After a string of events and supper clubs as Southbound, and a successful Kickstarter campaign, Camille Tardieu has just opened a permanent restaurant, Cérès, in Newington Green. This little corner of N16 is turning into quite the food hotspot with Jolene, Perilla and Primeur all also in the hood and as its right on our door step we were straight down there to check it out.
Located almost next door to one of our favourite pubs in the hood, Be Bop A Lula, Cérès is very much a neighbourhood restaurant. Its fairly low-key interiors-wise with sleek modern tables, brightly coloured walls, and not much in the way of decoration. Service is very friendly but a little on the slow side – we’re sure they’ll be up to speed soon though.
Both the wine list and the food menu is inspired by Southern Europe, with a mix of Italian and French mostly shining through. We started with a classic charcuterie board with meats supplied from north London’s own Cobble Lane, plus homemade baguette and butter. So far, so French.
Next up were tiny little mussels coated in breadcrumbs and toasted in their shells. We’ve never seen mussells like this before but they were some of the best we’ve ever had. Then there was cauliflower roasted in sweet date syrup, and perfectly cooked razor clams with spicy nduja. The main event was fresh pappardelle with a rich beef brisket ragu.
We also loved the wines which were both delicious and super cheap; the list has clearly been put together by someone who knows their stuff. And if you’re partial to a glass or two of wine, Ceres will also be running wine tasting events, so be sure to keep an eye out for those.
If you live locally Cérès is well worth checking out – we have a feeling we’re going to be back there a lot.
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74 Green Lanes, London N16 9EJ
cereslondon.co.uk