Camden’s Daughter
If Camden had a daughter, it would be a filthy dirty hoe. That’s exactly what I feel like as I walk out of Kentish Town tube station. I’m currently sweating out last night’s alcohol and the bar stamps on my hand are still visible.
Luckily, I don’t have to walk far to get to the next bar. Camden Town Brewery’s new bar, Camden’s Daughter, is just a slither across the road from the tube. The inside looks too bright for my achy eyes but I prevail, walking into the light like a new born baby. I slump on the bar and squint at the menu which consists of half guest beers and half of their CTB craft beers. I opt for what I know, and take a Camden Hells. It’s the beer that I’ve seen the most in bars across London and there’s a good reason for that – it’s a decent lager.
The place is laid out like a fast food restaurant. Loaded spits pirouette behind the counter whilst customers take their places in the pristine shiny seats. Old parts like the clock mantelpiece and lamp outside have been left from the forgotten Irish pub that it used to be. Their concept is to join kebabs and beer together in holy matrimony. They’ve always been bed fellows, but never official. It makes sense because the more I sip, the more I start enjoying the smell of the lamb’s roasting flesh.
I grab another pint. This time the Ink- the brewery’s stout. Slick, bitter and bringing back the traditional London flavour that rivals the championing Irish stouts. After washing that down, I am ready to gormandize.
A lamb kebab is swiftly placed in front of me by one of the Camden Town Brewery team. It comes wrapped up in a package which is big enough for a skeleton like me, but tiny for a man with a healthy appetite. Though these can come with chips for £6.50. It all tastes less cancerous than your usual soggy kebab on your journey home. The flavoursome layers of salad, sauce and meat are all wash down neatly with a Gentleman’s Wit- their Belgian Whitbier which is light enough to compliment the kebab rather than compete with it. I sit back and think, this is the life. Classic rock plays whilst I cradle a beer in one hand and caress a kebab with the other. Camden’s Daughter finds enjoyable uses for both of my hands. And their home-made chilli sauce is sweet as fuck and should be bottled and delivered to my house on a regular basis.
Sundays here consist of English breakfasts and Bloody Marys, with cushions handed out to those who pilgrimage through their hangovers to this suave corner of London. A great concept if you’re one of those who manage to peel themselves out of bed during that dreaded treacherous morning.
Everything here is caped in the Camden Brewery logo; the glasses, the coasters, the stickers, the badges and shirts. Camden Town Brewery must be making some serious money to afford this mass of memorabilia. Camden’s Daughter is the perfect showcase for what makes them so succesful. The gourmet-style kebabs comes second in this bar. Though they’re nice enough, the beer is the main attraction. The only thing that I hope for this casual drinking cove, is that one day they’ll make it past 11pm.