With a few changes, Alchemy Centre Cafe could be one of the best kept Camden secrets.

The Venue
You must have passed their steps a million times and yet never gone upstairs - the Alchemy Yoga Centre occupies a wonderful space on the first floor within the historical Camden Lock. Forget the loud noise, crowds and offending smells of the market to retreat into a wonderfully peaceful space. Once at the top of the stairs, the cafe is in the middle, between two gorgeous yoga studios. The decor is holistic and warm, with plenty of bricks and untreated woods and simple furniture. Shelves show cooking books, health manuals and yoga accoutrements.

The Atmosphere
The simple decor, natural material and plenty of light are conducive to harmony in this space, which is already almost preternaturally peaceful; despite the bustle happening a few meters below, almost no noise trickles upstairs. In between classes the cafe is very peaceful, while the space fills up in between. The yogini practicing here often do not wear shoes so you will see plenty of people sipping their tea barefoot. Incense, scented candles and the occasional sound of the gong are all part of the experience, as well as yoga mats and comfortable clothing. The clientele is quite diverse but composed almost exclusively of yoga students and teachers. Most of them are women, usually in their late twenties and early thirties, although age varies between late teens to sixty plus.

The Food
Once you’ve done your Hatha yoga and are in complete peace with yourself, you might fancy a stop in the cafe. Unfortunately your peace may be irritated thanks to the cafe’s inconsistent service. At times the counter is staffed and the shelves present amazing looking raw chocolate cakes, multicolour salads and fresh wraps. The choice is not very wide but you can easily choose between a few options each from salads, mains, desserts and snacks. At other times, the cafe seems completely different and becomes self-service: the shelves show only cold pre-made food - although organic and mostly vegan - including a thick calzone (£2.80), a power salad (£3), spinach and tofu pouch (£2.80), polenta (£2.70) and sweet seemingly homemade things like organic wheat-free cakes (from £2), wheat free chocolate brownie (£2), chocolate Om Bar, power snacks and others.

The Drink
Yogi tea is the drink of choice at Alchemy and while self-service, it is only £1 with a wide choice of tea bags. Alternatively, you can pick from the Luscombe (from £2) range of soft drinks: cranberry crush, Sicilian, strawberry or raspberry lemonade and others. Other options are the Fentiman’s organic drinks range including the dandelion and burdock flavour, fresh coconut water in a carton and more drinks from a chiller. When the cafe is staffed, expect good hot drinks. Be aware, though, that caffeine and dairy milk are mostly banned.

The Last Word
If the Alchemy Centre Cafe was just more reliable, it would truly be a hidden gem in the middle of Camden. At the moment, it’s annoyingly hit or miss which may spoil your peaceful experience.

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