Your New Year's essential read. Five local feel-good highlights, including exclusive special offers and events. Prepared with love by the team at Camdenist

 EAT: Korean toast sensation in King's Cross 

During the week before Xmas, long queues of bemasked Koreans and excitable foodie-types could be seen snaking across Granary Square. Their goal? Snagging a ham and cheese toastie. YouTube sensations Josh Carrott and Ollie Kendal (AKA Korean Englishman and JOLLY) are behind 

Korean Toast London,

 a pop-up food truck - or rather a designer, alien-like kiosk that

 looks like it's floated straight out of a wild Studio Ghibli film. Omicron and the holidays meant they've been closed ever since, but the kiosk remains in situ and expectant devotees are waiting for news of the reopening any day now (so get ready to join that queue). They serve up 400 classic, spicy or kimchi cheese toasts each day, all freshly made using Korean ingredients such as Gochujang hot sauce from

Jang and Pickywicky kimchi, plus you can g

ive the specially imported Korean drinks a try too. 

 VIDEO: Exclusive Pete Doherty plays on a barge 

You may remember last month we featured the arrival of Bards on Boats on the canal towpath at King's Cross for a short season of open mic gigs. And who should be walking his dog past the boat over the New Year but infamous rock 'n' roller Pete Doherty. "He stopped and asked loads of questions about what we were doing," says the floating gig venue's skipper, Eric Ellman. "After listening to some of our eclectic acts, Pete said 'I'm in'. Then he was the first person the next morning to come and put his name down." The BBC picked up on the story, but Eric has given Camdenist the exclusive interview he recorded with Doherty that you can enjoy in the video above. "With the ongoing Covid situation, the future of live music is outdoors," Eric told us on a cruise up to Camden earlier this week. His boat Molly Anna is showcasing more free gigs up at Ladbroke Grove this weekend, but hopes to return to Camden and King's Cross very soon. Watch this space for more info.

 WATCH: Family dramas at the Donmar 

January is a brilliant time to venture out and support the theatre, (never more-so than this year), and among the current crop of local highlights are this stage adaptation of Ruben Östlund's award-winning comedy film

Force Majeure

. It follows the story of a family skiing holiday to the Alps that goes disastrously and hilariously wrong, which is running evenings and matinees until Feb 5th at the lovely Donmar Warehouse. Mask up and head to the slopes of Seven Dials...

 READ: That iconic umbrella shop 

Every local has a soft spot for James Smith & Sons, even if they've never actually ventured inside. It's that umbrella and walking stick emporium that time forgot, situated proudly on the corner of New Oxford St since 1830. London Living History tour guide Jack delves into the curious history of this shop in this blog post, uncovering such gems as the fact it was legal for the shop to to sell sword sticks (a walking cane featuring a concealed blade) as recently as 1988.

 SHOP: A hot new bakery in Primrose Hill 

You may know

Little Bread Pedlar

 from their regular stalls at

King's Cross Square

or

Canopy Marke

t, and now they have a permanent local outlet for their delightful loaves and delectable pastries, on Regent's Park Rd. Making good use of a forgotten side section of the Post Office, their sourdough, soda bread, foccacia, Swedish rye and more sell out daily. Essential pastries to try are the hazelnut chocolatine and the cardamom and orange bun. 🍞

On that note...

Camdenist is putting together a guide to the best brunches in Primrose Hill and we'd love to include your tips and recommendations too. Just send us a few words about your favourite brunch dish at one of Primrose Hill's cafes/restaurants to share the love with other locals, and we'll do the rest...

 THIS WEEK'S ONE-CLICK POLL With Omicron still disrupting everything, if you had access to a time machine today, where would you set the dial? 

LAST WEEK WE ASKED:

Most people take a fairly pragmatic view of themselves this January, with the resolution enthusiasts just pipped by the carry-on-regardless crew, but most people keeping their new year aspirations resolutely realistic. 

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