FOOD: Tufnell Park’s set menu bargains
It’s easy to think of Fortess Road as being, well, pretty spenny these days. But there are at least three good-value offers to be had on the street. First up, try the £13.95 two-course set menu at The Spice, which includes starters of pakoras or onion bhaji, and bhuna, korma, rogan and other tasty curries. Nearby is Turkish restaurant Et House, which also does a two-course for £13.45 and three-course for £14.95 (choose from meze style cold starters and mostly shish-based mains). Finally Ethiopian joint Engocha allows you to select either 3, 4 or 6 dishes from a tasty selection of healthy plant-based fare (such as spiced lentil stew, cooked beets and potato, steamed spinach with shallots) for £8, £9, or £10 respectively. You’re welcome.
DRINK: Cheapo cocktails and happy hours
As you can tell, we’re all for a bargain or five at the moment. You might think The Parakeet is a little pricey for your wallet, but go there on Wednesdays and two cocktails – yes, really good ones with top ingredients (we can vouch for the spicy margarita, and the fluffy gin sour, pictured above) – are just £10. Also top value is the happy hour at the newly rebooted Bintang (£6 cocktails, 5-7pm), while the awesome Tabac’s happy hour packs them in from 4-6pm (50% off wines, beers and cocktails).
SHOPPING: Adorn The Common, Chalk Farm
Like a Sunday mooch with a goal? Head to Chalk Farm tube, where the two units previously occupied by Domino’s and Bite Me Burger (just near the Roundhouse) are now creative spaces. The first hosts an exhibition by pop-up gallery crew The Koppel Collective, while the other (pictured above) sees the former pizza takeaway completely reinvented as stylish gallery, interiors and chunky art book store Adorn The Common, previously located in Covent Garden. This one is here to stay apparently, so go support – and it definitely brightens up that underwhelming corner. Plus, we love the ‘I Was Edgy Once’ totes: we all know someone who needs one of them. Follow @the_koppel_project and @adornthecommon
ART: Well Settled, Dartmouth Park Hill
A little further afield – and a healthy climb – is Well Settled (pictured above), an exhibition of newly commissioned works at Lux Gallery on Dartmouth Park Hill. It uses the An Việt Archives, the largest known British-Vietnamese community archive in the UK, to feature works by Nhà Sàn Collective, Moi Tran, George Clark, Cường Minh Bá Phạm, Trà My Hickin, Stefan Nielsen, Thierry Phung and Lưu Chữ Collective who propose new models for how archives can be activated and made accessible. From Sat 4th November, 2pm at LUX, Waterlow Park Centre, Dartmouth Park Hill, N19 5JF and ends 16th December 2023. Follow @LUXMovingImage
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