What have I missed since November 21st?

While you were watching events in North Korea and waiting for snow, what news did you miss in West Hampstead?

Open and shut case
The biggest local news even became a UK trending topic on Twitter for a while. The Luminaire, Kilburn's premier live music venue, announced it will close at the end of the year.
Another Kilburn venue, The Good Ship, launched a blog.
There's also a new blog for Kentish Town.
I launched a comprehensive local business directory. It includes West Hampstead's newest arrival, stylish stylist The Private Space.
The Gym Group finally received its 24hr licence.
Karahi Master, however, was refused a 5am extension.

Lets get political
Hampstead & Kilburn Tory PPC Chris Philp was on Radio 5 telling Kate Silverton that the Royal Family was "stony broke".
Brian Coleman was reselected as the Conservative candidate to represent Barnet & Camden on the London Assembly.
Camden council has been tweeting about budget savings all week.
After my interview with Camden mayor Jonathan Simpson, the Evening Standard profiled him and mayoress Amy Lamé.
There is dispute about the siting of a new primary school in West Hampstead.
Local students attended the midweek demo against changes to higher education funding.
All three of West Hampstead's councillors are now on Twitter as Gillian Risso-Gill joins Keith and John.

Elsewhere
Thameslink to go ahead, but delayed to 2019.
A PCSO gained an ASBO for a persistent beggar.
More on the previous week's story about parking fees on red routes.
Local charity The Winch is looking for a part-time voluntary comms manager.

Coming up
Thursday 2nd is the fifth edition of local tweet-up Whampgather. Everyone's welcome.
Tonight (Monday) is the West Hampstead & Fortune Green Area Forum.
Kilburn's Christmas lights are switched on on Friday 3rd.
Saturday Dec 4th is Beckford Primary School's Winter Fair from 2pm to 4.30.

Tweet of the week

What have I missed since November 14th?

Between royal wedding plans and Irish bailouts, what has been happening in the 'hood

Big news first: The big local tweet-up/hyperlocal get together is on December 2nd at The Lion on West End Lane. We have an area reserved at the back of the bar. If you could let me know if you can make it, that would be lovely although by all means feel free to just turn up. Read about previous #whampgathers.

Upgrading your laptop? Why not donate your old one to The Winch

Travel
You may recall commuters getting stuck between St Johns Wood and Baker St a few weeks ago. This starts to explain what happened.
The regular update here on the progress on the Jubilee Line engineering works.
Plans to charge for parking on red routes (where it's allowed - usually only for short-term parking) would affect Finchley Road.
In yet another tubemap mashup, West Hampstead & Finchley Road were omitted. Travesty.

Crime
A man was found dead in a house in Kilburn this week.
Men were jailed after a house attack in West Hampstead, mistaking it for a brothel.
A house fire in Maida Vale triggered a brave response from the West Hampstead fire brigade.

Christmas is coming
Yes, I know it's still only November, but Christmas lights and fayres are starting up.
Kilburn's big night is December 3rd.
Belsize Park is having eco-lights.
Gary & Danielle Lineker turn on the St Johns Wood lights on November 28th.
And don't forget the West Hampstead Christmas market.

Cuts again
Libraries again - Brent invests cash, now plans to close libraries.
The Kilburn ward newsletter discusses cuts as well as many many other topics.
Look who's on Twitter:
TheRailwayNW6
basilicopizzas
KilburnHighRd

Coming up this week
There's an exhibition all this week on the Abbey Road regeneration proposals. If you live in the area, then go and see it.
Tuesday sees a one-off return of wordPLAY to the Good Ship in aid of Cystic Fibrosis.
A week on Monday (the 29th), the West Hampstead & Fortune Green area forum starts at 7pm in the Synagogue Hall on Dennington Park Road. Read about last February's forum.

Tweet of the week
Two parts to this: a surprisingly positive review of the Czech restaurant
And then the tweet of the week from Richard Lander who appeared to have a good time at the much mocked (not least by me) Lite.

A very Kilburn Christmas

Kilburn High Road gets into the festive spirit on December 3rd. With Glenda, and everything

Travesty (would be a good name for a font)

The redoubtable Annie Mole, whose Going Underground blog is one of London's finest, today posted a photo of yet another tube map mashup. We've had lots of these of late - puns on film titles, anagrams, movies shot in the location - all following in the footsteps of Simon Patterson's 1992 work, The Great Bear.

