Illustration by Rachel Lewis
Proud Kitchen is designed in a New York style, for sale the invite said, information pills but walking up the slope around the back of the Stables Market there’s no doubt we are in Camden. Glasses of Codorníu cava add a touch of Spain as we sip while pottering about the space, which feels determinedly British as it’s filled with photographs of David Bowie taken during his London years. It’s an eclectic mix, what goes on at Proud Camden – preserved features leave no doubt the Grade II-listed building used to be a stable, more specifically it once functioned as a hospital for the horses pulling barges along the nearby Regent’s Canal. The original beams are still visible in the ceilings, while the actual stables now function as VIP-areas.
The old barn beams contribute to the New York loft feel of Proud Kitchen, where guests are seated together along communal, candle-lit tables. Floral wallpaper on one side and crisp white tiles on another ensure an airy feel, as the food is served under crystal lampshades hung from heavy chains in an urban yet intimate setting.
Thursday’s press launch served up a starter of bresaola of beef, with piccalilli and sourdough toast, mixing ingredients from Italy, Britain and America. Alternatively guests could choose the vegetarian noodle salad or the soup of the day. Delicate flavours were the mark of all the starters, with the bresaola, a dried, salted beef, being much more subtle than comparable meats such as parma or serrano hams. The main dish offered a choice of roast sea bream with fennel, a squash and chestnut risotto, or grilled bavette steak with caramelised onion mash. While some guests found the beef to be too rare, this could presumably be cooked to order on a regular restaurant night. All the dishes were elegantly put together with simple, well-chosen ingredients. ‘They really know how to use herbs,’ my friend observed over the mashed potato. She left most of the haloumi cheese cubes which came with the green beans on her plate, but these were quickly snapped up by her neighbouring diners after they’d cleared their own plates.
Illustration by Rachel Lewis
Last but not least was dessert – we’d pre-ordered the food the day before so I had no idea the meringue, spiced with star anise, would be bigger than my fist. Served with autumn berry cream, the sourness of the berries offset the sweet meringue as I tried to work out which part I liked best; the crispy shell or the gooey middle. Also available was the tart of the day, or the intriguing-sounding beetroot and chocolate fondant with clotted cream. Again, the chocolate and the cream elements offset each other beautifully, proving chef Finlay Logan knows how to combine flavours for the ‘world cuisine’ menu.
At a set menu price of £19.50, this is a decent price for a meal of this quality, especially considering it also gives you free entry to the club afterwards. Proud Kitchen still has to iron out a few kinks, as there was some confusion over who had ordered what, as well as some waiting as the kitchen struggled to serve 100 people at once. But the waiting staff were friendly and helpful, and owner Alex Proud took it all in his stride as he addressed his guests: ‘It might not be quite right tonight, but give us a couple of months and we’ll get it right.’ Proud Camden is after all a nightclub ‘trying to serve good, honest and inexpensive food’. I’d say Proud Kitchen is already well on its way to do just that.
Proud Kitchen is open every day from midday until late. Find it upstairs at Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Camden Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1.
Illustration by Rachel Lewis
Proud Kitchen is designed in a New York style, sildenafil the invite said, buy but walking up the slope around the back of the Stables Market there’s no doubt we are in Camden. Glasses of Codorníu cava add a touch of Spain as we sip while pottering about the space, which feels determinedly British as it’s filled with photographs of David Bowie taken during his London years. It’s an eclectic mix, what goes on at Proud Camden – preserved features leave no doubt the Grade II-listed building used to be a stable, more specifically it once functioned as a hospital for the horses pulling barges along the nearby Regent’s Canal. The original beams are still visible in the ceilings, while the actual stables now function as VIP-areas.
The old barn beams contribute to the New York loft feel of Proud Kitchen, where guests are seated together along communal, candle-lit tables. Floral wallpaper on one side and crisp white tiles on another ensure an airy feel, as the food is served under crystal lampshades hung from heavy chains in an urban yet intimate setting.
Thursday’s press launch served up a starter of bresaola of beef, with piccalilli and sourdough toast, mixing ingredients from Italy, Britain and America. Alternatively guests could choose the vegetarian noodle salad or the soup of the day. Delicate flavours were the mark of all the starters, with the bresaola, a dried, salted beef, being much more subtle than comparable meats such as parma or serrano hams. The main dish offered a choice of roast sea bream with fennel, a squash and chestnut risotto, or grilled bavette steak with caramelised onion mash. While some guests found the beef to be too rare, this could presumably be cooked to order on a regular restaurant night. All the dishes were elegantly put together with simple, well-chosen ingredients. ‘They really know how to use herbs,’ my friend observed over the mashed potato. She left most of the haloumi cheese cubes which came with the green beans on her plate, but these were quickly snapped up by her neighbouring diners after they’d cleared their own plates.
