O perfil de Adore

Busy at lunchtime, you might have to wait for a table, but you'll not have to wait long; the service is quick and efficient, verging sometimes on the hasty - one gets the impression that lingerers are not looked kindly upon. However, the place has a generally friendly ambience, no doubt helped by the long communal table taking up a good portion of the space - though there are also smaller, private tables.

The food, though certainly a worthy lunch, isn't massively special; mostly bread-based, as befits the name - 'The Daily Bread'. They sell a range of preserves and breads as well as just serving them, and the prices aren't excessive.

Overall, Le Pain Quotidien is certainly pleasant, and makes an agreeable change from simply grabbing a sandwich from Tesco's. But I wouldn't go so far as to call it special.

I cannot express how much I adore Kew Gardens. If the star-rating system went up to ten, Kew would be worth fifty. Go there. I cannot strongly enough urge you to go to Kew. Get on a District Line train to Richmond, get off at Kew Gardens station, and walk the short distance to the gate. If any part of you enjoys the sight of green and growing things you will not be disappointed.

The variety is breathtaking. Being really big, Kew has space for all sorts of random marvels - Henry Moore's sculptures, for example, exhibit there until March 2008. The huge green-houses hold glories aplenty, and that's before you even get a few hundred meters away from the gate; venture further in, go for a nice long wander, and you are guaranteed to find something to love. Wildlife as well as plants - at Kew you may fairly easily catch sight of the golden pheasant, alternatively called 'the pimp of the avian world', as well as less flashy critters such as rabbits and wood-peckers.

The entrance price is not negligable, though student discounts are given; and be warned that buying food at one of the cafes inside may well injure your wallet. However, I would unhesitatingly label any price as 'well worth it', whatever the season, as Kew is simply beautiful.

Not that I'm an expert or anything, but I would point anyone seeking a tattoo in the direction of Chioko. It doesn't look like much, granted, being hidden away in a diminutive basement beneath an arbitrary accessory shop, and inside is crowded in a cheerful sort of way, but I've never met people more friendly about permanently scarring me. I'd advise making an appointment rather than just wandering in.

Facilities-wise, the actual studio is also small, bereft of a bench or similar, so having work done in an awkward position may be something of a challenge. Hygiene is no worry at all, as everything is sterile and wrapped; there's also a bench just outside, so you can bring a friend to sit and call moral support through the door.

I have also a sneaking suspicion that the price is adjusted based on how much the owner and the artist like the design. This being effectively a tax on ugliness, I approve whole-heartedly.

This is an excellent pub, very large and high-ceilinged, with a varied floor level that provides visual interest as well as a plethora of comfortable nooks. It's decorated in pretty traditional pub style; wooden furnishings and panelling, assorted knick-knacks, making it feel oddly cosy despite the impressive size. Being a Fuller's pub, it has a large range of their beers on tap, with many more offered in bottles; also speciality beers from the continent. The food, served from noon to nine o'clock, is extremely tasty and generously proportioned, if a little pricey; I would certainly recommend Euston Flyer for a pub lunch over anywhere else in the area. A function room is also advertised as being available for hire.

At lunchtime, it's possible to have the pub almost to yourself. Come evening and weekend, despite its size it does become rather full; however, a lot of the evening crowd are after-work businesspeople, so it doesn't stay crammed for too long. Major sporting events are shown on several large screens, so if there's a World Cup or similar going on in a sport you don't like it may be wise to go somewhere else until the game is over. However, that's the only reason I can think of to avoid Euston Flyer, as it is in all respects a superb pub.

This place generates in me a resounding 'meh' of disinterest. The service was fine, nothing special. The tea was okay. I make better tea at home. The sandwiches were tasty, but not really worth the price ((high, but given the area, not excessively)). The ambience, decor, and overall look of the interior gives the impression of a street cafe that's been roofed over and walled in; metal chairs and tables, tiled floor, walls barren but for a few Tamara de Lempicka prints. The only point of warmth, welcome or even interest is the vast array of cakes inside the window. I didn't try one; maybe if I had I'd feel more charitably disposed towards Cafe Deco, as they certainly look delectable.

