Food and drink
Inventive and friendly
The arrival of a new head chef is always a testing time for an established restaurant. Denis Baudet recently took up residence at The Barnsbury gastropub in Islington where he has introduced a new seasonal menu.
We visited The Barnsbury on a chilly Saturday evening - snow was forecast - but the weather was forgotten as soon as we entered the welcoming dining room.
The wooden floor, wooden tables and original oak panelling were offset by the contemporary artwork on the walls, but the most stunning features were the chandeliers made from crystal wine glasses. The restaurant was busy, with many tables reserved, and the atmosphere was buzzing.
Clearly printed on brown paper (a nice touch which went well with the decor), the menu offered a selection of some familiar and some intriguingly innovative dishes, such as prosciutto wrapped rabbit leg with radicchio and parsley risotto.
My teenage sons are both vegetarians and were pleased to be given a genuine choice. They both enjoyed their starters of leek and smoked applewood cheddar tart, the leek balancing the strong flavour of the cheese.
My salad of thinly-sliced red cabbage, delicate slivers of pear, cubes of stilton and chopped toasted hazlenuts was delightfully refreshing, with the components cut small enough to complement each other without any one overpowering the others. My partner's soup was a little more carrot than coriander but it was thick and tasty and a plentiful supply of bread was brought to the table.
Moving on to main courses, I was very impressed with my pan fried fillet of mackerel with pea and pancetta veloute. The fish flaked easily, its soft flesh contrasting with the firm peas and the piquant veloute.
Chargrilled ribeye steak with blue cheese butter went down well, cooked medium rare as requested, while of the vegetarian dishes, most enthusiastically received was the aubergine and goat's cheese tortelloni with garlic herb cream sauce and pine nuts. A side order of chips was slow to arrive but this was a minor blip in the otherwise excellent level of service.
From the extensive wine list, we chose a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2006 and were not disappointed.
Portion sizes were ample, being large enough to satisfy while leaving room for dessert, which was just as well as I wouldn't have wanted to miss the marvellously moist Baileys bread and butter pudding with custard, especially as I could really taste the Baileys. The homemade chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream was judged to be a wonderfully OTT combination, a heavy way to end the meal but worth every mouthful.
While the menu was inventive, The Barnsbury is unpretentious (we were offered ketchup with our chips), the staff were friendly and attentive without being obtrusive and we felt comfortable and relaxed throughout our meal. Highly recommended.
The Barnsbury Free House and Dining Room, 209-211 Liverpool Road, London N1 1LX Tel: 020 7607 5519
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