FAMILY: how to please your mother
Yup, this Sunday is all about the woman who made it happen for you. Some ideas to mark the occasion, then? Do the right thing and take her to the Honour Mothers, Honour All Carers event at Crossroads Women’s Centre on Saturday, for which local businesses have contributed free meals, haircuts and shopping vouchers (2-5pm, Wolsey Mews NW5). Meanwhile, if she’s never shaken that sweet tooth, whisk her to Ruby Violet for ice cream chocolates (boxes of six, £15), heart-shaped lollies, or even a s’phisticated damson and sour cream cake. Or why not march Mum down to the Regent’s canal for a sunny hour-long cruise with Hidden Depths, which leaves hourly (12-5pm) from Granary Square (see featured pic, above)?
GIG: St Patrick’s Day
Every pub and bar in the neighbourhood is naturally putting on a bash for St Patrick’s Day (March 17), but Rainforest Foundation UK, based on Kentish Town Road, have invited readers down to their soirée over at 93 Feet East on Brick Lane. Four bluesy bands will play live – Dirty Mojos, God Mode, Reptiles and Unifiers – and proceeds go to the charity founded in 1989 by Sting. £10, more info.
READING: two for the price of none
It’s that time of the month again. Your free copy of Kentishtowner in print – which, for the uninitiated, always features exclusive articles not yet published online – is out tomorrow in 100 outlets across north London. If you’re a coffee aficionado, don’t miss exclusive interviews with the folk behind Fields Beneath, Doppio, Two Doors Down and Bear & Wolf; plus we look at the Grafton’s new menu, and investigate why the area was a such a centre for the piano industry in Victorian times. Even better, our free central London sister title Gasholder (right) is now a standalone, and this month features a 5-page special on living on the Regent’s Canal, plus essential reviews of all that’s new in and around King’s Cross and Clerkenwell. It’s out now, stocked in eight postcodes listed here.
FOOD: evenings at Casa Tua
One of our preferred NW1 joints has just launched a very tempting sounding crepuscular offer. All summer, on Friday and Saturday nights, Casa Tua, the foodie spritz bar and cafe on Royal College Street, will morph into a diminutive restaurant.
Owner Giuseppe has bagged himself a chef from Italy’s Lazio region who’s done two years in a Michelin-starred gaff, and the menu is simple, “with a couple of twists”. Expect delights like parmesan polenta chips, burratina and grilled octopus to share, and beetroot risotto or tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms for primi. Desserts might include semifreddo with ricotta. It’s fully licensed, so try a zesty Campari spritz or potent negroni to start, with Italian wines to follow. Seating is limited so book via casatuacamden@gmail.com. 176 Royal College Street NW1
