AS a young boy, I got my pizzas from Parkway in Camden. My best friend lived right behind the restaurant – so the chef posted our orders through his kitchen window.

Much has changed in Camden over the last few decades, but Parkway remains a popular street to eat out. These days, you will find a vegan pizzeria, Malaysian and Korean street food and branches of Pizza Express, Pizza Pilgrims and Five Guys.

Laz, a popular Turkish restaurant, has been trading on Parkway since 2017. It describes itself as a new generation “meyhane”, a type of traditional bar or tavern in Turkey.

True to its roots, they serve ice-cold bottles of Efes, a Turkish beer, and four types of raki.

The decoration is homely and eclectic. On one side, a long shelf is lined with teapots, a vintage folding camera and a collection of framed family photos.

There is a large mural of a singer with bouffant hair and black bow tie, clutching an old-school microphone.

The food here is designed to share, meze-style, with a dizzying selection of hot and cold starters plus an array of meat, fish and vegetarian main dishes – many cooked on the grill.

Specialities include Hemşin Muhlamasi, an unctuous mix of cheese, cornmeal and garlic which arrives steaming hot in an ornate metal pan. Another bestseller is a mix of marinated lamb, with peppers, pomegranate molasses, strained yoghurt and matchstick potatoes.

My friend and I shared a plate of crisp pastries filled with a mixture of four cheeses, and served with fresh tarragon, chilli flakes and a smoked tomato sauce.

There was a lovely babaganoush, a humus topped with crispy lamb and mashed fava beans served with a tangle of sweet, caramelised onion.

Later, a platter of tender lamb chops and kofte kebabs still sizzling from their stint on the grill.

Save room for their signature dessert: a moreish milk-soaked sponge cake topped with caramel and a dusting of pistachio.

Laz is an ideal venue for special celebrations and larger groups who can feast around their long tables.

If you’re lucky, you might even find musician Akay Eke and his band playing by the bar.

Laz is also recommended for vegetarians and vegans, who will find plenty of choice on the long menu.

Owner Numan Devri grew up by the Black Sea and has a long career in hospitality in Camden.

Along with several restaurants in the borough, he has also built a chalet in the Firtina valley in Turkey.

This is located in a mountainous national park famous for its wildlife and tea plantations – “a Garden of Eden on the Black Sea”.

Parkway may now be home to several restaurant chains but Laz is fiercely independent and one of a kind.
As one reviewer said online: “I have never been to Istanbul, but dining at @lazcamden made me feel all the #Londonbul vibes!”

Laz
41 Parkway, NW1
info@lazcamden.com
+44 20 7482 5544
@lazcamden
www.lazcamden.com