Born in Malaysia, brought up in Sydney, with a Mother of Chinese/Indian descent and an Irish/Balinese Father and now living in North London, chef patron Ramael Scully’s food reflects his diverse upbringing. His eponymous restaurant, Scully, can be found in St James’s Market and serves up a menu that marries innovative dishes with sustainable practices. He’s agreed to share his favourite food and drink places near his home in Crouch End.
Tomo Pizzeria Restaurant
88 High St, London N8 7NU
My local Italian pizza joint, less than 10 min walk, always packed and so well-loved and supported by the locals. They do a really nice wood fired pizza and great tiramisu (which I’m a sucker for!). I really love that I have an independent pizza place near-by rather than a chain.
Lyons Seafood Bar & Restaurant
1 Park Rd, London N8 8TE
A lovely spot for fresh fish, seafood and natural wines. I remember being one of their first customers when they opened but unfortunately I can’t go here as much anymore as they’re now closed on Mondays and Sundays! They always have a fresh market fish of the day that is cooked simply but done so well. I also love the oysters here - they do them three ways (natural, seasonally dressed and warm).
Sourdough Sophia
24 Middle Ln, London N8 8PL
My favourite local spot for sweet treats and bread. The cruffin, which is like a muffin but made with croissant pasty, is what I usually go for - they have them in different flavours like pistachio and tiramisu. I also love their focaccia and sometimes they do a Basque cheese cake with chocolate which is a delicious treat. The bakeries started in during Covid when the founders were making pastries and bread at home and selling it through their window and now they’ve recently gone on to open a second site in Islington so it’s a lovely story and great to have such an amazing bakery nearby.
Paesan
48c The Broadway, London N8 9TP
A nice, cosy, little Italian run by a young team doing delicious and unfussy food. Their fresh pasta is great and I love the Negronis and Espresso martinis here.
Through the woods
212 Middle Ln, London N8 7LA
A really cool concept that serves a regularly changing set menu of seasonal British dishes made with incredible local and foraged ingredients. They focus on veggie dishes and reducing waste as much as possible, something I really champion at my restaurant too.
For more of these local area guides, visit the My Manor page.
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