, when the awesome beer garden gets flooded with north London nobility and Heath hikers alike.

The food is both excellent and very fairly priced - a rare combination, especially in this part of town. I've been twice recently and was pleased both times. For the first meal, I had a steak, which was massive and yummy. My only problem with it was that I ordered rare, and rare indeed it was. This was no error on the side of the establishment, in fact, it simply reflected that they cook properly whereas the majority of venues don't, and hence I tend to order one cooking level of beef lower than I actually desire. On the second trip, I had some perfectly cooked seabass on a bed of root vegetables and potatoes. Yum. Both meals were less than £15. Steal.

So there you go, the Flask, it's great. The problem is everyone knows this. Oh, and I should have mentioned, the selection of beers, guest ales and ciders is truly impressive. Undoubtedly one of the best reviews you'll read on the Pondspot.

Pub review - the Lord Stan

The Lord Stanley on Camden Park Road has been my local since living in the shire and it's a good pub, on the whole. The Stan is a gastropub in the true sense of the term: an old-school boozer that serves great food in relaxed surrounding. Sure, they played with the idea of table service for a while, but they realised it did not work and scrapped it. Good on them. Other checkered experiences with it include the switch from San Miguel on tap to Kronenberg, but the move was explained to me by the senior managers as being based upon SM having increased in price so much from the manufacturer's side that the Stan would have had to sold it at a price unacceptable to all. Fair enough.

My other gripe with the Stan is its Sunday Roasts. They are good value at £12.50 but just do not compare in quality to the rest of their cooking. I think this is because the main kitchen, which is within the pub, only has hobs and grills - so I assume the roast has to be cooked upstairs at the start of the day and is then plated up in the 'show' kitchen during the day, resulting in sometimes over-cooked meat and always over done Yorkshire pudding.

But, order anything that they can cook in a pan and you'll be smiling. Lamb steaks, beef steaks, fish, cutlets all are delicious. Matched with a great wine list, and weekend lunch offers (spag bol for £6 last week), this pub is a winner. And having the kitchen in the middle of the pub is a great move - it gives it energy and buzz, and of course an amazing smell that gets you salivating.

And if this review is not enough to tempt you, try this: it's Chris Martin's (ColdPlay) favourite pub.

Peace.

From Liberties to Camden Head - death of a local boozer

A fear that has been niggling away at me for sometime was confirmed today, and I'm feeling sad. The Liberties, Camden High St, is completely dispensing with its previous guise and is reverting back to the pub's original name, the Camden Head.

At first glance, you may think this is not necessarily a bad thing, in which case I would recommend you click here. Now let me set out my stall. My friends and I have been drinking in Liberties for the past two and a half years, never a glamorous boozer, never a shit hole, it was completely fit for purpose: a pub where you could usually get seats, chat to your mates and enjoy a good range of beers, and should the night take you in a messy direction, it was always accommodating. This is not to say it was always like this - it was originally a bit rough around the edges and you'd probably only have a drink or two. But then the ownership changed, they made some nice decor amends, introduced good music on the stereo, and the place became more comfortable. This is where it should have stopped. But it didn't. In an attempt to broaden the crowd, the volume of music increased night upon night and the atmosphere changed. We boycotted for a while, but out of love, I returned. On a school night, it was passable, but no longer made the cut as a weekend venue.

Reading the new website, the target audience for the pub is no longer locals - it's aiming to be a 'destination pub' - and this was the niggle that had been niggling me. Note how the home page particularly welcomes pre or post giggers, or Camden market shoppers. Are they trying to fill it with 15 year olds? I think the premise is fundamentally wrong - it is not a destination venue in Camden, and neither will it be. There are so many pubs in Camden, it is difficult to differentiate. Landlords should be consolidating their existing clientele whilst gently trying to expand their market, not throwing the baby out with the bath water. Camden has enough destination venues: Hawley arms, Gilgamesh, Underworld, Edinboro Castle, Good Mixer (and I'm sure there's more) - let the tourists go there.

I wish them luck but I'm afraid they've lost me. I'll pop in from time to time, for sure, but it will no longer be my preferred venue. And that's a sad state of affairs.