Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Posted By:
Trevor Baker
Photo:
Trevor Baker
Archgate Café
Next to Archway Tube Station is an awesomely grim black tower that causes a permanent gale to blow litter in tiny, infinite circles at its base. It's an apocalyptic scene that sums up Archway's general air of 70s brutalism. Just across the street from the tube, though, is Archgate Cafe. The name gives you a clue that maybe they'd like to be a little further up the hill in civilised Highgate but they've done a fantastic job of isolating themselves from the grime outside. They do a choice of massive English breakfasts and very reasonable Turkish food, all served in a calm, civilised manner in what's little more than a tiny hallway. On architects' drawing boards there are already artists renditions of a time when Archway Tower has been knocked down and replaced by a leafy green square. Archgate Cafe, then, is like a glimpse of a happier future.
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