| . |
p14
The only way to lose weight on Church Street is to do press-ups
between eateries. As our ever-alert readers will already know, the street is crammed with
fuel stops. Which to choose, for that midday restorative? Leaving waistband worries
behind, the N16 lunch posse has spent the last few months engaged in a rigorous but
entirely random investigation into one of the major issues of our time: lunch. (A note on
our research methodology: we don't have one; the venues we've covered in this feature are
a personal selection of favourites we'll be covering other choice options in future
issues, bank balances and weight problems permitting.)
 We began with the new(ish) lunch option at Mesclun, served from
Monday to Saturday because we're worth it. Mesclun has been open since 1996 (on the
site of a burger bar run by present owner Salih's dad), and struggled for the first few
months until Matthew Fort, the Guardian restaurant reviewer, spoilt it for the rest of us
by telling
the world at large how good it was. Now it's usually necessary to book in the evening but
we grabbed a lunch-time table without too much difficulty (a minor incident involving
handbags at ten paces). The small but perfectly formed lunch menu offers a soup of the
day, three other starters and five main courses on the Saturday we pigged out, there
was a choice between two fish dishes, one meat, one chicken and one vegetarian. As we are
mathematically challenged we went for the straightforward two-courses-for-£7.50 option.
If you want to get clever you can order starters separately at £3 a pop, or head straight
for a main course at £5. There's a dessert of the day, a well-chosen wine list (sample
the Chilean Sauvignon Blanc and try telling us it isn't worth every penny) and excellent
coffee.
 Newington
Studios
Established
since 1969
Romantic and creative wedding photography
A large selection of Wedding Albums
Relaxed and informal, children's
and babies' photographs our speciality, and passport photographs while you wait
Your films developed and printed on the premises
Colour or black and white enlargement
Our studio is open six days a week, call in or phone for price list
161 Stoke Newington Church
Street
London N16 0UH
Tel: 020 7249 4927 |
Mesclun takes pride in its use of fresh ingredients, warning famished
punters that as the food is prepared to order it takes time we were served without
having to chew the table-cloth (much) and nibbled our way elegantly through beautiful
oak-smoked salmon with a lemon and basil dressing and a tastily tart feta cheese, plum
tomato, black olive, cucumber and red onion salad. We'd chosen the pan-fried liver (with a
slurpsome smoked bacon and onion gravy) and chargrilled chicken breast in a moreish chilli
and lime marinade, both beautifully presented and very toothsome. If we hadn't succumbed
to temptation on the wine front, we could have been out the door for under £20, but who
ever had fun that way? Mesclun is a little bit posh, a little bit different, and very much
the choice for a slightly special lunch.
24 Stoke Newington Church St, N16 020 7249 5029; lunch 11.00-4.00, Monday-Saturday
Up the road a piece is relative newcomer, cafe-restaurant Clicia (named after an
area in Turkey as of course you already knew). Here you can choose between a perfectly
workmanlike selection of sandwiches, paninis, quiches, pastas and all-day
breakfasts, all but two under £5, or do the smart thing and select from a range of hot
and cold mezzes: better value and much more interesting than standard cafe fodder, with
the usual suspects (vine leaves, tzatziki, tabbouleh, hummus) and less familiar offerings
like diced lamb's liver (so good we've been back several times for more), courgette cake
and 'spinach caviar', from £2.50 to £3.50, all served with special Clician bread. And a
good wine list.
97 Stoke Newington Church St, N16 020 7254 1025; 9 am-11 pm, every day
Long-established Stokie favourite Anglo-Asian offers a seriously good value Sunday
lunch-time buffet from 12 noon to midnight all you can eat of their reliably good food
for £6.95. For the rest of the week they have a lunchtime special from 12 to 2.00 pm
or if you're greedy, as we were, you can eat Indian for England from the main menu, with
its full range of starters, tandoori and tikka dishes, baltis, jalfrezis, madras,
birianis, fish specialties, vegetarian dishes and house specials. We're split on whether
our special favourites are the Chicken Muli or the Achar Gosht, and we'll own up to never
having tried the deer or the ostrich, but given the choice on offer, you could do some
serious eating and decide for yourself. Why should we do all the work? 60-62 Stoke
Newington Church St, N16 020 7254 9298/3633 Mon-Fri 12-2.30; Sat-Sun 12-midnight |
. |
