Morgan M, unusually for a restaurant of such a high calibre, is not located in Mayfair or Soho, but in a quiet street in a not especially fashionable part of Islington. The building, a converted pub, is similarly low-key, but it’s when you enter the stylishly designed interior that you begin to see what the chef-patron Morgan Meunier has achieved here. Morgan M is widely known to be one of London’s finest French restaurants, offering sublime food and an excellent wine list at incredibly good value prices.
The menu enables you either to have a three-course a la carte, which might include such dishes as ravioli of snails in Chablis to start followed by fillet of venison with hare ravioli, or to try the more decadent six-course tasting menu, available in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, which gives a clear picture of Meunier’s culinary achievements. Pleasingly, the food is presented more or less straight, eschewing the foams and frills that seem to have become obligatory with this kind of cooking. A glass of peach-infused champagne might start off a selection of mainly French wines to match each course, each providing a sumptuous accompaniment.
Many neighbourhood restaurants might be described as ‘London’s best-kept secret’, and by writing about Morgan M I’m now concerned that I’ll never be able to get another booking there. But that’s a risk I’ll take. In the meantime, get to Islington for what will undoubtedly be a memorable meal at a far from extortionate price.
489 Liverpool Road, N7. www.morganm.com
