While Upper Street was busily turning itself into restaurant gulch, nearby Essex Road was glumly dragging its feet.

It's as if Upper Street has embraced the café society while all that was left to Essex Road were the greasy spoons.

Sabor is a new, light, bright, modernist restaurant with food that is 'inspired by the flavours of countries across Latin America, including Colombia, Brazil, Peru and Argentina'.

The menu may read South American, but flavours are pin sharp, and dishes are both light and elegant.

Among the starters you'll find empanadas - miniature half-moon-shaped pasties, usually solid and unforgiving, but at Sabor they are light and crisp.

There are two ceviches listed - monkfish or mushroom.

The monkfish is stunning, the fish has been 'cooked' thoroughly by the high acidity, and the flavours of the grapefruit, blood orange, chilli and lots of fresh coriander sing out.

Really good.

Main courses are well presented and well-crafted: tiny, pink lamb chops sit on a delicious pile of orange-flavoured quinoa and there's a relish made from papaya, rosemary and garlic.

Or how about red snapper cooked in a banana leaf and served with a salad made with palm hearts? The rib-eye steak comes with chimichurri and grilled plantains: the steak is accurately cooked, the plantains are sweet/sharp, and the chimichurri is a revelation - a thick and chunky sauce made from parsley and garlic bound together with oil.

Light and green and delicious.

The wine list majors in South America.