Illustration by Rachel Lewis
Last but not least was dessert – we’d pre-ordered the food the day before so I had no idea the meringue, spiced with star anise, would be bigger than my fist. Served with autumn berry cream, the sourness of the berries offset the sweet meringue as I tried to work out which part I liked best; the crispy shell or the gooey middle. Also available was the tart of the day, or the intriguing-sounding beetroot and chocolate fondant with clotted cream. Again, the chocolate and the cream elements offset each other beautifully, proving chef Finlay Logan knows how to combine flavours for the ‘world cuisine’ menu.
At a set menu price of £19.50, this is a decent price for a meal of this quality, especially considering it also gives you free entry to the club afterwards. Proud Kitchen still has to iron out a few kinks, as there was some confusion over who had ordered what, as well as some waiting as the kitchen struggled to serve 100 people at once. But the waiting staff were friendly and helpful, and owner Alex Proud took it all in his stride as he addressed his guests: ‘It might not be quite right tonight, but give us a couple of months and we’ll get it right.’ Proud Camden is after all a nightclub ‘trying to serve good, honest and inexpensive food’. I’d say Proud Kitchen is already well on its way to do just that.
Proud Kitchen is open every day from midday until late. Find it upstairs at Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Camden Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1.
Illustration by Rachel Lewis
Proud Kitchen is designed in a New York style, clinic the invite said, unhealthy but walking up the slope around the back of the Stables Market there’s no doubt we are in Camden. Glasses of Codorníu cava add a touch of Spain as we sip while pottering about the space, which feels determinedly British as it’s filled with photographs of David Bowie taken during his London years. It’s an eclectic mix, what goes on at Proud Camden – preserved features leave no doubt the Grade II-listed building used to be a stable, more specifically it once functioned as a hospital for the horses pulling barges along the nearby Regent’s Canal. The original beams are still visible in the ceilings, while the actual stables now function as VIP-areas.
The old barn beams contribute to the New York loft feel of Proud Kitchen, where guests are seated together along communal, candle-lit tables. Floral wallpaper on one side and crisp white tiles on another ensure an airy feel, as the food is served under crystal lampshades hung from heavy chains in an urban yet intimate setting.
Illustration by Tasha Whittle
Thursday’s press launch served up a starter of bresaola of beef, with piccalilli and sourdough toast, mixing ingredients from Italy, Britain and America. Alternatively guests could choose the vegetarian noodle salad or the soup of the day. Delicate flavours were the mark of all the starters, with the bresaola, a dried, salted beef, being much more subtle than comparable meats such as parma or serrano hams. The main dish offered a choice of roast sea bream with fennel, a squash and chestnut risotto, or grilled bavette steak with caramelised onion mash. While some guests found the beef to be too rare, this could presumably be cooked to order on a regular restaurant night. All the dishes were elegantly put together with simple, well-chosen ingredients. ‘They really know how to use herbs,’ my friend observed over the mashed potato. She left most of the haloumi cheese cubes which came with the green beans on her plate, but these were quickly snapped up by her neighbouring diners after they’d cleared their own plates.
Illustration by Rachel Lewis
Last but not least was dessert – we’d pre-ordered the food the day before so I had no idea the meringue, spiced with star anise, would be bigger than my fist. Served with autumn berry cream, the sourness of the berries offset the sweet meringue as I tried to work out which part I liked best; the crispy shell or the gooey middle. Also available was the tart of the day, or the intriguing-sounding beetroot and chocolate fondant with clotted cream. Again, the chocolate and the cream elements offset each other beautifully, proving chef Finlay Logan knows how to combine flavours for the ‘world cuisine’ menu.
At a set menu price of £19.50, this is a decent price for a meal of this quality, especially considering it also gives you free entry to the club afterwards. Proud Kitchen still has to iron out a few kinks, as there was some confusion over who had ordered what, as well as some waiting as the kitchen struggled to serve 100 people at once. But the waiting staff were friendly and helpful, and owner Alex Proud took it all in his stride as he addressed his guests: ‘It might not be quite right tonight, but give us a couple of months and we’ll get it right.’ Proud Camden is after all a nightclub ‘trying to serve good, honest and inexpensive food’. I’d say Proud Kitchen is already well on its way to do just that.
Proud Kitchen is open every day from midday until late. Find it upstairs at Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Camden Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1.
Categories ,Alex Proud, ,Camden Stables Market, ,Codorníu, ,Finlay Logan, ,Proud Camden, ,Proud Kitchen, ,Rachel Lewis, ,The Horse Hospital
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