Discovering Camden Market

Be warned: If you detest crowds, traffic, noise and narrow alleys, Camden Market is not a place you would want to be especially on a weekend.

But these are some of the things I don't mind, so we landed in Camden on a bustling Sunday afternoon. I think it's one of those streets where you have to walk down, looking at the shop facades, more than the shops themselves. 

If Brick Lane was all about the street art, Camden is all about shop fronts. It's loud, 'in-your-face', pulls your attention. There is the Camden market, which is a labyrinth of shops selling clothes, shoes and art, and it's the first 'bargain all you can' market I have been to in London. Some of the jewellery I saw looked straight out of Colaba. In fact the entire market was like a Colaba or a Chatuchak Bangkok market on acid!

I guess you need to spend a good four to five hours, to settle in and figure out this market.  Endless stalls selling unique artefacts, vintage prints, and lamps, and some of them hidden so deep you need to walk around patiently or do your research in advance. I unfortunately had to deal with a husband allergic to crowds and fast running out of patience.

http://www.camdenlockmarket.com/shops/

Street foodies will be will delighted at the stalls and variety of offerings at the Camden lock. It's quite a lovely place where you can have your lunch sitting on one of the 'scooters' overlooking the canal. Food from all over the world, fresh juice, ice creams and smoothies.

http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/cheap-eats-in-camden

Over all, I think Camden is worth visiting once, or maybe another 'less crowded' weekday when one doesn't have to constantly worry about being shoved aside or stamped upon. 

Discovering pho!

I'm thrilled about moving to central London. From where we stay, Kings Cross and the Angel are about 10 minutes away. And so are the dozens and dozens of wonderful eating joints and pubs.

This Thursday we went to Pho. This little Vietnamese joint on Upper street is one of  Ram's favorite joints. Although I'm not into the south East Asian kind of cuisine (and being vegetarian none the less), but this bowl of pure flavour is to die for.

Mildly spiced but robust in flavours, four different kind of mushroom in a vegetable broth with vietnamese noodles, seasoned with coriander, red chilli and caramelised onions. The portions are huge, easily more than enough for two people, or in my case, parceling the leftover for the next day.

Vietnamese coffee reminds me of our good old South Indian filter coffee. The layer of luscious condensed milk at the bottom of the glass is pure heaven.

Needless to say, this is a joint I'm going be frequenting on a regular basis.