Gay Camberwell

Having rather randomly booked to go on holiday to Eritrea at the end of the year, I thought it was a fine plan (if somewhat belated) to visit Camberwell's Eritrean restaurant The Red Sea last night to check I like Eritrean food prior to two full weeks of it... I'd passed the restaurant every day for weeks on the number 12 bus and always felt sorry for it - few customers in evidence, yet every table beautifully adorned with flowers and folded napkins, ready for action. Good reviews from TopTable. And 5 minutes from my flat. I don't know how I resisted so long.

I really like the fact that Camberwell has such an assortment of restaurants representing lesser-known cuisines around the world, as well as the standard Italians, gastropubs etc. A while ago I had dinner at the nearby Zeret Kitchen, an Ethiopian restaurant on Camberwell Road, and had great fun ordering random food and eating it with my hands from a giant pancake-like item. Last night's Red Sea experience was just as fun, with similar types of food as well as Italian options. We asked for the very friendly owner's recommendations and were presented with giant pancakes lovingly and artistically adorned at our table with a variety of sauces, vegetables and meats. It was rather delicious, and the owner very friendly and keen to advise, making us feel quite at home, even if we were the only ones in the restaurant apart from a possibly-staff member watching the X Factor in the corner...

I am planning my next Camberwell gastronomic expedition to Pasha, which as well as claiming to be one of Camberwell's "boutique hotels" (the other being Camberwell Church Street Hotel - which I have stayed in and can confirm is rather nice), claims to be London's only Kyrgyzstan/Kazakhstan restaurant. ViewLondon's review is good and quite frankly, I am intrigued! When I last passed the hotel, they told me they were installing a hammam that should be finished this month. Also intriguing.

There was supposed to be a lesbian club at Red Star last night but when I got there, the place seemed closed. Anyone know what's going on? We adjourned to the Castle instead, and a friend who lives in Angel lamented the fact that there is no pub as nice as the Castle in her neighbourhood. I felt smug on Camberwell's behalf.

I am bitter that the Red Gate Gallery is celebrating its 10 year anniversary next month (on the 10th of the 10th - with a gay male poet, gay male artist, and gay girl band, incidentally) and I only stumbled upon it a couple of months ago. Last night was the private view for their new street art exhibition "Street Expression" which is showing until 2nd October. This exhibition's subject matter didn't really excite me in advance, but then I am rather taken with their quaint cobbled path, twinkling fairy lights, and little Friday night cocktail bar, not to mention the really great gallery space and frequent, interesting art shows. I was surprised by being quite impressed. The exhibition was quite eclectic though I was rather sorry my favourite piece cost £1800... Had it been a little cheaper, I might have been tempted! The picture that intrigued us most was this one:

We couldn't decide whether the wording is offensive or ironic, so we called the artist over to discuss it. He explained that he liked robots and liked to dress up, and therefore simply thought that drawing a feminine robot was fun. It had clearly not occurred to him that the wording might be offensive. We wondered: can something be ironic without the artist meaning it? Or should we be offended when no offence was meant... Interesting.

Thankfully before I could pontificate further, the bar served up another G&T.

The gallery also put on a fashion show of clothing with the theme of street art, with locals doing the modelling. Quite an impressive display. And appreciated by the arty crowd, who seemed to be a mix of locals and north of the river people.

There is something about the Red Gate Gallery's private views that makes you feel it is really an occasion. It's one of my favourite things about Camberwell at the moment, even if it does perch precariously on the border with Loughborough Junction.

Hooray, the website now has a functioning calendar and message board!

Welcome to the Gay Camberwell blog, where your trusty Gay Camberwell hosts will let you know what's on, where it's on, whether things are any good, and why Camberwell is the best gay destination south of the river.