Late night London cafes
Recently, I was going up Hampstead High Street and I noticed that a bar called the Tabby Cat lounge had shut. Now, I have never been to this bar but what was of interest was that this was an attempt to open a late night restaurant and that it had failed. Formerly, on this site, stood Calamity’s, commonly known as Clammys, another late night restaurant.
The late night restaurant was a genre of restaurant that lasted from the mid 70s to the late 80s where bored young adults could go in the middle of the night to eat a plate of totally superfluous, often mediocre food. There were a series of them whose north west London epicentre was the Finchley Road and that have all long bitten the dust.
Nocturnal suburban ennui
Calamity’s was by far the longest lasting, surviving until around 2006 and through its portals you could get a burger, a spaghetti Bolognaise and a coffee until three in the morning. It was packed in its heyday, a respite from the nocturnal ennui of suburbia. Like all these eateries, the food was at best OK but it was the escape and the companionship that was the allure. Its sickly green frontage announced it as a late night café. Actually on the Finchley Road was Emmanuelle’s named after the crap erotic film of the same name. It was very dark with mirrored walls and was, I suppose, aiming to be chic and sexy but I was never very convinced. The food was the usual generic burger and Bolognaise mix and the place was a laugh if there was nothing better
to do. I believe it is now a Thai restaurant.
Sense of stonedness
Further along the Finchley Road was Tel Aviv that served Israeli food, if I recall a rather good falafel and again open until 3 or 4 in the morning. The site is now occupied by a Greek fish restaurant. Finally, heading towards West Hampstead was Tricky Dick’s that dated from an earlier era hence the name, after President Richard Nixon with a more hippy feel and an overt sense of stonedness that was the subtext for all these venues. They served mainly burgers and American style cakes and it was done up in a manner suggesting an American shack.
Now, I’m not suggesting that any of these places were gastronomic temples or super happening social scenes but hey were places to meet late for bored, sleepless young adults and with the right company you could have fun. I suspect that they have been replaced by the computer and social networking sites. So you now have 4,000,000 friends on Facebook but nowhere to have a chat and a coffee if you’re feeling in need of human contact. Swings and roundabouts, I suppose.
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| Message: | 4/4 |
| Date and time: | 27/01/2012 at 09:30:32 |
| Sender: | Jeremy |
| Before the Tabby Cat was Maxwells! | |
| Message: | 3/4 |
| Date and time: | 06/07/2011 at 14:14:50 |
| Sender: | Roy |
| My recently deceased Mother Doris Spackman (92)actually worked in the First of Londons Milk Bars in Fleet Street and was there on the opening day in 1935. She was married one year later and her Marriage Certificate states her occupation as a Milk Bar girl. | |
| Message: | 2/4 |
| Date and time: | 18/04/2011 at 11:59:29 |
| Sender: | allan |
| I remember the old Black and White milkbar in Fleet Street. Open all night and full of amazing characters....... | |
| Message: | 1/4 |
| Date and time: | 03/11/2010 at 23:23:23 |
| Sender: | Jackie |
| Occasionally went to the Up All Night in Fulham Road. Rather louche, I seem to remember, but I guess that's what an all night caff should be. | |
