Louise
Elgin knows her own mind,
when it comes to
The
Independence, 235 Upper
Street London N1
I
discovered a new part of Islington
last night. I'd always thought
that Upper Street was, you know,
that little stretch with The
Screen On The Green. But no,
the road goes on for miles! I
travelled to its most northerly
end last night. Passing all the
Gunners' banners as the BIG match
for the double was on, (yawn).
My quest? To eat at the latest
offering from Billy Drew who
brought us the excellent Holborn
pub/restaurant, 'The Perseverance'.
I was on a mission to see if
they had worked the same miracle
with their latest offering, 'The
Independence'.
Yet
another run down pub (formally
the hysterically named 'Tut & Shive'),
has been given the make over
and turned into a fine dining
establishment. Downstairs, the
atmosphere is that of a convivial
and relaxed pub cum wine bar,
offering a distinguished wine
list sourced from the cellars
of Bibendum, together with the
usual range of beers and spirits.
Upstairs there is a restaurant
that comfortably seats about
forty, serving dinner and, my
favourite - Sunday lunch. If
the current vogue is the gastro
pub then long may it last! I've
always hated traditional boozers
with their smoky atmospheres
and aroma of stale beer. Now
with the likes of The Independence
springing up, Londoners have
the chance to experience how
civilised an evening down the
pub can be. With decent wine,
good bar snacks and comfortable
surroundings, it's a blessed
relief from what we had to endure
in the past.
The
Independence has only been open
for four weeks and its restaurant
for just two, although I am happy
to say there were no signs of
any teething troubles when I
visited. The restaurant had a
very light and airy feel with
striking fleur-de-lis bright
blue wallpaper. The (world?)
music was perhaps a little loud
for my liking, though not too
intrusive. Bare wooden floorboards,
tables and chairs added a rustic
charm. The menu, like that of
its sister restaurant, is fairly
concise with five starters: ranging
between £5.50 & £6.75 and six
mains between £ 9 & £13 to choose
between.
I
kicked off with some crisp Pinot
Grigio, a huge glass for £3.50,
(it's one of the four whites
and four reds that are offered
by the glass), whilst we nibbled
on an excellent selection of
nutty breads, served with a generous
dollop of olive oil and balsamic.
To start, I decided straight
away on the rice wine marinated
scallops, spiced avocado and
gazpacho, £6.75. It was a
marriage made in heaven as far
as my tastebuds were concerned.
A huge helping of ultra tender
scallops that melted in the mouth
that blended superbly with the
thick layer of spicy avocado
and gazpacho sauce. I could have
kissed the chef, Darren Roberts,
who has cooked in some of London's
finest kitchens. Most recently
he's worked at Pont De La Tour
and The Atlantic Bar and Grill.
They must be mourning his loss.
My guest kicked off (sorry, the
footy fever!) with the Foie
gras & duck confit terrine,
with date and lime chutney served
with a small green salad, £6.50.
He said the spiciness of the
chutney complemented the terrine,
whilst the element of tannin
in the Fleurie added a wonderful
kickback (!) to the mingling
flavours on the palate. (We had
now moved onto a bottle of Fleurie,
Domaine de la Preisle 2000, Beaujolais, £26.00.)
Other starters included a salad
of wild mushrooms, poached egg,
lemon thyme and toasted brioche, £6.00,
and a white bean, chorizo and
coriander soup, £4.75.
To
follow, I ordered the char-grilled
calve's liver, wilted spinach
and Alsace and sage croquettes £10.50.
The liver was very tender with
a good flavour that came from
the char grilling and was served
with an intense jus. The spinach
was fresh and simple, not mucked
about with - however I wouldn't
rave about the croquettes. Although
with an interesting smoky flavour,
they did not make a particularly
interesting accompaniment. My
guest followed with grilled sea-bass
with crab butter, saffron picked
fennel, crab fritter and coriander
oil, £13.00. He said it was light
in texture with flavours that
kept every bite interesting,
again the Fleurie working very
well with the flavours on the
plate. For veggies, (and I'm
sure super trendy Islington must
be full of them), the only main
course choice was pasta. Gnocchi
to be precise. Although it sounded
very good, made with red pepper
and parsley, and served with
oak-smoked peppers, rocket, parmesan
and olive oil, £9.00, I can't
help thinking that veggies are
too often palmed off with a pasta
type dish.
By
now my stomach had waved the
white flag, and I knew sadly
that none of the puddings could
tempt me. There were four to
choose between, including a selection
of British cheese, £5.50 and
a pan-fried brioche with caramelised
strawberries & mascarpone cheese.
My guest, always blessed with
a good appetite, chose the chocolate & hazelnut
praline mousse with orange confit
and white chocolate ice cream, £4.95.
He said it resembled a toy boat
that one plays with in the bath
during formative years! Sadly,
he said it was just too stodgy
and heavy and most of it was
left to sail off into his childhood
memories. However, he was keen
to add that in no way had it
dented his sheer enjoyment of
the meal as a whole, adding that
his double espresso scored a
very favourable seven out of
ten. Very high marks indeed for
a coffee addict of Italian extraction!
Our
overall verdict? An agreeable
and relaxed local offering decent
food at reasonable prices, with
a good wine list, and reliable
service. An important addition
to the area.
Louise
Elgin May 2002
The
Independence, 235 Upper
Street London N1 Reservations:
020 7704-6977