If there were prizes for most unexpected restaurant locations, Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim and David Gingell would probably win.
Their first restaurant, the aptly-named Primeur, took over an old car mechanics’. And now not far away, in Lower Holloway, they’ve managed to find an old 1950s building tucked behind a featherblade fence with an entry code.
They’d like you to come in, honestly.
Because if you do, you’ll be rewarded with a peaceful courtyard with benches made by Jeremie’s own fair hands, and Himalayan birch trees. Carry on a little further through the glass-panelled crittall doors (which stay open during the summer months) and you’ll find a restaurant with the same relaxed, minimalist aesthetic they perfected at Primeur; with communal tables, plush electric blue velvet banquettes and a chalkboard displaying the daily changing menu.
In the centre, there’s an open kitchen surrounded by counter seats, and, at its heart, a ruby-red private dining room enclosed by Victorian windows. Here, the chefs knock up dishes showcasing the best British produce and catches of the day straight off the boats – so you can expect delicate starters like seabass with seaweed tartare, and chargrilled mackerel with miso and chilli, followed by more substantial mains, like pork loin seasoned with basil and capers, and fish freshly scorched on the robata grill.
Drinks, meanwhile, draw on an extensive collection of vermouths and gins, as well as a leather-bound, handwritten black book of fine wines and vintage selections to accompany the 200-strong open cellar.
Which, for once, is exactly where you’d expect to find them.
NOTE: Westerns Laundry is open for dinner Tues-Sat (5.30-10.30pm) and lunch on Fri & Sat (12-3pm) and Sun (12-4pm). You can make a reservation, and find out more, on their website HERE.
Westerns Laundry | 34 Drayton Park, N5 1PB
While you’re in the neighbourhood… check out these great Islington bars