Today's addition to the fold is from Eiichi Kono, the man responsible for the distinctive New Johnston typeface used on the standard map. Here, Kono has replaced all the stations on the modern tube map with the names of typefaces, so Waterloo is Frutiger, Liverpool Street is Baskerville, etc.

Photo courtesy of Annie Mole

Except he hasn't replaced all the stations. Two - just two - are omitted*. West Hampstead and Finchley Road stations are marked on the map but have no associated typeface. Why would we be snubbed in such a way!?

Here's a larger version of the photo above. Which typefaces would you choose to go on the map for West Hampstead and Finchley Road? Which would capture something of the essence of these two stations?

What have I missed since November 7th?

While you were rioting on Millbank and watching landmark events in Burma, what was the news closer to home?

Politics
The Guardian ran a gloomy piece on the impact of cuts based on an unnamed inner London borough. Could it have been Camden?
There's already talk of libraries being closed in Brent.
And library resources in Camden seemed to cause a spat between councillors.
Councillors both sides of the Kilburn High Road complained about a college campus closing.
And (they said it would never happen), Glenda's on Twitter. Sort of.

Food
Bakeaboo celebrated its 4th birthday.
But Beatties Sweeties looks like it's closing.
We reviewed Barraco and The Wood Grill.
I cooked macaroons at Waitrose Cookery School.
The X-Burger House's website finally went live.
Roni's Bagel Bakery and Atari-ya were feeling the love

Miscellaneous
Some details emerged about the fatal scooter crash at Lymington Rd.
Network Rail issued a press release on the new Thameslink station.
The West Hampstead Christmas market has been given the all-clear.
I reviewed the excellent .45 at Hampstead Theatre.
A photo tour of Hampstead Cemetery was posted.
An internet café is for sale in Kilburn.

Coming up
There's a pub quiz at the North London Tavern on Wednesday evening in aid of Cancer Research

Tweet of the Week

Would you go to Wood Grill?

Rings Pizza & Kebab shop has finally reopened as Wood Grill House (in what must have been one of the slowest ever refits of a kebab shop to a kebab shop). Local kebab fans Blake and Jess popped in last week to sample its wares. So, what did they think?

"As soon as we set foot into the grotto-like Wood Grill House, it was obvious that it would be a little bit different. There is a copious amount of wood both inside and out. Oddly, the tree bark-clad walls were covered in Halloween decorations, despite the place opening in November, with scary things such as green cobwebs, plastic spiders, Jack-o'-lanterns and, erm, a photograph of Michael Jackson.

Jess tries some pickle

It’s a tight, narrow space with stools along each wall for people to dine in and the counter at the back with everything you’d expect from a kebab place crammed into a tight kitchen area. With the drinks refrigerator in there as well, you’ll find yourself shuffling around to get out of people’s way when it gets busy, which it did a couple of times while we were there. It has only been open a couple of days, but already seems to have picked up business.

There is a Shisha Garden downstairs, which we didn't explore, it's hard to imagine that it's much of a garden though.

I decided to go for a simple order, burger and chips, only then to notice that on the other side of the menu there was a more expensive “homemade burger” served with salad and chips - not entirely sure what the difference would have been.

I normally like onions on a burger but it seemed all the salad vegetables were mixed in together. Although this space-saving idea makes some sense, there still managed to be plenty of room in there for oddities such as some bright pink carrots. On closer inspection these were in fact a pickle.

My food was… well, my burger was fine. Just fine. Nothing more or less than that. It was no better or worse than what you would find in Karahi Master down the road. It did at least hit the spot after a long day at work and the service was very friendly. Jess's chicken shish kebab, however, was "delicious, succulent and tender" and the marinade "luscious".

"succulent" chicken shish

We were divided on our final verdict. I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it to anyone, but if you are in need of a late-night bite on the way back from an evening out, don’t be afraid of the unusual and slightly scary setting and give it a try. Jess was far more positive, giving it an 8/10 with the only negatives being the lack of space for waiting and the vast quantity of napkins they distributed for two people (not so eco-friendly). The two meals and two drinks came to £10.40."

