Other than Gordon Ramsay and Angela Hartnett’s superb York & Albany and Ian Pengelley’s Gilgamesh, Camden is starved of really excellent places to dine, perhaps a side-effect of being a part of North London more keenly associated with trendy musicians and hip artists than culinary innovation. Three cheers, then, for the excellent Caponata, a superb neighbourhood Italian restaurant that sits on the site of the late, lamented Cafe Delancey, but offers an altogether different culinary experience.
You have a choice of either eating in the informal osteria and bar on the ground floor, which offers delicious and informal snacks and aperitivo bites, or upstairs in the more grown-up dining room, where the cuisine is Sicilian, the service slick and friendly, and the clientele relieved that they have found somewhere as good as this in Camden.
Start with seared scallops with Cavolo Nero or superbly decadent pan-fried quail’s breast with foie gras, and follow it with fettucine and hare ragout or seriously impressive rack of lamb. Whatever you choose, you’re sure to be delighted. The wine list offers a range of unusual and sensibly priced options, including a pleasing amount by the glass, and make sure that you have one of the fine Bellinis to start off what will undoubtedly be a superb meal.
3-7 Delancey St, Camden, NW1 www.caponatacamden.co.uk
