It's no secret that I've got a good ol' case of wanderlust at the moment. If you have a browse through my Pinterest you'll be more than a little bombarded with dreamy repins of destinations all over the world. But alas, adult responsibilities and finances mean that (for the moment at least) these are still dreams. So, I've decided to discover a lot more of the UK this year. I'm hoping to head to Bristol, Brighton and Liverpool, but hit me up with anymore suggestions!
Having said that, Camden isn't actually a new place for me, but rather one of my favourite places in London that I try to make an annual trip to. The last time I visited was (I believe) for my sister's 18th birthday two years ago, so when she turned the big 2-0 a fortnight ago I decided a trip back was totally overdue.
After travelling down to Slough with the other half, we headed into London with my sister, her boyfriend and best friend. Naturally the journey wasn't without disasters: the tube station at Camden road was closed, which meant we had to go on a really long-ass route that involved overground trains and all sorts. Cross that over with the fact that we were on a train going towards Wembley on the day of the Charity Shield (basically a massive football match), and you've got a packed, sweaty train on a boiling hot day. Brill.
But, when we finally got there we were truly excited. We hit up Camden's Cereal Killer Cafe, which I've written a whole post on here. In my opinion this is a must-do if you're heading to this little part of London. They stock well over 100 cereals and although we did book a table, there was absolutely no need to as they had tonnes of free seating inside. Having said that, we did book for 3pm, so it may have been a lot busier during 'the lunch time rush'.
Next up on the must-see list is obviously a quick meander around their outdoor market. This is one of my favourite places, and I always get totally drawn in by vendors, pretty colours and semi-unique gifts. Prewarn: don't buy anything in the first half hour - a lot of merchandise is repeated on these stalls, so that gives you time to see exactly what there is to offer.
The Stables market is also something that I would definitely recommend going to if you have a few hours to spare to wander around. I've lost count of the number of times I've got lost in here, and I really think it makes for an incredible experience. You're surrounded by people of a whole variety of cultures, with goodies to suit any kind of style or desire. For example, we wandered past a stall dedicated to light reflective mosaic lamps, to one filled with stuffed llamas of varying colours and sizes, to one that sold homemade soy candles. There's so much to do and see and I always come home feeling as if my senses are a little worn out.
It wouldn't really be a post about Camden if I didn't mention the street food would it? This is probably one of my favourite, if not the favourite part of visiting Camden. You can pretty much get anything you want if you wander around enough, and despite being tempted by crepes, deep fried chocolate bars, pizza slices the size of my head and cupcakes that are made of my dreams, I eventually settled for some bang bang chicken and noodles. Seriously though, if you're as much of a food obsessive as I am, then you'll understand how painful it was to walk past so many beautiful food stalls and decide on just one.
Oh, and did I mention that they've got a MAC store and a Dr Marten one *heart eye-emoji*?
I vlogged my day in Camden, so please give it a watch if you want to see first hand (ish) what it's like!
I've been wanting to head to this little cafe in the heart of Camden ever since it hit the news a couple of years ago. Naturally it faced a lot of bad press because y'know over £3 for a bowl of cereal is obscene, according to news reports. But when you really think about it - is a fiver for a meal and a drink plus service and a fab atmosphere in Central London really a bad price? Er, no.
The basic premise of the cafe is that is sells cereal. Only cereal. Over 120 cereals. From all over the globe. Got your attention yet? Then you have over 30 varieties of milk. And then you have over 20 toppings. Basically it's cereal lovers' heaven. They even have totally vegan options. And y'know, actually more than one - total madness.
I'm such a ditherer that I had to look up the menu of course. Here I found a zone of glory: the cereal cocktail section. Sadly this was alcohol free, BUT this is where the creators of The Cereal Cafe get let their passion run wild. The cocktail menu is a mixture of complementary cereals, milks and toppings. I went for unicorn poop (all the sugar), which was made up of ricicles, mini marshmallows, marshmallow fluff, broken-up party rings and hundreds & thousands. Like is that heaven or what?! All of us chose a different cereal cocktail, which comes in clear plastic bowls with the cutest little milk bottles so that you can choose how much to add.
Once you got over the whole cereal-ness of the place, you're then hit with the unique decor. All 120 cereal boxes line the shelves around the front counter, and they look INCREDIBLE. Then, as you move into the back of the cafe where the seating is, you pass a spice girls wallpapered selfie wall, more cereal memorabilia and general '90s funk. Our table had a VHS case as the reserved sign, a nightlight lamp in the centre of the table, and we sat on kids beds with '90s duvet covers on. There were Super Mario, Bart Simpson and Powerpuff Girls covers to name just a few. 100 points for '90s nostalgia here.
Seriously though, I had the best time at the Cereal Killer Cafe, and I would totally recommend going there if you head to Camden. It's hidden near the lower entrance to the Stables Market and is definitely one of the town's hidden gems.
