The Engineer

Description:

• This temple to north London chic is another one of our favorites. The stylishly converted pub is owned by Abigail Osborne and Tamsin Olivier, daughter of Sir Laurence Olivier (or "Larry's Daughter," as she's called locally), and is named for Victorian bridge, tunnel, and railway builder Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It sits beside Regent's Canal, one of Brunel's creations. The pub is divided into a bar, a dining room, and a garden area for warm days. Cuisine is modern European with a Thai influence and relies on seasonal produce and organic meat and eggs. For an appetizer, try a crispy potato and onion tart with truffle oil or the Tequila-cured salmon. For mains, we'd recommend the baked salmon filet wrapped in Parma ham and served with a saffron and anchovy sauce, or the Moroccan spiced lamb flavored with coriander and served with dates and couscous. For dessert, nothing is richer than the baked banana and toffee cheesecake, although you might opt for the pear and almond tart with pistachio crème fraîche.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010