In praise of neighbourhood restaurants

Living in Crouch End, a part of North London without a tube line and a distinctly villagy feel, you might imagine I would be spoilt for choice with excellent local restaurants. But Crouch End, like it’s posh neighbour Hampstead, has a bad reputation in that field. Too many coffee shops, the odd chain, and one or two overpriced gaffs that remind me of the phrase ‘All fur coat and no knickers’.

I occasionally Google ‘Best restaurants near me‘ in case I’ve missed something, and one day, Table Du Marché popped up – a restaurant I had never heard of, despite it being just up the road in East Finchley. With an almost exclusively local clientele, Table Du Marché has no need to advertise, and does a decent trade for weekday lunch and evenings.

Film buffs would do well to mark this place down as a great location to shoot that romantic scene in a Parisian brasserie.