Brilliantly British

It is often run by a chef who has been within working distance of St John and who shares that restaurant's espousal of an unaffected, kindly treatment of ingredients that are in season. The food on the plate is believed to be the point of the place and the reason for customers to come.

Why has it taken so long? We've been distracted by snobbery, fashion, fusion, exotica, inferiority complex, fear and chefs on the telly.

Dan Spence, chef and co-proprietor of Market in Camden Town, was previously working at Medcalf in Exmouth Market, a damson pit's throw from St John.

He works in an open kitchen at the back of a small dining room with bare brick walls and zinc-topped tables which his business partner Denise Tang runs with lithe charm and sweet efficiency. Perhaps being half-Swiss half-Chinese, as she described herself, is the ideal genetic recipe - especially in a crowded room.

The menu last Monday - it changes daily - was a long read coming out of so tight a kitchen.

From nine printed first courses plus one on the blackboard we chose home-smoked mackerel paté with pickled cucumber, fried Cornish sprats with tartare sauce and red mullet and squid served on bruschetta spread with a broad bean and walnut purée.

This last dish was fabulous, a really bright idea. The amiable willingness of the British to find culinary inspiration all over the place was exemplified in coconut and lemongrass soup, beef short ribs with soy and ginger and pig's cheeks with morcilla (Spanish black pudding) and peas.

In the main course, that good friend of the new-deal British restaurant, Gloucester Old Spot pig, featured as a chop served with lentils and apple sauce and was much appreciated. Chicken and ham pie with greens was also exclaimed over.

I tasted the filling and the balance of douce and salt was perfect. Salting mutton seems like a funky idea but brining would seem to work better with beef. The mutton was rendered bacon-y but its accompanying bubble and squeak and caper sauce still suited.

The chaps with me could have had jam sponge pudding with custard or fig, Amaretti and grape must ice-cream but they both wanted meringue with pale pink rhubarb and pomegranate seeds. No wine at Market costs more than £35 (house wines are £13) and £25 for Founders Block Cabernet Sauvignon, Katnook, Coonawarra 2004 was money well spent.

It was a review on Matthew Lewin's website (www.matthews-table.com) which reminded me to go to Market.

Matthew Lewin was editor and also restaurant critic of the Ham and High, and his website, which covers north London but makes forays out, is one to which it is well worth subscribing.

A weekly newsletter covers latest openings and there is a deep archive to draw from. The £20 annual fee can be easily eaten up in discounts offered on restaurant meals and at food shops.

Market
Parkway, London, NW1 7PN