Nº 9: Ted Mair
The musician drops in to tell us about his favourite late-night sit-down meals, the best brekkies in Camberwell, and why cask ale is a superior bev.
We’re back with musician Ted Mair. Read on to find out what he’s into, and if you’re new here, hit subscribe for secret recommendations every Monday and Wednesday.
Ted Mair is a musician based in London. He plays in bands The Golden Dregs, Findom, Vogues, as well as his own project currently called Ted Mair.
☞ STOKEY POOL BAR: On a residential road in Stoke Newington there’s an out of place, industrial-looking building. Behind a door that you have to buzz to get past, is Manor Snooker Club – a room with about 20 pool tables and a bar that serves simply cans. When living in the area, this place was referred to (amongst approx. 3 people including me) as Stokey Pool Bar. SPB is for anyone who wants to enjoy a leisurely game of pool without the agg of having someone plonk down a pound coin on the table to reserve the next game. There’s apparently a trendy music/art space above it now, so let’s hope it doesn’t go the way of Ridley Rd Market Bar (aka the Bad Way). google.com/maps
☞ UBUWEB: A treasure trove of video art and art film. Any obscure thing you read about will be available here. My favourite is a film of Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty from above. ubu.com
☞ SIT DOWN MEALS IN THE BACK ROOM OF A KEBAB SHOP: I saw a tweet recently that said something along the lines of ‘the problem with London is that there aren’t any restaurants open for sit-down meals when you leave the pub’. This is simply not true. It may not be clear from outside, but many kebab shops have back rooms with tables where you can order a slightly fancier version of the food they serve in the front. In the back room you can enjoy these grilled delights whilst sitting with friends, drinking a beer, and – most importantly – eating from a plate, well into the early hours.
Fave one – Golden Grill, Camberwell Green
No longer with us – the chairs in Ali Baba, Dalston :(
☞ CASK ALE AT THE PUB: Sounds like a blokey tip, but I maintain that ale is usually delicious and generally easier to drink than lager (no bubbles). Most importantly, it is guaranteed to be the cheapest pint going. Often £4 in London :O
by Ed Gray
☞ BREAKFAST IN CAMBERWELL TWO WAYS: Everyone knows that Camberwell is a great place to eat. For breakfast there’s two (v. different) options that I’d recommend:
Starting with a classic greasy spoon – Rocksteady Eddie’s is extremely reasonable, full of Elvis memorabilia, and run by a Turkish family, the son of whom addresses each customer as ‘guvnor’. It’s great vibes all round, though the seating is pretty uncomfortable.
The second option is Nandine. There’s two Nandines, one on the high st and one on Vestry Road, right below my old flat. I’d recommend the latter. The Kurdish Breakfast consists of walnuts, olives, tahini mixed with date molasses, fresh bread, thick yoghurt (made in-house) and more. It’s also not too expensive (I think £6-7) and on a sunny day you can sit outside on the quiet residential street.
☞ READING: The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker. waterstones.com
♪ LISTENING TO: ‘IF U PLZ’, a Spotify playlist by Caroline Polachek. Many gems interspersed with her own tunes.
☠︎ HATES: I love cycling, but I hate getting a wet ass when caught cycling in the rain (a frequent occurrence). Though what’s actually even worse is when you’re approaching a red light, weaving between traffic to reach the front of the queue, and someone blows a HUGE cloud of vape out their stationary car and engulfs you in their misty stink.
Ty Ted! Follow Ted here. Ted’s next gig is on Thursday 24th March at AMP Studios with ELSAS + Me, Charles. tickettailor.com
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