Wood Grill House
104 West End Lane
T: 020 7624 8787

Barraco review: A little bit of Brazil in Kilburn

Barraco will never be somewhere that picks up much passing trade. From whichever way you approach it, it takes a leap of faith to believe that there's going to be any commercial businesses at all, let alone a half-decent restaurant serving up a slice of Brazil on this residential back road.

As this was to be the last #whampreview of 2010, I decided that I would abandon the famous hat from which names are plucked and everyone would be able to come. Thus it was that 12 of us squeezed into the street-level 'front room' of Barraco, which sits somewhere between a restaurant and a café. The kitchen is a few steps below, and there's also a large back room for live music, parties and presumably those occasional very busy nights.

Which this was, for we were sharing a rather small space with a party of including actor Joe McGann. Barraco isn't your obvious celebrity haunt, nor did it seem quite prepared for two large groups who had both booked. Some judicious rearranging of tables happened and the beers and caipirinhas began to flow.

We opted for a selection of starters to share, including (at Lauren's request) frogs legs, fried yam, chicken gizzards, which I enjoyed, prawn rissoles and breaded cheese balls ("a bit Kerry Katona", said Nicky). Perhaps the best starter was the grilled Brazilian sausages with onions, which really could be a meal in itself, and which Moya declared "divine".

Barraco is unashamedly Brazilian. I'd certainly like to imagine that the ambience here is going to take Brazilians in London straight back to the land of samba. It's not chic. We have bright plastic tablecloths, there are Brazilian flags and a large map of the country on the wall. There are cabinets full of brightly coloured packets of food. It's bright. Very bright. It is the most common criticism of this friendly establishment. It's not a place for a romantic candlelit dinner for two.

Most mains come with a choice of two sides - this is not a restaurant you'll leave hungry. The tilapia cooked in coconut milk divided opinion - Jane was underwhelmed, Richard thought his was well cooked although it wasn't that hot. Ria and Tom's white fish was too salty but, in Tom's words, "respectfully cooked". In fact, universally the food was deemed too salty.

Large bottles of what looked like brown sugar were placed on the table. It turned out to be farofa - a Brazilian seasoning - that only Mark tried.

The moquecas (a Brazilian fish stew) looked good and were "hearty" according to Moya. The rest of us went for steaks, My ribeye was a little undercooked in the middle, despite the waitress being insistent that I had it medium. It tasted good, but looked like it had suffered from freezer burn. The side of beans was really good - in fact a meal of just the sides would be quite appealing. Sarah E, Sarah W and Dominic also went for steaks, while Mark splashed out on the monster T-bone.

There was barely room for desserts, although that didn't stop some of us from indulging from the offerings from the chiller cabinet.

I thought the kitchen and our very friendly waitress did a great job of getting all the food out quickly and all together with no mistakes (I think our service score below is a little low). Barraco would be great for a quick filling meal or for a group outing (but book in advance because it's busy and small!) - it's certainly a great part of the NW6 restaurant scene.

Ratings
Food 6.5
Service 7.5
Value 7.7
Overall 7.1
Good for: farofa
Bad for: people on low-sodium diets
10 Kingsgate Place
Kilburn
NW6 4TA
T: 020 7604 4664
W: www.barracocafe.co.uk


Photos courtesy of Mark and Jane

Review: .45 at Hampstead Theatre

If Martin Scorsese collaborated with Tennessee Williams, you might end up with something like Gary Lennon's superb .45.

Set in New York's Hell's Kitchen in 1977, this play bristles with sexual tension, moral ambiguity hangs thickly in the air, and there's an ever present sense of danger. It's a moody drama set to a blaring CBGB's soundtrack.

The cast is excellent. Natalie Dormer is particularly compelling as Pat, the woman at the heart of the story who is loved by everyone. She combines strength and vulnerability perfectly, while her scenes with Daniel Caltagirone who plays her boyfriend Ed are as loaded as the handguns he pulls.

Despite the urging of her friend and would-be lover Vic (a superb Katie Wimpenny) and reformed tough guy Reilley (Chris Reilly), Pat simply can't just walk away from Ed. "I love him 'cos he's home," she says. "We suffer well together."

