Restaurants

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Grub is in the air!

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Clissold Arms
At the rear of this friendly gastropub lies a neat, decked area lined with leafy plants, trellis and regimented rows of fairy lights – and it’s dedicated to dining (alfresco drinkers sit separately in a steadily improving area fashioned from the car park). The extensive menu mixes classic pub food with modern European and fusion ideas and features a choice of dishes designed for sharing, such as baked whole fish, and roast rib of beef or whole chicken. The Sunday lunches, with Yorkshires for all, are probably better than your mum makes. We like the wine list, which features several rosés, and beers are well kept and correctly poured by well-trained staff. Off booze? Don’t worry, they have a great selection of virgin cocktails.
Clissold Arms, 115 Fortis Green, N2 9HR (020 8444 4224) East Finchley tube. Feature continues

The Drapers Arms
Set on a classy Islington residential street, the Drapers Arms is perfectly charming, cool and spacious inside, but at the rear also boasts a pretty heated garden with smart metal chairs. The wines are well chosen and many are available by the glass or 500ml carafe. The real ale selection includes some intriguing guest beers (Piddle in the Hole, anyone?). On the menu is a generous selection of entrées and mains with plenty of vegetarian dishes and fish. Main course portions are almost too generous – the spaghetti with queen scallops ordered on our last visit was easily enough for two. Desserts might be passionfruit pavlova or cherry bakewell tart.
Drapers Arms, 44 Barnsbury St, N1 1ER (020 7619 0348/www.thedrapersarms.co.uk) Angel tube or Highbury & Islington tube/rail.

El Parador
Booking is highly recommended for this family-run Spanish restaurant – ask specifically for the sun-dappled outdoor tables in the secret back garden, which has rustic patio furniture, verdant foliage, and miles more character and atmosphere than the modest indoor dining rooms. The tapas menu is notable in that mixed in with classics are dishes tinged with north African and Middle Eastern influences. Imaginative creations include cordero a la plancha – grilled lamb marinated with cumin, rosemary and olive oil, served with zhoug (a paste of ground green chillies, cardamom seeds, coriander and garlic), while chargrilled artichoke hearts come with broad beans and are given heat with harissa oil. Seafood is a must-try; the scallops served with a rich olive tapenade were sweet and plump, while tiger prawns served with sea-salty samphire was a perfect combination of flavours. There is an impressive range of vegetarian selections as well.
El Parador, 245 Eversholt St, NW1 1BA (020 7837 2789/www.elparadorlondon.com) Mornington Crescent tube.

The Engineer
A cosy retro-styled gastropub in leafy Primrose Hill with a sizeable and convivial walled garden for dining. Booking is essential, especially on weekends. Unlike many pubs, The Engineer is open for breakfast daily, serving the likes of baked eggs with spinach and parmesan alongside toasted chipotle-spiced corn bread. For lunch and dinner the menu is small but enticing, with a mixture of influences from Asian to Mediterranean. Dishes include devilled crispy whitebait with a parsley and fennel salad, and baked chicken served with a spicy concoction of chorizo, beans and harissa. The wine list, which starts at £13.50, is helpfully annotated and includes a choice of three good rosés perfect for alfresco drinking.
The Engineer, 65 Gloucester Avenue, NW1 8JH (020 7722 0950/www.the-engineer.com) Camden Town/Chalk Farm tube.

Pavilion Café, Highgate Woods
Set on the edge of a clearing in the middle of Highgate Woods, this bucolic café hums like a well-oiled machine, even with kids in abundance and adults jockeying for tables with their preferred degree of shade. Plentiful, well-organised and dedicated staff keep everyone happy, as does a menu that runs from dips through large plates of pasta, grills and salads to a long list of cakes. Look to the specials board for dishes such as butternut and hazelnut dip and Moroccan chickpea salad. Much is organic, not least the bottled beers from Pitfield Brewery. Fizzy drinks come from Whole Earth, to keep mums and kids happy.
Pavilion Café, Highgate Woods, Muswell Hill Rd, N10 3JN (020 8444 4777) Highgate tube.

Sardo Canale
On the edge of Regent’s canal, Sardo serves authentic Sardinian food at prices that won’t make you feel like a peasant. Fregola ai frutti di mare features the island’s couscous-like pasta with prawns, mussels and courgettes. A rather different taste straight from the Mediterranean comes in the form of spaghetti with bottarga (dried grey mullet roe) and olive oil. Or try the home-made aromatic sausage that is charcoal-grilled and served with potatoes and leeks. You need not spend more than £20-£25 a bottle when choosing from the outstanding Sardinian wine list.
Sardo Canale, 42 Gloucester Avenue, NW1 8JD (020 7722 2800) Camden Town/Chalk Farm tube.

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