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Surreptitiously observing Kennington, including the suburbs Vauxhall, Oval, Walworth, and Elephant since 2012. We're fiercely independent and never boring.

Zeitgeist at the Jolly Gardeners – the only place to watch the World Cup Final

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Kennington Observer

If you’re going to be in London rather than Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, there’s only one place to watch the World Cup Final – London’s premier German gastropub, Zeitgeist in North West Kennington.

Zeitgeist is located at The Jolly Gardeners pub on Black Prince Road, which has 120 years of history as a pub. In common with every Kennington pub of a certain age, Charlie Chaplin’s dad used to drink there, and scenes from the films Snatch and The Calcium Kid were shot there. Since Zeitgeist moved in, the colour theme is black, inside and out – not so jolly anymore. But the schnitzel, schweinebraten, leberkaes, and German beers like Weihenstephaner and Krombacher will soon cheer you up.

They will be showing the World Cup Final on their 4 x 3 metre screen and their 60″ TV. Pay £10 in advance and you will get guaranteed entry, a shot of Vodka Brause and a Currywurst/Bratwurst roll. More info from their black website.

Alford House Youth Club

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Kennington Observer

This is Alford House Youth Club where We Are The Lambeth Boys was filmed:

It has been in Kennington since 1884, originally on Lambeth Walk:

We Are The Lambeth Boys, as sampled by Morrissey, can be viewed here.

We didn’t know Alford House existed until we read more about We Are The Lambeth Boys recently. It’s on Aveline Street which is yards from Tesco but is one of those streets you’d never walk up unless you were looking for it.

This is their programme of activities. Not bad for 25p:

It’s Kennington’s busiest week ever!

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Kennington Observer

Forget Brazil, it’s all about what’s going on in Kennington for the next few days.

The Pungent Subway opens tonight in a subway underneath the North roundabout in North Kennington, organised by the team behind Save Our Subways. As part of the London Festival of Architecture, the subway passage will be filled with fragrances from herbs and flowers. It’s free, no booking required – just turn up between 6.30pm and 8.30pm today, tomorrow or Saturday.

Pullens Yard Open Studios takes place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in East Kennington. Here’s what we wrote about it last year.

The Summer Open Studios also takes place this weekend at Make Space. It’s open from 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday with a private view tonight from 6-9pm. Saturday afternoon from 3pm their “performing artists will display their skills with DJing, live musical performances and dance events”. Newnham Terrace, London SE1 7DR.

And last but not least, the ninth annual Kennington Village Fete takes place this Sunday from noon till 4pm in Cleaver Square. We’ll be there, playing the Amazing Human Fruit Machine and stocking up on local honey (you haven’t tasted honey until you’ve tasted this – it really is special).

The best breakfast in Kennington?

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Kennington Observer

As regular readers of this blog will be well aware, Kennington has establishments that cater for most needs, but its one relative weak spot has been places to have breakfast or brunch.

Vergies is the nicest of a number of local cafes that offer fry ups in the greasy spoon mould (although it’s anything but greasy in there).

Toulouse Lautrec serve freshly baked French pastries, freshly squeezed orange juice, freshly pressed orange juice and the creamiest of scrambled eggs on weekends and Bank Holidays, but the service can be a little frustrating (some of the staff have limited English and speaking French to them doesn’t seem to work either).

Brunswick House do a good but short brunch menu.

Tea House Theatre’s breakfast is reviewed here.

Sally White do some breakfast options but add star anise to their granola – why why why?

So it’s with some excitement that we annouce that we now have a new candidate for the title of best breakfast in Kennington – The Tommyfield, who serve breakfast between 8.30am and 11.30am on weekends.

One of us had a homemade granola served with Greek yoghurt and a summer berry pot:

And the other had a serving of buttermilk pancakes which came with blueberry compote and mascarpone cream:

Both were excellent, but the lingering smell of drains which has percolated through the Tommyfield for a while now was more bothersome at breakfast time despite a sash window wide open next to the table.

Even if you’re not staying overnight at the Tommyfield Hotel, you can still enjoy their fragrant breakfast of a weekend, menu here.

Rooms at The Tommyfield – Kennington’s newest and nicest hotel

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Kennington Observer

Another of our Kennington Predictions for 2014 has come true – Ace Hotels have opened their latest outpost in Kennington.

Errrrr……OK, that’s not 100% true (yet), but Kennington does now have its own super-bijou boutique hotel in the form of six hotel rooms above The Tommyfield pub on Kennington Cross, and they’ve been decorated in a rather refined shade of industrial chic that isn’t a million miles from the Ace Hotel aesthetic. Our room was all white-washed brick walls, a chair that we’ve definitely seen in the Conran Shop, and a typographic ‘We not me’ print on the wall from the Changethethought collective.