It is the introduction of social worker Kat (Emma Powell) that disrupts the cycle of violence. At first her presence jars; her repression too stylised in contrast to the overt sexuality of the other characters. Indeed her first scene is the weakest in the play - it's an unexpected gear change and the staging is initially confusing. If I had a criticism of the play it would be that Kat's emotional release is too staccato, and thus less believeable, but this is being picky.

.45 was made into a film starring Milla Jovovich and directed by Lennon (who wrote cult US TV series The Shield). I have not seen it and have no desire to. This is a great example of a play that works brilliantly on stage. The confrontations between characters are immeasurably more powerful when they are happening right in front of you, but the most violent scenes happen off stage and leave the audience to explore its own dark imagination. 

The play, directed by Wilson Milam, is in Hampstead Theatre's Michael Frayn Space - a small stage downstairs. The intimacy this provides is very suitable for the stifling atmosphere of the apartment and bar where most of the action is set, but why squirrel this away in some 'alternative' space? It's the first time the play has been staged in the UK and, sure, it won't be to everyone's taste - there's a lot of swearing and sexual references. But if you think that going to the theatre can be much more than a pleasant evening of mediocrity, then buy tickets to plays like this and prove to theatres that there is a demand for more engaging and challenging work even from the typical Hampstead Theatre audience.

Watch an interview with Natalie Dormer below, and for interviews with all the cast, visit the Hampstead Theatre's You Tube channel. Then go and buy tickets for the damn play already.

.45 runs until November 27th at the Hampstead Theatre
Book here

*Disclaimer: I received a free ticket courtesy of the theatre

Macaroon Mania at Waitrose Cookery School

As soon as you walk into Waitrose's gleaming new cookery school, it's clear they've splashed the cash. I went along to the Finchley Road branch, above which the school is located, to find out whether aspiring home cooks should do the same. Our aim for the evening: perfect macaroons.

The space is certainly attractive: there's an expansive dining area with chunky light-wood tables (no doubt available from John Lewis), an attractive wall of wine and a modern bar.

Off to the side is the theatre, which looks like a TV studio kitchen, with seating for about 40 people. Separated from the dining room by a glass partition is the kitchen itself, which has a demonstration area, and then nine workstations, each with an oven, hob, fridge and cupboards and drawers filled with pans, utensils and gadgets. Around the sides more equipment sits on windowsills - behind me are umpteen Le Creuset pans, pots and tagines.

 It all looks good and of course it's all immaculately clean (this is only the second night the kitchen has been open). The major appliances are John Lewis own brand and the stations are meant to deliberately mirror what most people have at home, although the food mixer we're using is a top-of-the range professional one.

After a welcoming glass or two of champagne and a couple of canapés - one of which we're accurately warned is tongue-scaldingly hot - we don our whites and gather round to watch head pastry chef James Campbell (formerly Gary Rhodes' group head pastry chef) talk us through the macaroon making process.

When it comes to our turn, the ingredients have already been measured out although we have to separate our own eggs. We're making Italian meringue because it is easy and stable, but it does mean pouring hot sugar syrup into whisked egg whites (a fancy digital thermometer tells us when we hit the 114 degree Celsius mark.).

We're working in pairs, which I find a little odd - people are rarely allowed IN my kitchen, let alone permitted to pick up a spoon unless under close supervision! However, it turns out that my cooking buddy actually teaches cooking classes herself, although is quite scathing about wasting time cooking patisserie.

The vast majority of the people here are food bloggers who Waitrose has invited to this second preview night. The first one had been for the mainstream media. Celebrity Masterchef winner Lisa Faulkner had been there, and Heston himself had even made a fleeting appearance although Delia hadn't graced the school with her presence.

There are no celebs tonight, but as the chefs introduce themselves, you realise quite quickly that it's not just the fixtures and fittings that have cost money. Charming head chef James Bennington won a Michelin star at La Trompette, sous chef Eleni Tzirki casually namedrops Pierre Koffmann and Bruno Loubet as she introduces herself, while Aussie Wilson Chung, who's in charge of cocktails tonight, has an astonishingly eclectic CV that includes running the kitchen at the Sydney Good Food & Wine Show.

One of the best things about the experience is the ratio of chefs to punters. As we're busy worrying whether our peaks are stiff enough or our mixture smooth enough, one of the team is always around to advise.

