An N1 institution

I had the day off work yesterday to see the Stone Roses in Finsbury Park. Making the most of the time off meant meeting friends for a spot of lunch and (several) drinks before heading off to the gig.  As the gig was so close to my old stomping ground of Islington, I suggested we head to Mem and Laz, an Islington institution for a guaranteed high quality lunch at a great price. This is by no means fine dining, but for me, it's an excellent venue for a hearty satisfying lunch in an eclectic and lively environment (celebrating a birthday here once, I was pulled up to dance to the Turkish version of 'kiss kiss').

I booked a table for the seven of us at the small, normally heaving restaurant I remembered off upper street. Booking was usually necessary to accomodate larger numbers. When I arrived, I found that they had expanded into the two buildings next door over the last twelve months. I entered the new part of the restaurant, slightly dubious. I should not have worried, Mem and Laz have created a unique dining experience without losing the feel of a family run restaurant. The front half of Mem and Laz too remains faithful to the original. The decor includes the familiar mosaics and turkish lanterns, whilst the back, has a water feature wall, with opulent chandeliers and rainbow coloured seating. Apparently, the restaurant next door is Italian and I can't wait to come back to sample the dishes there.

So, I sampled from the lunch menu, which is extensive enough not to need to review the specials. I stuck with my usual 'vegetables with cheese' and had a starter of nut crusted goats cheese followed by the spinach and feta filo parcels with sour cream and parmesan. The goats cheese was subtle and light. It was complimented beautifully by the nutty crunchy crust. The filo parcels were bursting with spinach and feta, the earthiness of the spinach working in unison with the salty feta; further balanced against the sour cream and parmesan. These are great dishes for a summer lunch. I accompanied these with a dry and fruity rose wine (why not, we off work and on our way to a gig).

 

Some of the friends who came for lunch, have been to Mem and Laz with me before, and do themselves now go on to recommend the restaurant. Others who had not been before were converted and said they would defnitely visit again. In fact one said his starter of sardines was the best sardine dish he had ever had. Great praise indeed. I, sadly cannot comment on the sardines myself and did not grill him as to why he thought they were the best. Although, he did volunteer that the skin was perfectly crisped.

All of the above can be yours for the agreeable price of £7.95 Mon-Thurs and £8.95 on Fridays and Saturdays. You can check out the full lunch menu on their website. It is extensive enough to eat here every day for several weeks, working through all the dishes and varying the combinations of starter and main. It is great to see that even with the expansion, Mem and Laz remains committed to the original ethos of the restaurant, which I am sure all their old and new customers, do and will appreciate. I certaintly did.

http://www.memlazuk.com/