Your Friday morning essential read. Five local highlights you really need to know, researched and presented with enthusiasm by the team at Camdenist

 EAT: Innovative kitchens - of all shapes and sizes 

Camden is ever-increasingly blessed with exciting foodie destinations, with recent newcomers including lobster-tastic soul food joint

Trap Kitchen

 just opened on

Chalk Farm Rd

(exclusive Camdenist interview with founder Prince coming next week), acclaimed chef Nuno Mendes' latest venture

Lisboeta

 bringing Portuguese gastronomy to Charlotte St, or ZeroZero now offering innovative waste-free and booze-free Italian dining on Finchley Rd. But this week we've been all about Caribbean drum BBQ

Vibe 'n' Go

, which serves island-style front garden cooking on local backstreet Hadley Rd

 (just beside Tapping the Admiral pub) Wednesdays and Saturdays. Find out all about this hidden grill, it's charismatic owner, his home deliveries and tasty plans for a scorching BBQ summer ahead.

 CULTURE: Historic photos celebrate Record Store Day 

Tomorrow sees the return of

Record Store Day

, the annual event to support the UK's remaining independent vinyl emporiums, that's morphed into a bit of a juggernaut of lengthy queues in search of limited edition exclusive runs and frustrating delays at pressing plants. Still, despite all the dramas, it's a lovely way to remember the simple pleasures of crate digging while supporting some great local high street businesses, so do head down to the 

vinyl hotspots of Camden Town

or Soho this RSD - or any other day, to be honest. By way of celebration of the vital local importance of music,

check out this gallery of amazing historic Camden nightlife photos

which come courtesy of the

Museum of Youth Culture

, currently to be found occupying a pop-up space on Beak St and offering a decent vinyl selection of their own for sale, too.

 EVENT: Do something for Earth Day, too 

Have you clocked that today is

Earth Day 2022

? There's plenty going on globally and locally, aiming to put planet first, including a

cacao ceremony

 on Hampstead Heath this morning, 

Conway Hall

hosting an all-day summit for those looking to make food & drink sustainable, and spoken word celebration Sowing Seeds tonight at Islington's 

Cubitt Gallery

. Meanwhile, now's the time to plan ahead and book your place on the Camden Clean Air Initiative's annual eco-focused Cycle Ride that's coming up in June.

Full details are here.

CLASSIC CAR BOOT SALE: WINNER!

Congrats to Iza @izzy2503 who won our latest competition via Instagram for tickets to the Classic Car Boot Sale that runs tomorrow and Sunday in Granary Square. Find out more about the weekend's events here and follow us @camdenist for more chances to win more very cool things and top experiences in the weeks ahead. 🚗💨

 MUSIC: Take your pick of tonight's tasty local gigs 

Head to brilliantly atmospheric local venue St Pancras Old Church tonight to hear up-and-coming vocalist

 Marie Naffah

perform on the eve of her new single

Angie

hitting all platforms. Alternatively, there's a big 'ole celebration of the songs of local musical hero 

Amy Winehouse

 over at the

The Blues Kitchen

, or you may want to belt out some lyrics yourself at the Electric Ballroom where singalong night Ultimate Power makes a welcome return this evening, too, post-lockdown.

 POP-UP: Drink Champagne at a greasy spoon 

Starting today for one week only (ex Monday), Champagne dons 

Veueve Clicquot

are celebrating their 250th birthday by popping-up with 

The Sunny Side Up 

Café on Greek St. Book

a table or a booth

and you'll be served from a menu that includes acclaimed chef Andi Oliver’s streaky bacon, confit cherry tomatoes, spiced maple syrup and fried egg waffles, or curried tofu scramble, or perhaps a full English - all accompanied by glasses of the iconic bubbly. 

 THIS WEEK'S ONE-CLICK POLL As we approach the local elections, what are your thoughts on the importance of voting for Camden's latest crop of councilors? 

LAST WEEK WE ASKED:

As the weather warms up and the hardcore year-rounders at the ponds on Hampstead Heath are joined by the sun-basking crowds, what kind of outdoor  swimmer are you?

This week's poll reveals what we probably already know, which is that most of us only consider plunging into fresh and bracing outdoor water when the sun is fully shining, but hey, it's still interesting to know that 28% of us would like to do more despite not actually diving in...

AVAILABLE FREE: THE NIGHT

Look out for the latest 

Camdenist Presents,

 print magazine, stocked at over 100 venues across the borough and beyond. It's a celebration of the people and places that operate from 6pm to 6am, including an exclusive interview with the founder of KOKO ahead of the venue's big reopening next week.

Find out more: camdenist.com

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