16 Elia Street
London N1 8DE
Tel: 020 7837 5040
Date of Last Visit: Saturday, November 25th, 2006
The Victim: Natasa
The Damage: £16. With apple juice.
The Background: I woke up at 10 thinking…
Margaritas at
1 a.m.
are
a
very
bad
idea.
And then my cell phone (that’s American, for mobile) rang and it was Natasa wanting to know if I felt like brunch. Now see, it had started pouring rain by the time I was functioning, so walking anywhere brunch-like was not an option. So I convinced her a pub lunch was a better idea! And I’d been walking by that chalkboard at Angel for ages now–the one that tells you where the Charles Lamb is. And then they were runners up in the Best Gastro category in Time Out which made me very annoyed about ignoring that chalkboard for so long.
The Approach: The Charles Lamb is so cute. I want to live here and adopt Mascha the dog. Even though I’m allergic. (Although–the bathrooms might make it difficult to live here; I did have a little trouble getting in and out. Again, taking the term water closet a little too far.) We took a table in the corner and placed our orders with the friendly girl behind the bar.
The Starters: After years of not liking French Onion Soup, I actually do and am now on a bit of a French Onion Soup kick. I was assured it was not an overly large portion. Well, it was very filling!!! (This is me being nice. What I’m trying to say is that it was a large portion and I could have just had that.) Natasa had the goat’s cheese tart, and well, you can never go wrong with goat’s cheese. One day, I will learn how to make this.
The Mains: I went for the lamb with the bubble and squeak, which I do so love. I loved the green beans–nice and crisp. And the B&S was great too. (Is it ever not?) It was the lamb with which I struggled. This is not a ladylike dish. I felt like a glutton (which I probably am). And a cavewoman–this was a big piece of lamb. Natasa and I could have easily split this dish–although the girl behind the bar said it wasn’t an overly large portion, boy, it sure was. If I felt less awkward about taking pictures of my food, I would show you what it looked like. Natasa had the duck and it looked a little more managable. And delicious.
The Verdict: Loved the "Please don’t feed Mascha" signs. Loved the friendly service. Thought the portions were huge and the presentation a bit, well, not presented. But a good friendly neighborhood spot that I would gladly go back to. Although I thought £2.50 for apple juice was a bit steep. You know you bought that jug for less than that.
