Given the diversity of restaurants in Stoke Newington, we have decided in this issue to reflect this by reviewing three different cuisines: Italian, African and Turkish. 

Il Bacio
By John Lea

N16 first reviewed Il Bacio back in 2000 and praised the large and tasty pizzas. Since then the premises have expanded. The décor is light and pleasant and the tables are well spaced. This is no small consideration when, likely as not, there will be some idiot at the next table remonstrating into his mobile.

However, these days pizza and pasta are such ubiquitous components of global fast food that any Italian restaurant worthy of the name has to indulge in at least a few regional specialities. This is not too difficult as good Italian cooking still remains fiercely provincial. Risotto in Naples? Polenta in Palermo? Don't even think about it! So this time we approached Il Bacio very much as a Sardinian restaurant. As far as the wine list was concerned we were not disappointed. Cannonau and Vermentino featured prominently.
We chose a light fruity Vermentino di Alghero which was, mercifully, served properly chilled. The menu did include a sprinkling of Sardinian specialities. The pastas included gnocchi (small dumplings) with Sardinian sausage and I got off to a good start with spaghettini bottarga (thin spaghetti with dried tuna roe) another Sardinian favourite. The pasta was perfectly cooked al dente with just the right amount of dressing and the tuna roe was complemented by small tender vongole (baby clams). My accomplice, however, was less enthusiastic about her grilled vegetables. These consisted mainly of red pepper and aubergine, both a little flabby after absorbing rather too much oil, garnished with some rather rubbery black olives.

For seconds, I went for the Agnello in Salsa Vaporetto (rack of lamb braised in balsamic vinegar) which was well done, but that's okay as I like it that way. My friend's sea bream was fresh as a daisy and perfectly grilled. The accompanying saute potatoes were fine but why that soggy broccoli covered in tastless glutinous bechamel sauce? That sort of thing went off the menu in most Italian restaurants a long time ago. Fortunately, we had also ordered a green salad which was thoughtfully put together from rocket, cucumber and green olives.

All's well that ends well. We shared a passable zabaione for desert and, after a short rummage among the bottles, the staff were able to demonstrate their Sardinian credentials by producing the wonderful digestive Mirto (made from Myrtle leaves) even though not mentioned on the menu. In the relaxing ambience of Il Bacio the consumption of this bittersweet liqueur provoked me to bore my companion to tears with reminiscences of my first encounter with the dark digestive. It was, I recalled at great length, something which had calmed me down after having sat through a brief exchange of gunfire between the Carabinieri and the Red Brigades in Turin sometime during the 1970s.

£80 for two (including wine) was not excessive by today's standards. But I must confess to having eaten better for the price. The reputation of Il Bacio must therefore continue to be defended by reference to its good value and mouth-watering pizza. I intend to devour yet another of these fairly soon, a fact which should serve to dispel all doubts that this is a good place to eat.

61 Stoke Newington Church Street, 020 7249 3833

Motherland
By Helen Griffiths
Along with most of London, Stoke Newington seems to be increasingly dominated by Thai food, with a glut of restaurants and pubs serving - albeit generally very good - Thai menus, and so the occasional deviation to this somewhat predictable norm is extremely welcome.

Motherland on Cazenove Road has been run for the past year by a husband and wife team, hailing from Nigeria and Ghana respectively, and the menu boasts a wide selection of traditional West African dishes.

The owners are friendly and, despite the fact that it was quiet on the Sunday night that my flatmate and I paid a visit, the service was relaxed and not overly officious, with some pleasant hi-life playing away in the background.

We started with some kelewele - firm cubes of plantain fried in a variety of herbs, and spices - and moi moi - a bean cake made from black beans ground with tomatoes chilli and spices - both of which were delicious.

The short wine list was not to our taste, with choices limited to a retro bottle of Blue Nun or various chardonnays, so we opted for large chilled bottles of Ghanaian lager Star. My flatmate assures me that it was with the help of this particular alcoholic beverage that her parents first got together in Ghana in the 1960s, so it seemed appropriate that we should give it a go. It's great!

The mains were a variety of traditional West African stews and sauces served with rices or fou fou. My Ghanaian jollofe rice and chicken was good. The rice was surprisingly hot and the chicken was served in a rich, if a little oily, tomato-based spicy sauce.

My flatmate went for her favourite comfort food - ground nut with fou fou. The soup was fiery with generous amounts of chicken, and the accompanying fou fou - a starchy dish made by pounding cassava - was plentiful. It was awarded the ultimate accolade, in that she claimed it to be almost as good as her father's. The food is all incredibly reasonably priced, with starters ranging from £2.50 to £5.00 and mains starting at £3.50 through to £8.00, and the bill for the two of us came to less than £30.00. A veritable steal and somewhere I'd definitely recommend. More reassuringly, so would my flatmate.
9 Cazenove Road, 020 8806 9242