The House (Islington)
our comments
An award winning pub and dining room, The House is on a road parallel to Upper Street yet it’s a road that is strangely light on traffic or pedestrians, compared to the smoggy bedlam just a few hundred yards away. This means you can sit out on their terrace and not have to savour unburnt hydrocarbons with your food. The dishes are Modern European, which describes pretty much anything these days, but the menu shows a lean towards British which is always to be encouraged.
That same menu tends to veer toward the twee in its style and wording, especially on the wine list, but the important thing is that everything sounded attractive on this sunny lunchtime. Smoked Haddock and Cepes soup was a special and made the eater purr contentedly as he paddled about, happily fishing out large lumps of juicy cep and enjoying the comfort factor that smoked haddock always delivers. My salt and pepper squid with red pepper and a sambal olek dressing was obviously a long way from being either British or Mediterranean but was very good indeed, the squid not too large and it was well-cooked to a good tenderness that had just enough bite. The spikes of fire from the sambal olek dressing were nicely judged, balancing well with the sweet red pepper. Top marks to the range of breads offered by the way; the chilli and chorizo was particularly nice.
The House Shepherd Pie came in a cheerful old porcelain bowl and was thankfully not made of beef as some can be. Instead the lamb used had the good texture and taste of lamb that had been slowly, very slowly, cooked until it fell off the bone in shreds. Sitting in a rich, thick gravy and with the requisite carrots and smooth mash top it was a classic dish done well.
Roasted Goosnargh Farm chicken with turnip gratin in a braised vegetable broth was a lovely clean dish with simple, distinct flavours. The chicken from the Ribble Valley producer was very good, a moist and fine peace of organic bird – the meat white and packed with flavour as befits a chicken that’s been corn-fed and slowly reared in open barns. Add to that the excellent turnip gratin and a broth that had me asking for more bread, so as not to waste a drop, and you had a really cracking dish.
Dessert, which only I had, wasn’t so hot. Frozen water melon parfait with creme anglaise had too many ice crystals in it for the comfort of my teeth. The melon was nice and ripe, but is it true that melon makes you angry? I read that on the interweb somewhere. The dish didn’t make me angry but did let me down slightly. Still that’s the only gripe about a place that really delivered on taste and simplicity and all at a reasonable price. And the even better news is that they are also open for breakfast at the weekends with produce from the nearby posh Islington Farmer’s Market. No wonder New Labour loves this area eh?
N.H. - April 2007
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
I really don't get this place, or the good reviews. I went for dinner there last night & it was my third ever visit. The venue and ambience are fine, but the food is overpriced and not particularly good.
For starter I had the Salt and Pepper Squid which was £7.50. For that I got two tiny pieces of squid on top of some diced roasted red pepper. It tasted ok, but I was blown away by the price they charged for such a tiny portion. It was more akin to an amuse bouche. Total rip off.
For main two of us had shepherds pie - which again was passable, although my colleague found hers too salty. My other friend had a goats cheese ravioli, which was so salty, it was unpleasant to eat. No one asked us if everything was ok & when we complained at the end, the waitress didn't seem to care & it still appeared on the bill.
We had to chase the order of a glass of white wine, ask for cutlery - overall definitely not worth paying 12.5% service charge. I definitely won't bother going back. A disappointing experience.
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QZ - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Popped into The House for an ipromptu Sunday lunch. Found the decor and ambience more than satisfactory. However, sadly it was all down hill from there! As we were seated we were informed that there were only 2 portions of the duck. Hence, our decision to order it immediately. However, 15 minutes later the waier casually announced we were too late, we politel accepted this fact and ordered some wine. Having Having ordered a 2004 we had expected a 2005, yet the waier beezily brought over and opened a 2005. After being question about is selection - he brazenly told us they were out of 2004 - without a hint of apology. Diasppointing service spoiled an othwerise decent meal.
As with so many places in London - poor service from staff who seem to be oblivious to the fact they are in the "service"industry.
Additionally, the service charge is sneakily tacked on to the bil. I wouldn't mind paying - if only I were to receive it....
To conclude, I will not return, but give it a chance, you never know...
