Restaurants

Ambling here from the tube station you’ll encounter several Greek-Cypriot restaurants; Camden was a hub for the community’s early immigrants in the 1950s. Cheery and lovingly cared-for, Daphne attracts customers ranging from after-hours City workers to families, Greeks and non-Greeks. The menu is diverse. Our waiter volunteered to explain everything on the specials board, but ignoring his recommendation we opted for a koúpes starter (ground wheat-paste shell stuffed with spiced mince); it was crumbly on the outside and moist and flavourful inside. Tiger prawns wrapped in feta cheese and filo pastry proved an inventive twist on the usual prawn starter, but like the koúpes and Greek salad, they were disappointingly small. Lamb lemonado (oven-cooked lamb with lemon dressing) looked chunky on the plate, yet had a tenderness born of lengthy gentle cooking. It came with a lively, perfectly cooked spinach side dish. Our monkfish, salmon, swordfish, scallops and prawns grilled mezédes were fresh, but over-marinated and oily. The food is expensive, but service was good. Any setbacks were smoothed over by genial waiters who patiently left us to forget the passage of time.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008