FOOD & DRINK

🍥 3 restaurants just opened in Camden Town

🍣 103 Parkway has successfully transformed one of the numerous estate agent offices on Camden's surprisingly leafy main thoroughfare into a swish, next level sushi restaurant.

Aesthetically it celebrates the revival of early 19th century ‘Japonisme’, a French term describing the Western craze for art and design from Japan in the 1870s, while the menu offers thoroughly fresh and modern high end sashimi, nigiri and inside-out kaburimaki rolls, alongside zingy cocktails and mocktails.

🐄 Grassfed has just opened to much fanfare in another of the historic railway arches right on the canal-side at Hawley Wharf.

Owner/chef Paul Foster - of Stratford-upon-Avon’s Michelin-starred Salt - wants to celebrate delicious British meats from regenerative farms, to prove beef can be environmentally sustainable while remaining affordable, and no doubt seriously delicious too, judging from the searing smells wafting forth from the attractive 50-seat restaurant space this week.

🍹 Turtle Bay is an established operator of a string of BBQ jerk chicken and punchy Caribbean cocktails good times joints up and down the UK, but their new Camden branch - which officially opens today - looks all set to be one of their most important spots.

They’ve been out there in the sunshine dishing out free ice creams and Wray & Nephew rum punch slushies to celebrate, so grab one if you can find their roving ice cream van…

MORE FOOD & DRINKS NEWS

• 🍸 Tomorrow (Sat 12th) is the 11th annual gin day at The Colonel Fawcett pub, where at £10 ticket gets you entry to the all-day party including plenty of free gin tasters from a range of gin brands (from 2pm until they’ve gone) plus DJ Dolly Parton from 5pm into the evening.

• 🍗 South London’s all-conquering chicken shop Morley’s popped-up locally this week for a month-long residency at The Standard in King’s Cross, serving posh versions of their classics in partnership with Heinz - who have created a limited edition fried chicken sauce for the occasion.

• 🍺 In a move that harks back to the original use of St Pancras Station’s undercroft to store thousands of barrels of beer transported down from the north, Market Harborough’s Braybrooke Beer Co are exclusively previewing their new draft Pilsner in the Gothic Bar in the Midland Grand Dining Room at the moment.

PLAY

Gamers are gobbling up locations in Camden

Cult Japanese gaming phenomenon Bandai Namco is opening the first Bandai Namco Cross Store outside Japan right here in Camden this coming week.

You may be forgiven for not knowing the full significance of this event if you don’t move in gaming circles, but you’re sure to know some of the iconic brands that sit within its universe, including the video games Tekken, Dark Souls and the iconic Pac-Man (pictured).

However, the new store - housed in the beautiful Grade II-listed Provender buildings at Stables Market - has multiple areas dedicated to everything from anime and comic figurines to character merch and rows of vending machines bearing miniature capsule collectables.

Brace yourself for lots of cute ‘kawaii’ stationary products, too, and a big area dedicated to live One Piece Card Game battles, with an in-store arcade and café promised soon.

• ⛳ Of course, Camden Market’s move into games experiences has been happening for some time, with the likes of Tomb Raider Live and Babylon Park being joined this week by a vast new outpost of Junkyard Golf Club, taking over the labyrinthine subterranean caverns formerly home to Shaka Zulu restaurant.

• 🐉 Up on York Way, you can don state-of-the-art VR headsets and jump right into a world of virtual escape rooms, arcades and free roaming encounters with dragons or pirates at DNA VR.

• 🥷🏼 Holborn’s Post Building also offers a VR attraction, with fantasy adventures including Star Trek and a player-versus-player fighting league at the celebrity-endorsed (and funded) Sandbox VR.

• 🧙🏼‍♂️ Housed in a former boozer on Queen’s Crescent, dedicated board games café Rogue’s Quarter runs popular free walk-in wargame and themed nights, plus weekly Magic The Gathering events for a proudly nerdy community.

• 🕹️ You can play full-on eSports tournaments in a big public gaming area or in private rooms at Sidequest on Charing Cross Rd.

• ♟️Alternatively, Bloomsbury’s decidedly low-tech Greater London Chess Club been running on Tuesday evenings since 1887, and returns from a customary summer break next month for those looking for an altogether slower pace for their communal gaming meetings.