While the macaroons bake, we head to the bar to learn how to make bitter orange cocktails (Grand Marnier, orange juice with maple syrup, ice - simple) and get the chance to practice our cocktail shaking technique. Then, while the macaroons cool we get a demonstration of how to make espresso martinis (these really aren't hard either). Of course we get to drink all these things too. This isn't an evening to have planned to drive home.

In the full version of this macaroon course, you get to make your own filling, but this has been done for us. We get to practice on some glittery pink macaroons, filling them with some berry mixture and a mulled wine flavoured liquid centre.

 For our own creations, there's an apricot filling in the fridge and, despite some dodgy piping skills, they all end up looking pretty good. Certainly everyone seems happy as they pack the fruits of their labour into boxes to take home.

If we were paying customers, this evening course would set us back £105. Whole day courses are £175 and cover everything from Thai cookery to Boxing Day leftovers. I suspect the cookery school will be very popular with corporate events as there is so much flexibility to meet quite specific needs. It is not cheap, although I'm sure most people would enjoy the experience, and a quick trawl of other London options suggests it's broadly in line with the market.

Waitrose Cookery School
Nearest tube: Finchley Road
T: 020 7372 6128
W: http://www.waitrose.com/inspiration/cookeryschool/index.aspx

What have I missed since October 31st?

So we had tube strikes, media strikes and fireworks, but what's got you excited this week (apart from the fully functioning Jubilee Line this weekend of course)?

Oooooooh
There was a bank robbery in Willesden Green.
A Kilburn councillor discussed how housing benefit changes might affect the local area.
There's yet another film-based tube map; this time we're West Hampstead Side Story.
More updates on the Jubilee Line progress.
Mr Pink's Grill House is now "Wood Grill House".

Ahhhhhhh
Midwinter singles night for Midsummer at the Tricycle (money back if you get married).
There's an album named after Fortune Green, @Tangentical reviewed it.
Talking of music, I interviewed Camden's mayor Jonathan Simpson.

Coming up
Next Saturday - a Fortune Green kickabout.

Photo of the week
Tough one this week, with mauve skies aplenty. But this local topiary treat from @NW6Lady had to be the winner.

Tweet of the week

WANTED: Eager football players

Yesterday I tweeted about Hampstead 7evens, a local seven-a-side football organisation based in Fortune Green. West Hampstead local Thom Hoffman was trying to get a team together and then faster than a Gareth Bale strike into the bottom right corner/Theo Walcott run down the line* people were replying left right and centre expressing an interest.

Then, Thom had an idea and asked if I'd post it, so I am:

"Hi, as there is a lot of football interest I propose an official kickabout. I think it would be a good idea to have a big footy match on Fortune Green next Saturday 13th November K/O 12 noon. Loads of people seem interested, and I’d love to play a bit more locally. There could be enough for a few 7-aside teams in the future; or just enough people interested that we can have kickabout tweetups once in a while. I realise Saturday mornings aren’t great for everyone but it has to be sometime…"

Where: Fortune Green Park
When: Saturday 13th November, midday
Bring: Trainers and shinpads!
Email: thom.hoffman (at) ymail.com if interested or tweet @thomhoffman

*delete according to your north London football predilections

Jonathan Simpson: Camden's Musical Mayor

I enter the Mayor's parlour on a wet Saturday afternoon clutching an espresso from St Pancras. The mayoral ermine is on display, along with an incongruous golden football boot in a cabinet that also contained silver cake slices masquerading as trowels (for ceremonial brick laying you understand), punch bowls and goodness knows what else. But how does the man who has to wear the robes feel all this mayoral bling fits his rock'n'roll image?

Camden Mayor, Jonathan Simpson, 36, doesn't immediately strike me as someone who is going to be over-excited by the regalia of office. When I meet him, he's wearing a suit as casually as one can, and is certainly not weighed down by the chains of office. 

The Mayor has been a councillor since 2002, initially representing Fortune Green for the Lib Dems. In May 2005, he controversially defected to Labour over the Lib Dems' Asbo policies and was subsequently elected to represent King's Cross in 2006, which he held in May this year. Away from public office, his private-sector career is in the area of regeneration. He has also served as a special constable in the Met and was a board member of the gay rights organisation Stonewall from 2000 to 2002.

