Market

Camden Market doesn’t provide much culinary incentive for Londoners to visit NW1, but Market in Camden is one of the best venues to eat in the area. ‘Simple things, done well’ is a phrase that could apply to the whole operation. The narrow space has been denuded back to its structural brick, adorned only with a few wall lights and prints. Chairs are salvaged from a school by the looks of things; specials are chalked on a blackboard. The proudly British and mainly meaty food is straightforward and effective too.

A spring starter of golden and mauve beetroot was adorned simply with goat’s cheese and pickled walnuts: more an assembly than a display of cheffy talent, but perfect nonetheless. You might move on to a signature pie – chicken and leek, say – or the ‘modern British’ modish standard of onglet and chips. Those chips were perfectly fat, crispy and seasoned, and also arrived with a grilled bream flavoured with lemon and rosemary. Service felt a bit ‘by rote’ on a quiet early evening visit, but got the job done.

It seems Market has reined in its ambition slightly since opening, but when the place runs so comfortably in its groove, that’s no bad thing.