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Marcus
Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Friday, January 25, 2008
I had lunch at The House with friends today. Not having heard of it before, upon arrival I was impressed with the decor and general ambience. However, whilst I did have an enjoyable afternoon, this was purely down to the company and sadly not the food. We shared a meze platter that was good and I had high hopes for the main course of which I’d ordered pheasant. After a wait of an hour (thankfully we’d had the meze) our pheasant arrived and disappointingly it was very dry and really did lack any kind of flavour. Both of my male companions did enjoy their mains, however, £15.50 for fish and chips is somewhat excessive. We decided to try puddings and again I was disappointed by my chocolate pudding that was a not-so-great chocolate brownie with a dollop of mediocre chocolate ice cream and a sprinkle of almonds (?!). The bill as expected was pretty high at £176 for four of us and whilst it is frustrating to pay so much for inadequate food it was more frustrating and somewhat embarrassing when we had to question why we had been charged £2 for bread which was offered to us once when we first sat at our table. After questioning this charge we were told by the waiter that we could eat as much as we liked; however this wasn’t offered once throughout the meal. They also over-charged us for one of the puddings; the head waiter/manager did apologise about this but by then the situation was embarrassing and we felt the need to pay-up and leave. I guess it's pretty safe to say that I won't be going back or recommending this place, I just have to be thankful that the company was so good that it didn't leave me in a black mood for the remainder of my weekend.
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Leah Williams
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Just love everything :)))) Brilliant food,perfect service... what you want more!!!
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Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, November 04, 2007
I went to this lovely pub near Upper St, Islington last Friday and had a really nice time. The food was excellent. I tried the crab on toast which was delicious and my friend started the night with squid which was well marinated and perfectly cooked. Our main courses were even better, the monkfish pasta was full of flavours and the lamb was awesome, both were very yummy.
They were busy and lively and our waiter never missed a chance to give us a smile. We stayed there till quite late (I think they have a late licence on Fridays and Saturdays) as the atmosphere was just right for another glass of wine...
I want to go back there as The House has got it all : Food, Service & Atmosphere!!!!
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John Warren
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Yet again I have visited the House, and yet again I have received a delightful meal, drank beautiful wine and was treated with courtesy and the right level of attention in the service.
I cannot for the life of me understand how people cannot like this place.
Yes the food is not as cheap, but then the quality of the food is more than that of most restaurants in London who charge similar if not more expensive prices. No it is not a place to go for a traditional night in the pub, but nor does it pitch itself to be. If you don't want to wait a few hours, it is quite simple, book as you would with any other restaurant.
If you want to go to a place and pay £2 a beer, and eat a meal for £5 then the Wetherspoons up by Highbury Corner is probably more your cup of tea, if you want to enjoy an evening in a pub that is more restaurant with a pub atmosphere and decor, eat a carefully prepared delicious meal then I cannot recommend the House enough.
And for that matter, is two courses for two people, with wine and service for under £90 actually that expensive in London ?
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Sam - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
I went to this little pub/restaurant with my girlfriend last friday and had a wonderful experience. We were warmly welcomed at the door by the manager who offered us drinks immediately, and being a friday night we were straight into it.
I started with the terrine, which was a little on the salty side but still absolutely delicious. My girlfriend had the crab on toast which was simple, but really top notch. We both ordered the rib of beef to share, which although took 45 minutes to arrive (which we were notified about) we realised why, when it turned up as it was so big I'm surprised it didn't take longer! We asked for some help on the wine list and were chosen a perfect little red by a very knowledgable waiter. We didn't have room for desserts, so had another drink at the bar and left a little wobbly legged and very happy.
I will definately be going back here although the only thing I would say is that its not the cheapest place in Islington, however I would say that you only get what you pay for and you can tell that they use the best ingredients (just try thier rib of beef) and with the friendliness of the staff I would say it is not bad value for money.
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matt
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
I've never experienced such bad service. Food was over-rated and hugely over-priced. If you have all the time in the world and are loaded...this is the place for you.
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Flo - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Monday, June 18, 2007
I've never encountered such bad service. Food was over-rated and hugely over-priced. If you've got all the time in the world and are loaded....this is the place for you.
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Flora
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Monday, June 18, 2007
Last night myself and my partner visited The House for an evening meal. We were warmly welcomed by both bar and restaurant waiting staff who gave us an attentive but un-fussy service all night. Lucky for us we had arrived on the premier of the new summer menu which was simple but imaginative. For starters we opted for the Szechwan sashimi Tuna with black bean dressing and the Feta, mozarella and tomatoe filo pie with tapenade dressing; both fantastic. The mains were equally delicious especially the monkfish and clam linguini, but for me the best was the reccomended whisky and rapberry cracken dessert, a perfect light but sweet ending to a really lovely evening. Go there if you want a relaxed atmosphere with friendly staff with good standards. The cosy sofas were a nice place to enjoy an after dinner drink too!
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Jose Miguel Aguilar
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Friday, June 01, 2007
