Where is everyone?

Scruffy

Happy new year to all.

Does anyone have any idea why it's been so quiet on this site in recent months? (Surely no-one really went to nextdoor.com in preference to this site?)

rikki

I'm still here, ready to moan about the state of the world
Happy New Year to those remaining. Yes, it's been well quiet. A real shame. I'll try to recruit some new blood.

Ali

I guess life has been very quiet for quite a while now with Covid etc

Arkady

Good question. Ali may be right. Given the traditional love of discussing new cafe/bar/restaurant offerings I did think people might be getting excited about all the new stuff down at Finsbury Park.

Speaking of which - strong recommend for the new Coqfighter on Fonthill road - didn't that start as a pop-up at the Brave Sir Robin?

I hear great things about the new Lebanese next to Oak N4 - run by the same people as the little place next to the Park Theatre.

Has anyone tried the vegan burger place at City North? Doesn't look very inviting. I hear it's owned by Lewis Hamilton!

In other news, there's a campaign by the Wells Terrace businesses to pedestrianise that little stretch, which makes good sense to me.

editrix

Re 'the new lebanese next to Oak N4'. It's called Palmyra's Kitchen and is indeed quite splendid. It's the chef and management from the wondrous old My Cottage next door to the Park Theatre (a mixture of Syrian and Lebanese people). But they decamped en masse to buy and set up Palmyra's. The old premises next to the Theatre have kept the name (except it's now a Restaurant rather than a Cafe) but they are a completely different outfit - I think the premises are still owned by the same people but that is all that remains of the original. I haven't tried them - but have been many times to Palmyra's (whose chicken livers are worth the journey on their own).
I did enquire at My Cottage whether they were the same outfit as before and was told, more than a wee bit disingenuously, that they were (on the basis presumably of ownership of the premises). I haven't seen anyone eating there, but was told that one person had tried, thinking it was the same place as before, and he was sorely disappointed. You have been warned!

Arkady

Aha, thanks for the intelligence! I liked My Cottage but found it a tad pokey.

editrix

Well I'm not sure you'll really take to Palmyra's; it's even smaller. But they do splendid takeaway.... And they have a couple of outside tables with overhead heaters (though perhaps not this rather icy week?).

HolbornFox

Coqfighter were running the kitchen for BSR but no more, I didn’t realise that they had a restaurant.

The food looks good when I've seen it come out now though in BSR (Yeah Burger!), I think I worked out it would be about 15 quid for a burger and chips, the portions looked massive, I haven't tried it though.


I am going to update the Pub Watch thread shortly, nothing like trying to recount my recent past and putting it into print, well bytes i guess.


Has anyone made it into The Night Owl yet?

The interior looks great in my opinion when looking through the window, alas i am too long in the tooth now so its normally about 6pm when i go past instead of being somewhere close to midnight.

Arkady

Night Owl - is that the newest incarnation of the venue on Station Place?

Coqfighter have at least one other branch too, in Soho.

I'm very interested in how the new bar in City North works out: https://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/local-council/bowie-inspired-bar-in-under-finsbury-park-opposed-7870948

Has anyone else tried the new PictureHouse in City North? It's fantastic, and my new go-to cinema. It has 4k projectors, which are still something of a rarity - since getting a nice OLED telly I'd found the cinema often didn't compare favourably. And the screens are properly dark without the distraction of irritating illuminated exist signs right next to the screen - looking at you, Crouch End PictureHouse. Great sound-system too.

Ali

Agree Picture House is a great addition to the area, it must be in a big hole as some of the screens are several flights of stairs downwards. It would be interesting to see a cross section view of the sight including the tube as there is lot going on construction wise around there

HolbornFox

It is indeed on the old Gaslight / Silver Bullet / Zelman Spot, it does look more like a Silver Bullet type set up with live bands and DJ’s

If you Google it they have a place in Birmingham that looks successful, it is right up my street to be honest (live grassroots type music), the trouble is I now use the new exit so I rarely see it or stumble across it if I’ve been out earlier in the morning, I mean afternoon.

Arkady

@Ali this, from the original City North planning application, gives some indication. It's from before TfL and Network Rail decided to close the old Wells Terrace passage, after which the plans were reconfigured to create the new entrance, allowing City North to dig a massive basement where the old tunnel was - that's where the cinema is now.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/p4nzuuvpb176fdt/city north new street.pdf?dl=0

Arkady

Here's a photo I took when it was one big hole: https://photos.app.goo.gl/WRbpdBTHLrWg78Zm8

Ali

Thanks it is a big hole !