Christmas? Oh go on then
NW5's Lights switch-on, festive fun at Bull & Gate and The Constitution, Go East Vintage come west, KT's new brunch stop, 5 less obvious winter pubs, Alby's Pizza in Gospel Oak & Sik Faan by night
Welcome back to Kentishtowner. Now, are you feeling festive yet? Nope, us neither. But all those Christmas ads and menus have been unleashed, and in - unbelievably - just two weeks’ time, Kentish Town Road enjoys its annual Lighting Up festie at the canopy by the station.
“The coffee stall will be open and selling mulled wine and hot chocolate,” says organiser Jo Sherren, “and lots of shops are participating with special offers over the weekend. Meanwhile, the library is hosting a whole afternoon of activities, including stories and poetry, as well as a Christmas Bazaar.”
And there’s music too - an eclectic mix of Camden Youth Brass, Gospel Oak Choir and former X-Factor luminary Natasha from the flower stall doing her thing. Get wrapped up. Saturday 30th November, 4-6pm (5pm switch-on).
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Xmas at The Constitution & Bull & Gate
As locals will know, Young’s run several of the area’s oldest destination pubs, including The Constitution, which finally reopened earlier this year, and the Bull & Gate, which had a spruce-up back in the summer.
So this season, whether you’re looking to tuck into a three-course feast, winter sharers and cocktails, or delicious Christmas Day lunch, we’ve teamed up with Young’s to talk you through what’s on offer. It’s worth adding that by supporting partnerships like these you’re also doing your bit to help keep both this free newsletter and Kentishtowner going.
First up, at both pubs the festive three-course set menu costs £45 per person and includes starters of roast cauliflower soup, chestnut gremolata, toasted sourdough (vg), Devon crab & crayfish cocktail, chicory, radicchio, samphire, heritage beetroot, winter leaves, pear, clementine & toasted chestnut salad and ox cheek and blue cheese croquettes and Cumberland sauce.
Meanwhile mains include crown of English turkey or West Country rump of beef with all the trimmings (goose fat roast potatoes, crushed winter roots, Brussels sprouts, maple roast parsnips, pig in blanket, cranberry sauce, gravy), as well as Hampshire Chalkstream trout, Cornish new potatoes, samphire & sea beets. The plant-based special is maple-roast heritage squash cassoulet, crispy sage and chestnut gremolata.
And to round it off there’s salted chocolate mousse, Christmas pudding and brandy butter ice cream and apple, fig & chestnut crumble, lemon thyme custard – to name but three.
Both pubs are also open on Christmas Day itself (£90-95 per person) with, in addition to some of the above classics, elevated dishes such as Hampshire venison carpaccio, celeriac & apple rémoulade, baked South Coast scallops in the shell and mains of Gressingham duck breast and pan-roast turbot on the bone, Jerusalem artichokes, Scottish girolles, samphire. Vegan diners will enjoy the wild mushroom & beetroot Wellington with Jerusalem artichoke purée, rainbow chard, red onion gravy. And not only are there four tasty desserts to choose from, there are amuse bouches before the starter, as well as a generous cheese course.
As for NYE? Both multi-floored venues will be jumping with DJs, snug rooms and all manner of mischief going on. Book any festive table at The Constitution here or Bull & Gate here; or read the full feature online.
Prawn Toast Milk Buns? Hello, Lilac Eatery
So, it was au revoir recently to the longstanding Saint Espresso – and hello to this latest opening on Kentish Town Road.
Lilac originates from Nottingham, and promises to be another high quality brunch spot – and yet a peek at their menu reveals some refreshingly imaginative options.
Our eyes are firmly on items like the fried prawn toast milk bun with sesame herb salad, sweet chilli and a honey glaze; and, better still, a hoisin duck croissant (yep, that’s a croissant stuffed with pulled roasted duck, hoisin sauce, spring onion and cucumber pickle).
