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 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 grilled artichokes, home made fish cakes with a home made tartare sauce to match, 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; whilst one of slow cooked oxtail ragu with herbs and parmesan brings together an attractive medley of flavours and is made to a wonderful old-fashioned recipe.

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-Primie Minster's maestro of spin, loves their rare steak. Classic, in-demand fish dishes include grilled tuna, and oven-cooked halibut.

Desserts of blood orange cheesecake, a flourless  chocolate cake with raspberries, mascarpone and vanilla cream serve to reinforce the confidence of those who regard the Camden very much as their private dining room. 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.

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.