La Goulette is the only purely Tunisian restaurant in England, according to new owner and chef Alex Mahfoudh.

Beautifully decorated with Tunisian wall tiles and coloured lanterns, the Kilburn restaurant is one of the best places to experience a taste of Tunisia without leaving London.

“I feel like I’m in Tunisia, that’s why I love it,” says Mahfoudh, a Tunisian who has spent half his life in London. “It’s Tunisia in London.”

Last night we sat under the canopy at the front of the restaurant and enjoyed an evening of Tunisian hospitality.

We started off with some typical Tunisian mezze dishes, including salad ommuk huria (cooked, crushed carrots with harissa and spices) and vegetarian brick (a deep-fried filo parcel filled with mashed potatoes, egg and fresh parsley).

Next I enjoyed the vegetarian cous cous with vegetables and chickpeas, while my mum chose the lamb kousha: lamb with vegetables and saffron sauce cooked slowly and served in a clay pot.

I couldn’t finish the enormous portion of cous cous so the waitress kindly wrapped it up and gave me a doggy bag to take home.

We finished with some sticky baklava and a second glass of the Wardy Clas Blane Lebanese wine.

La Goulette is a sociable kind of place where you talk to people at neighbouring tables. We met two groups of locals, all visiting the restaurant for the first time.

Mahfoudh tells me there’s music and dancing every Friday and Saturday night (and they’re hoping to introduce belly dancing soon). I’m already planning my next visit.

La Goulette, 51 Willesden Lane, Kilburn, London, NW6 7RL. Tel: 020 7624 5800

Searching for Albanian culture for our World in London challenge, we came across the The Queen’s Arms pub in Kilburn, which regularly hosts Albanian bands. 

If that’s not enough to tempt you along, you might also bump into up-and-coming singing star Rita Ora, whose father runs the pub. (We’ve read that she still hangs out there when she’s in town.)

Do you know of more Albanian culture in London? Let us know in the comments below.

Kilburn High Road’s already home to the Tricycle, the Luminaire and several great pubs. Now the street has added another string to its bow: the quirky Betsy Smith bar.

Decorated in a “wonderland” style, the venue is packed with unusual design features, from upside-down flamingos on the ceiling, to birdcage lights, and fairground mirrors that distort your figure in the ladies’ loo.

We visited last night, and found a seat in The Burrow at the back, a comfy, dark area complete with badger chairs. They were playing a relaxing soundtrack featuring Florence and the Machine and The Smiths.

I had a simple lime and soda with fresh lime juice. If you’re feeling more adventurous you can choose from an imaginative cocktail list, including cocktails with jaffa cakes and rose petals served in teacups and jam jars.

There’s an open kitchen, where chefs were preparing wood oven pizzas, which seemed to be popular with fellow customers. They also do breakfasts from 8am.

The bar was fairly quiet last night (perfect for a chat with friends) but they’re planning a series of regular events including DJs, bands, performances, quizzes and late-night opening until 3am at the weekend.

Find out more on the Betsy Smith Facebook page

The Tricycle Theatre

Tucked away in Kilburn the Tricycle has a friendly inclusive atmosphere, with an inexpensive bar and relaxed seating areas. The theare has a reputation for interesting topical programmes promoting the work of new playwrights and I was impressed to see such a diverse audience in attendance.

There is too much talent to mention here, both on stage and behind the scenes. On the whole I preferred the “Then” section: the plays were wittier and scripts more engaging. My favourite was the brilliantly funny Handbagged by Moira Buffini. It explores the relationship between Margaret Thatcher (Mags) and The Queen (Liz) and their fall-out in the 80s. Particular mention must go to Claire Cox who acted brilliantly throughout.

All but one of the plays are directed exuberantly by Indhu Rubasingham. These shows can be seen together but stand equally well alone.

Then and Now is on at The Tricycle Theatre until Saturday 17 July, book here.

Although she’s in her 70s,  wonderful Wanda’s still got the pipes that made her one of the biggest female rock’n'roll stars of the 1950s and beyond.

Her career was helped along by a certain Elvis Presley, whose “ring she wore” (she was his girlfriend) for about year back in the day. And that’s just one of the entertaining stories about her life Wanda recounts as enjoyable stage banter throughout the show.  Another is how popular her hit Fujiyama Mama was in Japan – the song contains the lyrics “I can cause destruction just like the atom bomb”, which you’d imagine might have been rather confronting in 1957.

Imelda May was the support act and she also joined Wanda on stage to belt out a few tunes together, including one of my faves: Hard Headed Woman.  Other standouts were Let’s Have A Party and Funnel Of Love. And, proving she’s not stuck in the past, Wanda did a cover of Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good from her new album, which was produced by the White Stripes‘ Jack White.

The Luminaire is a real music-lovers venue. It’s intimate, with great sound, and it’s just a shame Wanda’s so tiny, we could barely see her on the low stage. We could hear her perfectly though, because even after 50 years in the biz, Wanda can still wail!