What else? There are Korean sweetcorn pancakes, gochujang eggs on toasted milk bread and an awesome-sounding crispy potato hash made in-house, topped with two poached eggs, smoked salmon, miso yuzu Hollandaise, chives and parmesan. And if you’re more of an eggs on toast person, well, there’s that too. Best to work up an appetite on the Heath first. Follow @lilac_kentishtown
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Sik Faan: two evenings announced
Last issue we reported on this new Cantonese restaurant (its name meaning “eat rice”), which has replaced Carrots & Daikon opposite the Forum.
The menu consists of bao buns, rice bowls, healthy salads, pho noodle soups, wontons, spring rolls, quality Chinese teas, and crafty fruit and milk tea-based drinks. They’re serving the Cantonese and Vietnamese home comfort food chef-owner David “grew up eating.”
This week, he announced that their first two mahjong nights are Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd of November, 6-9pm. “So for those who haven’t visited us yet, here’s your chance,” says David, “we’ll be serving our starters, Bao buns, Rice bowls, pho and all our drinks.” Follow @sikfaanuk for more.
Alby’s Pizza pops up in Gospel Oak
Known for New York-style pizza, Alby’s started up in indie London taproom Mother Kelly down in Vauxhall’s railway arches back in 2022 (where we have been known to frequent before the RVT, on occasion).
Characterised by their 22” pizzas (yep, they’re huge) and sold by the slice or the whole pie, Alby’s are, they explain, “all about simplicity, utilising the best quality ingredients, exciting specials and a unique dough that you won’t find anywhere else.”
This new pop-up at the Gipsy Queen follows a residency at Finsbury Park bar Someday, and is the latest development at the Gospel Oak pub, which was recently taken over by new management. Follow @albys.pizza
Camden Beer Hall & Go East Vintage collab
Camden Town Brewery’s cobbled mews, adjoining Kentish Town West overground (pictured above), has long been a delightful spot for a streetfood jamboree. So it’s nice to see, instead, a two-day vintage fair taking over the joint later this month – aided, of course, by a pint or two of Hells.
In case you don’t know them, Go East Vintage are regulars over in our sister title Leytonstoner’s neighbourhoods – venues like Waltham Forest Town Hall, East Village Stratford and Walthamstow Trades Hall.
And now they’re coming to NW5: with a focus on sustainability, the team promise to bring together an array of small businesses offering one-of-a-kind, vintage pieces that “are both stylish and eco-friendly”, say founders Onur and Louisa.
As well as vintage clothing, expect bags, accessories, art, jewellery, mid-century furniture, ceramics, stoneware, glassware, rugs and home decor treasures. Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December from 12pm to 6pm, Camden Beer Hall, Wilkin Street Mews, follow @go.east.vintage
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Five underrated cosy pubs for the winter
Yes, we love The Pineapple, Southampton Arms and The Stag. But here are some other less famed watering holes to hide away in this winter.
HIGHGATE: The Wrestlers
Right now we’ve got a bit of a crush on this North Road boozer, located on the incline that sweeps down from Highgate village to the less haughty realness of East Finchley. It started in the summer, when we paid it our first visit in years and marvelled at a pub dating (astonishingly) back to 1547, despite the current building being Edwardian. Its crepuscular panelled interior is candlelit even by day, and the original 16th century fireplace will surely draw you in, especially in winter. Better still, it feels unpretentious.
Even the roasts, at around the £15 mark, are well-priced for this most affluent corner of London. Above the fireplace it’s worth reading the history of a farcical oath dating back to the 17th century: it consists of a series of statements read by a clerk, confirming one’s “dedication to merriment and debauchery”: those being sworn in would agree to each statement, kiss or salute the horns, and be entered in a logbook for posterity. @the_wrestlers_highgate
DARTMOUTH PARK: Dartmouth Arms
The Dartmouth has been through its ups and downs over the years – remember when it was shut for what seemed like ever? – but right now, it’s never looked better. The interior is candlelit, with open fire and Penguin classics, as well as sky-lit rear dining room: it’s a surprisingly tranquil experience befitted to the cosy valley of York Rise in tucked-away Dartmouth Park.
