The real Greek: Lemonia reviewed

Lemonia lives in the old Chalk Farm Tavern in Primrose Hill, which is better known as the set of Paddington. It is not surrounded by fields filled with duellists under a hill of primroses these days, but it is still vast, pale and beautiful: a survivor in the sprawl. There has been a tavern on this site for so long — it was first recorded in 1678 when a corpse was carried to it — that it is possible John Keats drank here. I hope so. It is not a beaker of the warm south – it is slightly too near Camden and its stink of pigeon and bleach for that — but it is close enough.

Some restaurants hold memories of pleasure: this is one such place. It was the Tavern twice — with interruption — then the Lotus pub themed for car lovers, in a time when alcohol and petrol could plausibly mix, and then Lemonia, a Greek restaurant, for almost 40 years.