There are few better places to 'hang out' in London on the weekends than Camden Town.

In the last decade or so Camden Town's market has boomed and the area now attracts people from all walks of life and from all over the world. Some regulars argue that the market has become too commercial and upmarket thereby moving away from its roots. But Camden Town still affords visitors a wonderful array of goodies. You'll find home made handicrafts - earthenware items, frames, candles and handmade soaps are favourites. There is lots of brick-a-brack and a nice international flavour to many items. If you are able to fend off big crowds, particularly on the occasional sunny day, you are bound to find something or the other that takes your fancy.

There is something for everyone in Camden Town. Variety is the key in Camden and in keeping with the range of items available the food is also suitably diverse. It is also an area where Camden has improved in leaps and bounds lately. The Camden Stables area (next to Camden Bridge) is a treasure chest for international cuisine. The area is a concentration of little canteens all serving different specialities. You'll find a strong oriental presence with Chinese, Japanese and Thai being prolific and popular.

You will also find Vietnamese, Indian, Jordanian and Lebanese cuisine. For the health conscious there is an organic food stall and for seafood lovers there is an excellent seafood stall as well. Apart from this you'll also find excellent crepes, good coffee and some decent home made cakes and pastries. Generally you have to rely on your own judgement to see what looks good on the day. Another good indication is the relative rush at stalls. However, from experience, the Japanese and Chinese stalls are always crowded and the sweet and sour chicken and the chicken teriyaki with its flavoursome sauce are both excellent.

The Lebanese shewarma while not spectacular is a filling snack and the falafel is good. The crepes are delicious and very filling. After a meal 2 or 3 people can easily share a large crepe. The Indian stall is somewhat disappointing offering the usual fare of samosas rather than something a bit more inventive. In general though, because there is so much competition between the many different stalls, that the food has to be pretty good and servings plentiful. Otherwise you lose out to your next-door neighbour. But that's not all. Not only is the food fresh, hot and tasty, its also cheap. For three skewers of chicken teriyaki served on a bed or rice with ample sauce you only pay £3. Most dishes in fact are in the range of £2.50 - £4.50. With so much variety on offer it's probably best to sample a bit of everything.

We usually end up getting a dish each from the best looking stalls and then sharing them. And before I forget, Camden Town also offers two simple but extremely refreshing summer beverages. Both freshly squeezed, the lemon is blended with crushed ice and sugar while the orange juice is squeezed out in front of you courtesy a wonderful juicing machine. In fact the one item of food missing is a good quality homemade ice cream! stall. But if you do want ice-cream after your meal, Marine Ices, the famous Italian ice-cream shop is literally 5 minutes away on Chalk Farm Road. So if you are looking for a cheap and tasty meal with an international flavour, Camden Town's the place to be. You'll certainly get more than your money's worth. The only problem is getting seating!!