Made In Camden

Having lived north of Camden for many, many years, I’ve often trundled past the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm on the bus, or strolled by on foot, but it took me a while to notice Made In Camden after it opened in October 2010. When I finally ventured there for brunch last Sunday I walked into a modern, open space with the kind of laidback weekend morning vibe that is sometimes lost in buzzy brasserie type spots. The décor here is ‘contemporary yet comfy’ and thanks to an enormous window, the table we sat on was bathed in light and perfect for people watching.

Made In Camden’s Head Chef, Josh Katz, comes fresh from the Ottolenghi dynasty and that is very much evident in the food, which has the kind of non-traditional brunch components that would make a fry up purist blush.  However, amongst all the sweet spiced chickpeas and shakshuka, those with a less adventurous disposition will also find a couple of plates of relatively recognizable fare, such as the Made In Camden fry-up (bacon, eggs, tomato, mushrooms £9) and the mushrooms on toast (£6.50).  With a menu like this though it’s really a shame not go beyond bacon, so I chose the Swiss rosti, with mozzarella, fried egg, roasted tomatoes, bacon and leaves.  At first, it looked a little heavy on the grease, but when I tucked in, it turned out that there was more juice than grease.  The rosti was a little on the soggy side (I think thanks to the juice), but the flavours in that dish were outstanding in every single bite – possibly thanks to that juice - and I could easily have eaten it twice.  The bacon was crispy, the mozzarella melty and even my request for “a not too runny egg” had been met.  I washed the rosti down with a strong – slightly bitter – latte (£2.40) with just enough creamy froth to carry it off, followed by lovely peppermint tea (£2), with a warm and spicy edge.  To be honest, I could have stuck a pin in that menu and enjoyed anything on it - the stuffed crispy brik pastry, spinach, lemon thyme ricotta, egg, date syrup (£8) or the Brioche French toast, berry compote, mascarpone (£8) would have been just as thrilling and on the next table to ours the baked eggs clearly went down a storm.

The service at Made In Camden was very relaxed and it had a real Sunday morning vibe.  They did that annoying thing where they seat someone right next to you when there are spaces elsewhere (I hate that) but other than that I really couldn’t fault it.  We weren’t hassled to leave the table, despite the face that we sat there right through two hours of premium brunch time and the staff were attentive at every turn, from the ordering through to paying the bill. In fact the whole experience made me want to return and sample their lunch menu, or have an evening drink - next time I’m in the vicinity of Made In Camden, I certainly won’t be walking straight past.

Made in Camden

Roundhouse

Chalk Farm Road

London

NW1 8EH

www.madeincamden.com