Despite not being at first glance the clichéd image of a fusty ceremonial mayor, The Mayor tells me that every Wednesday he does indeed don the ermine for the weekly nationalisation ceremony. "It's very humbling," he says. "Sure, there are Americans who've lived here for 10 years but there are also people who've fled their home country to come to the UK." 

This is just one of the many roles the Mayor has in Camden. Unlike some London boroughs, such as Tower Hamlets and Hackney, Camden's mayor is an ambassadorial position with no political or executive powers. The mayor also chairs council meetings, much in the way of the Speaker in the House of Commons. The mayor is nominated (and therefore de facto elected) by the majority party of the council and holds office for 12 months. With Labour in overall control of Camden council, there will be no rotation of the post between parties when it comes time for someone else to be elected next May.

Simpson takes the apolitical nature of his position extremely seriously. He politely declines to answer any overtly political questions, but also backs away from anything that might be only remotely construed as political. I ask what he sees as the biggest challenges facing Camden over the next few years, beyond the obvious financial constraints brought about by the cuts that is. Even this is clearly risky territory. 

I get the sense that as a relatively young mayor, he is determined not to let what seems to be a naturally open and conversational manner get the better of him. The most he's prepared to say is that "anyone would have to be anxious about public services." He won't even be drawn into anything particularly quotable on how he feels about spending a year away from the cut and thrust of council debate.

Caution is perhaps the best approach for an office whose last occupant, Omar Faruque Ansari, was stripped of his responsibilities in January after being arrested on suspicion of benefit fraud.

When conversation turns to pushing the merits of Camden, Simpson is of course anything but reticent. With the incredible Gothic revival frontage of St Pancras looming large in the window behind him, it is easy to agree when he says, "We have some of the most amazing places in London outside of Westminster, and we're much cooler than Westminster." Camden is full of "bohemian, vibrant, young people". It was this that first attracted the Mayor here when he was a student at UCL in the 1990s. "I came to Camden 'cos it was fun. I absolutely loved the place." 

This perspective on the borough (formerly the three boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn and St Pancras) informed the Mayor's decision to choose Camden's musical heritage and its plethora of live music as his 'mayoral theme'. 

"More than a thousand people work in the live music industry in Camden and there are 61 live music venues." The figures are well rehearsed, although almost certainly include those Kilburn High Road venues that fall on the Brent side of the road but that have willingly been adopted by Camden's marketing machine. Of course The Roundhouse is one of the best known and loved of the live venues and The Roundhouse Trust, which helps kids get involved with the arts, is the mayor's chosen charity for his term of office.

Simpson has also given his tenure as mayor a slightly edgier vibe by asking his good friend and BBC London radio presenter and self-proclaimed "chubby glamourpuss" Amy Lamé to be Lady Mayoress. He confesses that he thought she'd say no, but her American roots came to the fore and "she's milking it." 

Simpson's passion for music is evident. Did I know, he asks, that Morrissey's guitarist Boz Boorer is planning to put on a regular rock'n'roll night at The Alliance on Mill Lane? I did not. The first one is November 27th.

He still manages to go to live gigs, even if the first part of the evening is usually in a work capacity. For someone who ceremonially comes after only the royal family and the Lord Lieutenant in the pecking order, it's great to see him talk enthusiastically about electro-punk band Robots in Disguise, who performed for some excited kids and bemused parents at Holborn Library a couple of weeks ago. 

Simpson confirms that his job is "absolutely astonishing". "You can't comprehend the amount of work it is. It's certainly not just drinking tea and opening fêtes. I have done 340 events so far since being elected [in May], including opening the Kentish Town Baths and meeting the French ambassador."

It strikes me as refreshing – and utterly appropriate for an inner London borough – to blend the historic paraphernalia of office with a younger, alternative outlook on the merits of the area. It would be a worthwhile legacy if subsequent mayors felt similarly able to find a theme that matched their own interests, rather than feeling pressured to focus on something more predictable.

Indeed, as I walked past the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras on my way back to West Hampstead, I found myself hoping that the next Mayor will also manage to marry the dignity of office with a bit of Camden joie de vivre.