Anyway, it's not objectionable in any way, it just isn't extraordinary either. Except maybe for the cakes.

It is pretty much what it says on the tin: a fruit shop. A cheap, tasty fruit shop, conveniently right by the tube station, where one can get a bowl of mixed fruit for £1. You wouldn't expect the selection to be as wide as it is, either - exotic fruit in Kentish Town? Apparently so, and not for the ludicrous prices you'd pay for lychees pretty much anywhere else in London.

There isn't a whole lot you can say about it, really: 'cheap and tasty fresh fruit' pretty much covers it.

It's not every day one gets to see a shopping centre slowly fill up with the queue for a black metal concert. For this sight alone I would like the Academy; however, it's also just a good venue. The stage is small, and not greatly separated from the crowd, so performances feel much more intimate. Given that the venue itself is also very small, you'll have to try pretty hard to get a bad view.

As it's owned by Carling, if you've been to the much larger Academy in Brixton, you know what to expect from the bar; in a nutshell, lager and shots, expensive. However, Sainsbury's is just across the road, so queue-picnics are easy to arrange. Nearby is Angel Station, on the Victoria Line, and King's Cross isn't too far so night buses are generally around as well.

Generally, my opinion can be summed up as: if you are seeing an awesome band, seeing them here is a definite bonus. Have fun.

The tags pretty much say it all, to be honest. There isn't a lot that's noteworthy about the Goose; it's certainly cheap - or at least by London standards - the food is actually pretty good, standard 'pub grub'; and they show sport on the TV. Other than that it's just... a pub. There is a hideous carpet, random old men, cheap beer offers, and a limited range of real ales.

To its credit, it manages to be both very large and possessed of cosy nooks; one can squirrel oneself away in a corner with a book, although why you'd want to is an open question as the atmosphere is not really that of a laid-back, slow-moving local. Most of the staff are competent and fairly friendly but too frequently you'll be served by someone who, well... isn't either. Be aware that the Goose does generally ID people as a matter of course, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Overall, I'd hesitate to recommend the Goose, unless I were looking for a cheap and filling pub lunch.

Well, the obvious thing to say is that King’s Cross is ungodly busy at rush hour, which is undoubtedly true. Commuters are an ungentle folk who do not look kindly upon the slow or the confused. I would recommend that if at all possible you steer clear until mid-morning, when the rush has dimmed; and that where practical you avoid the Northern and Piccadilly lines. Actually, it’s probably good practice to avoid the Northern and especially Piccadilly lines anyway, if you can.
One ray of hope is that the Tube station was clearly built with very large capacities in mind, so if you know what you’re doing you can avoid being clogged in the crowd. Unfortunately, it wasn’t built with any conception of pleasing high ceilings, so any claustrophobics will not be having a good time. The many exits which are a boon to the rushed are also a bane to those who don’t know the area.
As for other transport, King’s Cross Tube serves St Pancras International rail, and is within easy walking distance of Euston rail station. There are also a great multitude of buses running from the station although here I would caution that unless you know already where to catch your bus, you are probably best to catch it from Euston instead. There are very few buses that go to one and not the other, and the bus stops at Euston are much better signed and marked.

I'm not sure whether Jungle wants to be an army-surplus shop, a costume store, a specialist clothing retailer, or what. They sell a fairly wide range of clothes stretching from the plain and utilitarian - cargo trousers and polo shirts - to the pleasantly unexpected - Swedish army winter coats - to things that I can only imagine must be used by role-players or people going to costume-parties; police uniform jackets, hi-vis vests, helmets, and the like. Most of the stuff is pretty good quality, and the staff are usually friendly and willing to dig through to help you find what you're after.

It is also not as expensive as its location would lead one to think; the aforementioned Swedish army winter coat, in which it is impossible to be cold, set me back less than fifty pounds. I'd however inject a note of warning: do not think to buy combat boots here. Either they won't fit, or they'll be in poor condition. Despite that gripe, I'd still recommend Jungle.