What is going on with Camden at the moment. I used to frequent this area of town when I was a teen roughly ten(ish) years ago and back then it was home to only three things – goths, tattoos and cheap Chinese food stalls. The goths are still here, and so are the tattoos – but the Chinese food is disappearing incredibly fast, being replaced by restaurants. BOHO Camden is one of those newbie restaurants. The restaurant may be located on the not so glamorous Inverness Street, but it’s a surprising haven within only a stones through from the bustling Camden High Street.
Inside BOHO it has a sort of late night bar feel, with that eclectic, rustic Camden decor you’d hope to expect. I’m not entirely sure it’s the sort of place I’d choose to spend an afternoon lunching in, but evening wise I’d imagine there’s a great vibe going on inside this place. The food menu on the other hand is actually rather intriguing. I read it online the day before and if I’m honest, wasn’t overly impressed – but the quality makes it stand out. Simple dishes are given quality ingredients, which follows through in flavour. The quails egg scotch egg was testament to that. A fantastic golden crumb, quality sausage meat and the egg having a lovely runny centre – all accompanied by some lovely whiskey mayonnaise. Pulled pork croquettes with BBQ mayonnaise were another lovely plate of food and so was these rather generously sized vegan tacos, full of fresh and tasty ingredients.
After starting our meal on far too many delicious mojito’s, we went all tropical with a BOHO Blue Island. Our favourite cocktail of the afternoon was a mixture of Havana 3 yr old, Beefeater gin, Wyborowa vodka, tequila, triple sec, blue curacao with lemonade – it was like being back on an island in the Caribbean. And then the burgers arrived. Gorgeous buns, delicious burger sauces and moorish fillings. The meat in the beefburger was perfectly cooked to a requested medium rare, with a nice smoky and lingering flavour to it. As good as all that juicy beef was, the star here was the chicken burger. A succulent buttermilk fried chicken breast, encased in a lovely sweet brioche bun and topped with a chipotle mayonnaise, baby gem and side of fries. The fries need to up their game a bit, but this chicken burger is so good you can easily forgive them.
We finished up on a fresh eton mess, drizzed with rosehip syrup. Not the most spectacular dessert you’ll ever eat, but it’s very British and very satisfying. BOHO Camden wasn’t at all the restaurant I was expecting and it really did surprise me. It’s not complicated or complex cooking but instead, well designed classic dishes focusing on quality. Sometimes in life that’s exactly what you need – good food washed down with a cocktail or three.
