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A tarted up boozer on Chalk Farm Road - 10/07/02
Carolyne Smith, front of house manager at the Lock Tavern is excited about her new menu. 'Little Bits of Britain' is a tapas version of British food with dishes like poached egg, smoked haddock and potato pot, pan-fried chicken livers with spinach and stilton and vegetable tagine, sweet potato, chickpeas, peanuts and okra.
Those are three dishes that I tried myself when I visited recently on a busy Thursday night, and I can say that Carolyne's excitement is not misplaced. The food, which comes in small portions for between £4.50 and £6.50, is freshly prepared, well-executed and delicious. And three or four dishes will feed a couple of folks easily.
I was in the upstairs room, a bare brick space without the dismal off-the peg minimalism that blights so many contemporary gastropubs. It reminded me of bars in Manhattan's East Village where I used to drink. To the front is a large patio which we were sadly unable to enjoy since the London summer was yet again being uncooperative.
There's a large and comfortable bar downstairs as well, with a garden at the back. The atmosphere is relaxed, just the sort of place I favour for a pint with friends and a drop of top class but affordable nosh.
Carolyne, originally from Ayr and still only 23, worked at the Embassy before the Lock opened in April. "This is a big step for me," she told me, "but so far it's been great, in fact it's exceeded all our expectations, we've been phenomenally busy. We've aimed to make the place ideal for a relaxing drink after work.
"I really love working here, I'm very proud of it. It was fairly derelict when we took it over and we spent 90 hour weeks working on the place. We've also thought hard about the music and searched high and low for the right DJs." On the night I was there, the music was pleasurably laid-back, and in contrast to so many other souped-up pubs, not earsplittingly loud.
The Lock definitely won me over - I'll be popping in there whenever I fancy a drink in relaxing and companionable surroundings and a quick nibble at some little bits of Britain in what the pub itself, or their PR people, describe as a tarted up boozer on Chalk Farm Road.
The Lock Tavern
35 Chalk Farm Road
London
tel: 020 7482 7163 |
Camden
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