Caravan

Three restaurants that opened this year are already making their mark in north London. Towpath, which opened in February serving cakes, coffee and simple Tuscan-style food, is on the Hackney section of the Regent’s Canal. Another February opening, Caravan, is a restaurant, bar and roastery close to Sadler’s Wells Theatre in Islington. Pepito, a sherry bar opened in March, is a short walk from King’s Cross station. All three offer outdoor seating – a huge plus during the summer.

If Pepito stands out for its setting, Caravan’s impact is due to its aroma. It is the capital’s sweetest-smelling restaurant, not down to chef Miles Kirby’s cooking so much as the 12-kilo coffee roaster installed in the basement by Kirby and Chris Ammermann, his front-of-house partner, in an attempt to conjure the atmosphere of relaxed cafés in their native New Zealand.

It is also a clever commercial idea. From a simple wooden bar, barista Neil Le Bihan produces excellent coffees that keep his section of the restaurant and the outdoor tables busy. Also playing their part are Kirby’s exciting cooking, a relaxed but precise service, and an excellent wine list.

There is a copious breakfast menu, snacks, brunch at weekends, and small and large plates. Memorable dishes include goats’ curd with tomato and lentils; avocado and chilli flakes on toast; salt and Sichuan pepper squid. For dinner I had an excellent almond couscous with sumac yoghurt; a warm salad of duck, pear and walnuts, and a memorable orange water blancmange with guava sorbet and pistachio.

The restaurant’s name expresses the culinary journeys the partners have taken, and it has an easy-going atmosphere that is most enjoyable. I, for one, am pleased that this Caravan has settled in north London.