And the menu has touches of Scandi influence, due to current owners Disappearing Dining Club, the food-and-drink duo of founder Stuart Langley and Swedish head chef Fredrik Bolin, who’ve hosted award-winning pop-ups across the capital for well over a decade. @dartmoutharms
ARCHWAY/HIGHGATE: Brendan The Navigator
Brendan of Clonfert was an early Irish monastic saint and, it says here, one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. Located on the lower reaches of Highgate Hill, no more than ten minutes’ walk from Archway tube, the fella is celebrated in a snug candlelit pub which is way more convivial than many further up that steep climb.
Although the pub – with its worn-in vibes – feels like it’s been here forever, it in fact only opened in 2021, replacing The Tourian Lounge. The baby of John Rynne (a local musician) and head chef Michael Spurgeon (who ran Season Kitchen in Finsbury Park), the best time to visit is probably on Sundays, when there’s traditional live music sessions at 3pm and 7pm. @brendanthenavigator90
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Kentish Town: Tapping The Admiral
It’s twelve years since one of North London’s best backstreet pubs opened, its huge success no surprise when you know that it’s owned by the people behind Kentish Town’s famous Pineapple. Built around 1850 as The Trafalgar, on the site of the old Castle Tavern, its quirky name comes from an old legend about Nelson: after the battle of Trafalgar in 1805, his body was returned to England preserved in a brandy barrel – which sailors would ‘tap’ for a cheeky drink.
And the admiral himself would surely have approved of TTA’s own backstreet vibes, roaring fires, cosy corners, friendly punters, top craft beer and brilliant trad sessions from Whiskey Mick. In short, it’s perfectly suited to its whimsical strapline: ‘just between the coasts of Camden and Kentish Town’. @tappingtheadmiral
Hampstead Heath: Duke Of St Alban’s
Heath-walkers will no doubt already have popped into the latest (and geographically last) watering hole in NW5 (pictured above). In fact, isn’t it great that Swain’s Lane finally has its boozer back? When reviewing the awesome fish restaurant London Shell Co opposite a year ago, a pre-prandial pint on this street was the only thing we could think of that would improve the experience.
Best of all, after a few false starts, it’s returned to the name it traded by from its inception in 1859 until 2008. Thus it’s no surprise that one of our preferred indie pub groups, Grace Land, is behind the simple refurb and pubby takeover: they run the excellent Axe in Stoke Newington, Camden’s hidden gem by the tube, the Black Heart – and our personal fave – the King’s Head in Bethnal Green. All in all, a very good sign that this newest NW5 boozer – stripped back and atmospheric – is once again here for the long run. @dukeofstalbans
Just a little note (I’d love you to read this)
Kentishtowner turns 15 in 2025. In fact it’s our 14th birthday right now. But as usual, a billion thanks to those who donate: it’s only you guys who keep North London’s longest running food & culture title alive. So if you enjoy the recommendations - or have even found a few useful over the years, and fancy tipping us a couple of quid, that would be great. Or even more if you like. It all helps. Thanks so much - Stephen, editor.
Wild Is Earth: now you can get your refills
Earlier this year, kombucha brewery Wild Is Earth opened at Tolli on Kentish Town Road, the brainchild of Livia Palmiero, the long-running store owner’s eldest daughter. The idea, she said, was “to set up permanent residence within the family business as a kombucha micro-brewery in the mezzanine area of the shop space.”
And now she wants to tell you about her guaranteed “doors-open hours” at the microbrewery. On Thursdays and Fridays you can simply swing by for fresh kombucha on tap. “Bring your own bottle for refill or grab a 330ml on-site,” she says. “Pair it with our cake of the week, or a cozy savoury snack or coffee and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere.”
The appealing idea is a total chilled third space with jazz, blues, and world music, “perfect for unwinding or catching up with friends.”
She is also implementing “ring the bell Wednesdays” while she’ll be busy crafting fresh blends at the back. @wildisearth
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