Lovely bathroom too, with marble topped double sink and huge walk-in rain shower:

They launched without any fanfare at all in mid-May, and we were the first guests to stay in Room 3, although we have it on good authority that Russell Kane will shortly be lounging on the very same Super King Hypnos bed shortly.

A launch price of £119 per night per room (including breakfast) is reasonable for rooms that can more than compete with the very best that Airbnb can offer locally, minutes from the geographic centre of London.

If you stay on a week day it’s a DIY breakfast in your room from a pick of porridges, muesli, fresh fruit and juices, and our favourite Teapigs teas, plus a Nespresso machine.

At the weekend, guests breakfast downstairs in the pub from a more extensive menu, available until a very civilized 11.30am. But more of that later.

Morrissey’s Kennington song

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Kennington Observer

It samples the documentary We Are The North West Kennington Boys. It’s taken from the album West Kennington & I which is reissued tomorrow. Could Spring-Heeled Jim by Morrissey be the most Kennington song of all-time?

Charlie Chaplin and Albert Einstein

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Kennington Observer

photo from Distractify

North Lambeth L&R Club

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Kennington Observer

We’d always assumed this place, in between houses on Kennington Road, was derelict. Then a BT Sport banner appeared outside:

Soon followed by an advert for an event:

Now we have so many questions.

What’s it like inside?

When does it open? It never looks open.

Can anyone go, or do you have to be a member?

What does L&R stand for?

Is it on brand for Kennington Runoff? (Do they serve Kernel beer?) We fear not, but as you may have guessed, we’re running out of places to write about that are.

Cycle the Greater Kennington alphabet

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Kennington Observer

Join Kennington cycle warrior Charlie Holland (the force behind the Kennington People on Bikes blog) on an Alphabetical Adventure in the Greater Kennington area this Sunday 27 April. Taking in the districts formally known as Vauxhall and Waterloo, Charlie has planned a route with 26 stops of historical, cultural, scientific, or other significance across his patch, all traversed in alphabetical order. These look set to include the grand entrance to Necropolis, and the well-hidden North-West Kennington William Blake mosaics.

We note that the letter X has been left with apologies, presumably for lack of inspiration. In light of this, Kennington Runoff would like to suggest a couple of possibilities in X for Xanax at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, and X for Edward Cross, the man who brought giraffes and tigers to Kennington Park Road.

Book a free place on the ride at Cycle Confident and then meet at 10am on Sunday for a quick bike check before departing by 10.15am, to finish by 1.30pm. The ride starts on the segregated cycle track by Lassco, 30 Wandsworth Rd, SW8 2LG. Would recommend eating breakfast first before embarking on the ‘dozen or so’ miles, but not at Brunswick House or you’ll miss the ride.

Let’s revisit our Kennington predictions for 2014 and see how we’re doing

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Kennington Observer

We predicted that Sally White would provide mindfulness training for all staff – we are very touched to see they now have a book on their counter about mindfulness, although we have noticed occasional lapses in mindfulness towards closing time.

We predicted that Kernel Brewery would open their first pub in the site next to the Old Red Lion – watch this space for something even better for Kennington-based Kernel fans.

We predicted that Waitrose would expand in Kennington; they had their eyes on the site of the Kennington Post Office until that was saved from closure.

We predicted that The Imperial War Museum would reopen with catering from Ottolenghi. We should have said ‘The Imperial War Museum will briefly reopen then close again shortly afterwards for no apparent reason’. Fingers crossed they are just concluding negotiations with our man Yotam for their July relaunch.

We predicted that Russell Brand would perform at Always Be Comedy; it can only be a matter of time.

We predicted that Damien Hirst’s gallery would open in West Kennington – chop chop Damien.

We predicted that Dirty Burger would introduce a veggie burger. This happened! So for our next trick, we predict that Dirty Burger will introduce a veggie burger without mushrooms in BECAUSE MUSHROOMS ARE DISGUSTING, OK.

We predicted that Kevin Spacey would return to the Old Vic – and he will.

We predicted that Florence Welch would launch her guest column for Kennington Runoff by performing Addicted To Love at the Kennington Runoff pop up shop. That was a hint Flo. 300 words please on why you love Kennington to kenningtonrunoff@gmail.com. Deadline December 31st, else we’re giving your slot to Dot Allison.

Florence Welch with Sourberry at South London Pacific, warming up for her Kennington Runoff party performance

http://kenningtonrunoff.com/kennington-predictions-for-2014/

The Kennington Observer

Surreptitiously observing Kennington, including the suburbs Vauxhall, Oval, Walworth, and Elephant since 2012

Author Archives: Kennington Observer