161 Kirkdale in Sydenham was the setting for this Roberts London evening out in 2014. There were cakes on the counter, small plates to share and bottles lining the wall. But the film was also about something beyond the food and drink: what makes a neighbourhood bar feel at home in its area.
Originally published on 30 November 2014, the video combines a visit to the bar with my thoughts on south-east London. It is an archive of that evening and the opinions I expressed at the time. The film’s old opening hours and menu references should be read in that historical context.
An evening at 161 Kirkdale in Sydenham
The film begins outside the entrance before moving indoors. In the introduction I describe 161 Kirkdale as a little bar that I love, then explain why an independent place like this stood out to me locally.
My original description contrasts the area’s old pubs and familiar coffee chains with the arrival of a new independent bar. Coffee, cake, small plates, beer and wine gave it a broad appeal. It could be somewhere to stop earlier in the day as well as a place for an evening drink.
Cakes on the counter
The camera spends time looking across a generous display of cakes and other sweet things. Chocolate squares sit beside whole cakes, muffins and jars, bringing plenty of detail into the small room.
These shots help explain the coffee-shop side of the business described in the original video. The counter is both a place to sit and a display of what is available, with plates and glasses sharing the same wooden surface.
Small plates and a glass of wine
During the visit, the camera shows cheese, sliced cured meat and crackers beside wine glasses. Rather than a formal restaurant table, the setting is the bar counter, close to the bottles, food display and other customers.
The film records the plates visually without giving a detailed account of every ingredient. That is part of its character: a relaxed look at an evening out, with food and drink woven into a wider conversation about the neighbourhood.
Sydenham, style and neighbourhood change
Much of the commentary is a tongue-in-cheek comparison with the fashionable parts of London. I joke about hipster clothes, cocktails in jam jars and the search for individuality. The joke also turns back on me, as someone filming the food in front of him.
Beneath that humour is a more serious concern. I describe conversations with locals who liked the bar but worried that a new fashionable reputation might eventually price people out. Those are views reported in the 2014 film, rather than a claim about how Sydenham later developed.
My own point was that a successful local bar depended on the owners’ hard work and passion, and on the community around it. The film celebrates south-east London as the place where I grew up, with an identity of its own.
Inside the bar
The food continues to appear alongside the commentary, including a small earthenware bowl and plates on the counter. Later, the film lets the pictures carry more of the visit as music accompanies the room, drinks and dessert.
The wider interior shots show customers seated beneath shelves of bottles. Pendant lights, wooden surfaces and closely arranged seats give a clear sense of the compact space. The camera stays at the level of an ordinary visit, looking around from the counter.
Dessert and a final look around
A chocolate dessert on a white plate appears towards the end of the evening. There is also a moment of photographing the food, a small visual echo of the earlier joke about taking pictures of everything.
The closing views return to the bottle-lined shelves and the room before the farewell outside. In the commentary I place the bar between Sydenham and Forest Hill, at the address that gave it its name: 161 Kirkdale.
Watch the original 2014 visit
The full film below preserves both the evening and its playful argument about what makes somewhere cool. For another independent-business visit from the archive, see Federation Coffee in Brixton Village.
