North road, London, UK

Nordic cuisine remains relatively unknown and may become the next big thing, after the Danish restaurant Noma was voted Best Restaurant of the World. If this happens, it will certainly not be thanks to North road, where the decoration is mimalistic, but the bill is not.

We started our dinner strangely with an assorted mix of fried skins (fish, pork and beef I think). Then, the evening went from disappointment to disappointment, which we could not share too loudly among each other in the quite formal and cold dining room. The dishes did not taste particularly good. I remember the venison loin was well cooked -inside- but the whole dish was ruined by the burnt hay surrounding the meat that ended up tasting like charcoal.

The chef seemed to be trying too hard and unfortunately, too much attention given to originality was detrimental to taste. The dishes were a mix of too many complex flavours and did not deliver. We did not enjoy our dinner.

Skins and quail eggs

Light smoked Scottish diver scallops

Cured native lobster and buttermilk

Kent vegetables and wild herbs (jerusalem artichokes, pink fir potatoes and black truffle)

Norfolk venison loin and beetroot, burnt hay and smoked bone marrow

Bread and butter, custard, toast and spices

For the mention, I ate at North road in November last year. Therefore, it may have improved since. However I don't really feel like trying again. £55 may seem good value for a tasting menu, but now I have actually tasted it, I don't think it was worth the money.

Cost: £55 for the tasting menu