Numidie

Offering cross-cultural delight on two levels, Numidie is the model of a long-established neighbourhood restaurant upstairs, with a cosy retreat of a wine bar below. Owner Serge Ismail is the soul of the establishment & his French-North African origins influence the choice of live music, the drinks & the cooking. The most you’ll pay for the three-course set menu is £15, & for that you get a riot of flavour: merguez sausages with spicy harissa, or an Algerian fish soup, followed by a huge, fluffy couscous, or duck with hand-rolled pasta that’s steamed rather than boiled. The arrival of the first grouse of the season is always an event, & dessert is firmly in the tradition of French patisserie, which suits the homespun elegance of the restaurant very nicely.