• 🍺 And hey, don’t forget to dig out the board games you’ll find lurking on a shelf at plenty of neighbourhood pubs in the borough, for some simple free fun while nursing a cold one (or two).

INSPIRING TALKS

Camden Inspire Summer Series

Camden Inspire is a relative newcomer to the free local summer events calendar, offering a full street festival experience in the centre of Camden Town on the first weekend of September.

To build the excitement for this big celebration of local culture, they are running a summer series of inspiring talks, events and panel discussions.

It includes exhibitions at Somers Town Gallery and upcoming talks including storytelling and sharing from local mums (next Thursday) plus a deep dive into diversity in the performing arts (24th Aug).

Find out more about the entire series, plus details about the festival itself in this week’s special Camdenist preview feature.

CAMDEN FRINGE

More previews: a few of this week’s highlights

The Monarchy is on it’s knees in a reimagined 17th century London in this story of a king, a rebel and a lover.

Inspired by the classics, and encapsulating elements of both tragedy and farce, we’ve been speaking to the show’s writer and producer Ronan Colfer about how it emerged from the Covid lockdowns and went on to win an award in New York before now coming to Camden Fringe.

Juice Cui interviewed over 100 people on the streets of London on the theme of redemption, then set their poetry as the soundtrack to a new piece of improvised physical theatre, including contemporary dance and performance art.

Read more about the project in this Camdenist interview with her, then catch the unique show at 4pm and 9pm tomorrow (Sat 12th) at Camden People’s Theatre.

LOADS MORE FRINGE THIS WEEKEND

Read these Camdenist show previews and interviews, then go see them!

HAVE YOUR HAD A FREE RIDE YET?

MUSIC

It’s a non-stop fiesta of local music

• 🎶 Masses of free live music can be caught at King’s Cross every day through until 20th August with the return of Summer Sounds.
  Look out for highlights like National Youth Folk Ensemble this Sunday, current UK beatbox champion ABH (pictured above) blending his amazing hip hop skills with traditional Morris dancing (Sunday too) or post-drag dark dance music from Tom Rasmussen (Tues 15th).

• 🎷 The Jazz Cafe have just announced an all-killer lineup of gigs for the autumn, including international debuts from Armani Caesar, Durand Bernarr, Jonah Yano and Thelma Plum. Check out the full upcoming programme here and get booking, meanwhile head down to the electrifying LA gospel choir Jimetta Rose & The Voices of Creation this Sunday night.

• 🧷 Camden Town is the very recognisable setting for the brand new video from pansexual punk pop sensation Yungblud, who used the ‘hood as a backdrop for his lively latest single Lowlife. Watch it here.

Gig highlights in association with the fabulous Halibuts.com

MORE GOSSIP & THINGS TO DO

• ➡️ Camden’s legendary backstreet music emporium, Dots Music, is up for sale. If you fancy taking on this cornerstone of creativity in the neighbourhood, give them a call to arrange a viewing via their website.

• ➡️ Grab one of the final tickets and pack a picnic for tomorrow night’s open air production of Romeo & Juliet up on the Heath at Kenwood, performed by the historic theatre company The Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

• ➡️ Join local celeb Ricky Gervais talking about his many sit-com successes at the live recording of the Pilot TV podcast’s 250th show at Kings Place next Saturday.

• ➡️ Covent Garden’s Swiss Church is currently emulating the swirling technicolour optics of nearby Outernet by hosting an immersive light show experience known as Genesis.

1-CLICK POLL

📊 What exactly are you lot thinking?

This week, with digital media companies continuing to lay off staff, and yet another hyperlocal newsletter, London in Bits, going on indefinite hold, it’s still desperately hard to make magazine-style publishing work these days - a topic obviously close to our hearts here at Camdenist.

We’ve always been 100% free to read, and will continue to be so, but it’s interesting to know what the feeling is out there about paywalls as a way of making things stack up financially - or not, as the case may be.

JOIN IN

Got an editorial idea you’d like us to consider? Just fill in the online form…

NEW! Want to boost your event, business or special offer across our newsletter and social channels? It’s only £100 for a mini-campaign

Your feedback, suggestions and requests are always welcome. Reach out to us: [email protected] 

Camdenist newsletter is run on Beehiiv.

It’s the new all-in-one tool tailored for growing email newsletters (rather than plan old marketing mails), so it’s the ideal platform for us – and one you might want to explore too.

Try Beehiiv absolutely free with no credit card required.