Camden Brasserie

A very well respected restaurant in a part of London where quality can always do with a booster, an influence the family run Brasserie has been supplying since 1983. Amongst its more compelling attributes is its skill in supplying what are arguably some of the best pommes frites in London, for which the place is now justifiably famed, as well as an interior that suggests a genuine compromise between French café culture and its English interpretation.

An uncomplicated menu offers a good range of starters that double up as light meals, and can include Algerian style lamb sausages with a coriander and cumin dressing, smoked salmon on buckwheat blinis with chives sour cream, a real classic Caesar salad with garlic croutons, anchovy mayonnaise and shaved parmesan, and warm duck with spring onion, cucumber and plum wine sauce.

Amongst the pasta dishes, the spaghetti with king prawns and spring onions in a chilli and tomato sauce is a regular favourite. That sometimes rather maligned dish, risotto, emerges with flying colours, and embraces broad beans, garden peas, fresh mint and parmesan. From the oven emerges braised shank of lamb with sautéed mixed vegetables, potato mash and red wine gravy, or confit of Barbary duck with puy lentils, pancetta and cranberry chutney.

Grill dishes include the simplistic yet satisfying home made beef burger in demi brioche bun with tomato sauce, spring lamb fillet with white beans, roast tomatoes and rosemary pesto, or aged rib of beef for two, served with béarnaise sauce. All their beef dishes use Black Aberdeen Angus grass-fed sources; Alistair Campbell - the ex-Prime Minster's maestro of spin, loves their rare steak, which must make a welcome change from metaphorically consuming journalists and politicians. Classic, in-demand fish dishes include grilled tuna, and oven-cooked halibut.

An impressive dessert menu is thought to be one of the secrets of their success. Take the flourless  chocolate cake with passion fruit raspberries, mascarpone and vanilla cream, or a simply wonderful blood orange cheesecake serve to reinforce the confidence of those who regard the Camden very much as their private dining room. Many find the affogato cake, vanilla ice cream with espresso and a shot of Baileys quite irresistible and that traditional dish, lemon possett, is served with shortbread sticks. A plate of Oxford Blue, Waterloo soft cheese and Kirkham tends to make the day for cheese buffs, and there is a mouthwatering selection of Jude's natural homemade ice cream, straight from the family farm in Hampshire

Wine is not just a traditional accompaniment here, but very much an equal part of the experience requiring the same qualities of care and selection that are applied in the kitchen. Most prices stay within the reach of mr average customer, and offer a global tour that embraces all tastes and inclinations.

Their Website is comprehensive, well-presented and should extend the enthusiasm of those seeking an attractive and well-run restaurant.