October 13th-19th is chocolate week. Paul A. Young is a chocolatier. Alan Jones is a chef. Together, they have created a special chocolate menu at Almeida restaurant. I love chocolate. I will eat this chocolate menu.
Logical, succinct and simple, my sentences have never been so short, nor so selfish. And it only gets worse. This is probably also my most indulgent, most useless greedy adventure yet: this carte chocolat is only on for one week – chocolate week (surprise, surprise). But chocolate week was last week.
Upper Street, Islington, dating from at least the 12th century, has had a long if not spectacular history. It has always been part of one of England’s greatest roads – the Great North Road, successor to the Roman Ermine Road and itself precursor to the present A1 – and also a stopping place for hungry farmers from the surrounding fertile fields en route to the Royal Agricultural Hall. It was this thoroughfare of tradesman that first attracted many pubs and inns to the area and although Islington has since become a trendy, modern North London enclave, it is still characterised by the extensive array of eateries that exist there.
Today, 580 yards of high street gastro heaven separate two more-ambitious foodie establishments: Almeida, part of the 20-restaurant-strong D&D chain (formerly Terence Conran’s eating-empire), and the original Paul A. Young’s Fine Chocolates Camden Passage boutique.
Continue reading ‘Almeida, London’
Food Snob 
recent comments