The Compass

Formerly the Salmon & Compass, this Islington boozer has been transformed into a ‘proper pub with class’ by new foodie owners who also have The Green in Clerkenwell under their belt. They’ve given the place a shabby-chic makeover & introduced a seriously tasty menu stuffed with quality British produce. Bread is baked using flour from a London mill, & bar snacks include Scotch duck eggs plus a stonking ‘sausage roll’ of black pudding clad in messily flaky pastry (a bargain at £2.50). In addition, the kitchen rolls up its sleeves for a more ambitious restaurant menu that could see braised Somerset snails with garlic & parsley ahead of Cornish fish stew or broad bean & mint risotto. Desserts might run to a crème brûlée containing Earl Grey-soaked prunes. Drinkers have a regularly changing choice of ales & ciders, as well as a contingent of wines by the half-litre carafe.