Camden Parking robbery

As of April 1st, the cost of daily permits for tradesmen parking in Camden rises from 9 pounds a day, to a staggering 33!

Whilst you can still get 10 standard visitor permits per year at 5.25 each, these will never go very far if you need to get any work done. It may be worthwhile in future suspending bays which seems to be a 50 quid fee, then a tenner a space after the first day - but you do need to give 3 weeks advance notice (which wouldn't work with many of the tradesmen I've ever hired).

This seems to have been introduced rather on the quiet. I don't remember getting any notice and to date there doesn't appear to be much in the press about it. But as this could cost you in excess of 700 pounds a month (assuming a 5 day week), I imagine there will be many people who are upset/ caught out by it.

It is unclear to me why this has been introduced. If it is a money making scheme - my hat off to Camden - raise your prices by near 4 fold and tell your customers to lump it - not many businesses could show such blatant disregard for their customers.

According to Camden, the new permits are especially handy as they can be used anywhere in Camden. As the cost will get passed to me, and I only own one residence, I don't find this very helpful...

The Green Room

Time Out, Ham & High and the girl downstairs have all raved about the Green Room on Broadhurst Gardens. For all three to agree, I felt that I should try it out.

Look beyond the rather dull exterior (as proven by my photo) and we have a little gem. At long last, a restaurant that you feel that you can take people from outside the area to. I know that Walnut is meant to be all that - but I've only been once and never felt the desire to return. Part of Walnut's downfall for me is chatty decor and at the time, rather poor service. The Green Room suffers from neither.

On both occasions I have visited, there has been a warm welcome, both from the lady owner who is front of house and the rest of her staff. The decor is simple but elegant in a laid back way, really befitting of a neighbourhood joint. The food is good and the bill reasonable.

Thoroughly recommended.

Traditional Wood Fired Pizza Oven

You gotta imagine Sarracino does indeed have a wood fired pizza oven.

Comedy Nights

I normally love Bank Holidays in West Hampstead. So many people go away that you can wander the streets and reclaim them as your own. The weather last weekend however severely curbed my enthusiasm.

My heart went out on Sunday to the poor guy standing outside Barclays with a placard advertising a comedy night. Not only was it freezing out there, but there wasn't anyone around to notice.

A bit of searching reveals that The Gallery on Broadhurst Gardens has a comedy night every few Sundays. So, along with the Mirth Control nights on Wednesdays in the Lower Ground Bar on West End Lane, we seem to be quite the place for comedy.

I haven't been to either, but sounds like they might be a laugh.

New "Artistic Gallery"

The new art gallery has opened on West End Lane, near the tube. This is a slightly peculiar site for the purpose, as the entrance gallery is very narrow and not really wide enough for you to stand back and look at the art. This coupled with an absurd idea of having a tv screen at eye level so that you cannot see in must have kept some people away in the first week.

The tv screen has been moved and the place is bright and welcoming. There is also a downstairs gallery, which is much more successful as it gains the room lost to the stairwell in the floor above and is therefore easier to view the art.

Currently on display is work of one Gerry Laffy. Part Banksy, part Warhol, part Murakami - he certainly seems to be going for the crowd pleasers. Most of the art is in the under three grand category, currently viewed as 'affordable art'. In theory West Hampstead now attracts the type of young, cash rich types to pay for such things, so it will be interesting to see how this does.

It looks from the website that the gallery will get a rotation of artists from a central dealer. It will be interesting to see which other artists are shown over the coming months.

Gerry Laffy is a singer, guitarist and producer.

Sex and the City meets West Hampstead

"Let's go to bake-a-boo."
"Peek-a-boo?"
"No, bake-a-boo."
"Will there be loads of kids?"
"Well, maybe, but come on."


As a small venue, it was a relief that were only a few kids the other Saturday when I went with a girlfriend to bake-a-boo on Mill Lane (although a number of little cherubs had been banished outside by their parents - poor souls). This isn't a place for buggies of a Saturday afternoon as it is a relatively small space and it was packed on our visit.


I have to say that there was a very significant female to male proportion (I counted 1 male waiter). I have been on weekdays and found a few men looking rather uncertain in this girls haven. It does remind me of the SATC girls going to the Magnolia bakery on Bleecker Street.

In comparison though, this is a really cute place to sit for a cup of tea, a cupcake and a natter. The decor is very country kitchen ie Cath Kidston and perfect for the purpose.

I have found the actual cupcakes variable, though a much more sensible size than the enormous Magnolia bakery variety. I had a fabulous moist banana cupcake (on my birthday, hoorah) but a recent lemon one was rather dry and frankly not as good as those at Starbucks.

I would however recommend bake-a-boo to any girl and her friends. I think Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha would love it. But you probably want to leave Mr Big at home.