Gay Camberwell

by Roz.

A somewhat pretentious actor once refused to say which part he’d played was his favourite, on the grounds that the other parts would be hurt.  Certainly it’s not really the thing for us to have a favourite Gay Camberwell venue.  So many have done so much over the last year.  The Castle, bless Winston’s heart, has given over their upstairs room not just for our fabulous launch night party, but also every Sunday afternoon for Pink Screen Sundays*.  And the popular Sun and Doves had a gay film season throughout last November – as well as hosting the regular and wonderful Queer Complex.  And that’s quite apart from the glorious vision that Su-Thai - Camberwell’s best Thai restaurant - has of being filled with gay people.  (Speaking of which, they have another Gay Camberwell offer on this weekend.)

But I must confess (quietly, so as not to hurt the others) that the Cambria has a special place in my heart.  The fact that it’s gay-owned helps, but it’s really the enthusiasm of all involved in the venture and the quality that tips the balance.  And the particularly fine wallpaper…  It is, of course, the home of gay-friendly comedy in Camberwell (hosted by lesbian comedienne Rosie Wilby).  It also has very fabulous cabaret nights – and we made our way over to south Camberwell last night to one of these to hear the glorious James Cormack perform.  And it was one of the best shows I’ve seen at the Cambria – Cormack had immense personality - as well as a good voice!  The audience was enthusiastic – and so were we.  And that wasn’t all that was wonderful about the Cambria last night: the chips (which I would have liked to forget since they were definitely not pre-wedding diet friendly, but just can’t) were that lovely combination of crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, whilst the white wine was certainly the best I’ve tasted in a pub.  It may be a trifle off the beaten Camberwell track, but it’s the place to be. 

On an entirely unrelated note, regular readers may be interested to find out how we got on with the dinosaurs in Crystal Palace.  I’m afraid they are going to be disappointed (lunch at House is calling) but the pictures below should prove sufficient enticement for those who haven’t been.


*Pink Screen Sundays are re-starting at the beginning of September following the summer break.  We'll be showing Victim (Dirk Bogarde), Imagine Me and You (Piper Perabo), Brokeback Mountain and Victor Victoria (Julie Andrews).  

by Roz


Finding myself unexpectedly off work (and in London) for a few weeks, I have been exploring the environs of Camberwell.  After all, I hear that there's more to south London than SE5...

The lure of cake took me to Rosie's Deli and Cafe in Market Row and very satisfying it proved too (though I was disappointed that the "mystery chocolate cake" proved to be lacking in suspense).  More revelatory, however, was the array of other lovely shops and cafes in Market Row.  

East Dulwich proved more disappointing.  But then my visit there was in hopes of finding accoutrement for the newest member of the Gay Camberwell team, an effeminate-looking, one-eyed cat called Nelson who we adopted last week.  I had hoped that the middle-class of East Dulwich would have a high-class pet shop, with the prettiest scratching-post imaginable.  Alas, I returned home empty-handed.  Mind you, the cake in in the Blue Mountain Cafe (which was on a par with that in Brixton) and the glass of rose in Green and Blue were very pleasing consolations...

Yesterday I meandered over to Bermondsey's antique market and to have a look at Shockwaves (the new cinema in Bermondsey Square).  My timing was bad: too late to pick up the best bargains at the former and too early to feel I could justify coffee and cake in the cinema's cafe.  But the vibe was very pleasant - and it's clearly a place to return to.  

However, when my friend called to suggest lunch and wedding talk, I was in no doubt about where to propose: Chumleigh Gardens cafe comes into its own in the summer (even this year's variety of summer).  I was able to be pleasingly smug about both the venue and the food.  My smugness continued when we popped into Edwardes bike shop to pick up Layla's bike and received a warm reception and interested enquiries after my "friend" and why she wasn't picking up her bike herself.  Our talk turned to weddings, and I felt the need to mention my own.  At this moment nemesis decided it was appropriate to reprimand me for my previous smugness, and I found myself blurting out "that friend of mine, the one whose bike I'm picking up, well she and I are getting married in October".  

Even a visit to La Luna for lovely pizza and to Frank's Cafe and Campari Bar (the pop-up Peckham bar in the car park) last night haven't quite reconciled me to such an inelegant coming out.  Perhaps cake in Crystal Palace today will help. And I hear they have dinosaurs too...taking south London's multiculturalism to new levels...



 

 

It's not quite Camberwell, of course, but it's been rather gratifying to see that a local pop-up bar/restaurant/art show is one of the most talked-about additions to the London scene. Frank's is only open Thu-Sun, and closes in September, so Roz and I cycled over to see what it was like. 

We found ourselves standing nervously outside the Multiplex, eyeing the lifts to the right of the entrance that we'd never quite noticed before. Luckily Frank's already has a bit of a following, and some more confident-looking arty locals strode up and pressed the button. Soon we were all in a rather bumpy service lift ascending to the sixth floor... but the sixth floor of where? 

Well, the multistorey carpark, it seemed. We walked out to find a few stray cars, a flickering strip light, and not much else. Fortunately the arty ones marched onwards, across the car park and up the slope to the 7th storey. Where there weren't any cars, but random art installations started to appear. 

Up again to the roof, and suddenly we were met with a rather lovely open air restaurant/bar with what might be London's best view of the skyline. Nothing was missing, from the London Eye to the Gherkin to Canary Wharf (and far beyond), all lighting up and twinkling as darkness fell. And then the sunset: the colours were glorious and the skyline was silhouetted in brightest pink. 

Drawing our attention to the bar itself, people sat at tables and benches enjoying cocktails, beers, and rather tempting-looking Mediterranean food. The vibe was friendly and smug, as though we were all part of a secret club, meeting in the most unlikely of places. We just had beer, but eyed up the corn on the cob with much envy. This might be the coolest venue I've been to in London (well, on a par with the wonderful Shunt) and all I want to do is return for that corn on the cob...