Market

08-01-2009
Adrian Townsend  0 

Speaking as a Camden Townie I have to stick up for the Market (don't worry I'm not the owner!). So many times do I see unimaginative, fast food, poor quality "restaurants" come and go in this area. The Market is different for all the right reasons. The menu is English based seasonal food with a modern twist, accompanied by a balanced wine list. The setting is informal, with bare brick walls and an open view of the kitchen at the rear where you can see the chef (co-owner and partner of the front of house) in action. The service is knowledgeable and normally attentive. It does get busy both at lunchtime and in the evening, and we've had to book in advance a couple of times. Price is reasonable and the cost for two is approx. £60 for a 2 course meal with a bottle of wine.

Adrian's profile      Other reviews by Adrian      Places Adrian likes     

09-11-2008
emma hogan  0 

Don't ever go to this place with a vegetarian - we went last night and although everyone else's food looked and apparently tasted great, the only veggie main course option was blatantly no more than an afterthought in concept, taste and execution: a puddle of overcooked risotto with a stingy five small pieces of boiled-to-a-mush pumpkin in it, the whole tasting more of salt than anything else. At £11.50, this is not acceptable.
Everything else was cool though.

emma's profile      Other reviews by emma      Places emma likes     

21-09-2008
dunnesmith

The Market in Parkway really did live up to the favourable reviews I had read before I made my reservation. I chose an entree of sprats which were lightly fried and cooked to perfection. The duck confit was my choice of main course. It came with a potato cake and beautifully cooked tasty lentils. The potato cake which was layers of sliced potatoes had a light creamy sauce with a wonderfully crispy top. My dining companion chose a bone marrow entree. I didn't try it but he raved about it. He chose the lamb for his main course and I did try that. It was beautifully tender and flavoursome. I am generally not a pudding person but the crumble I shared was one of the best puddings I have had in a long time. The crumble was crispy on the top, which for me is the mark of a good crumble, and best of all the pudding was not overly sweet, The addition of the rhubarb and ginger made for a great combination of flavours. We both thought our meal was excellent and very good value for money. We will be returning..

15-05-2008
dan langley

The last thing you expect when going out for dinner is to be left feeling humiliated by the restaurant owner. By your date - maybe, by the owner - not really. However, this is exactly what happened to me in Market. Having heard some reasonably good things, plus the trendy Camden location, I decided to go for it - it was slightly above my price range, but I was meeting up with an old schoolmate who I hadn't seen for ages. The ambiance was quite pleasant, and the staff were friendly. Until a woman, seemingly a manager, came up to the table. She asked if we were informed of the specials. We weren't and said so. She got a look of disbelief in her eyes, gave an evil look towards the kitchen and said : 'I see'. We felt slightly uncomfortable, like the unwilling spectators of someone else's argument. She then proceeded to tell us what the specials were, which was good.This manager lady also came to take our orders. I opted for the onglet with fries, and asked for it to be well done. She said they usually serve it medium rare - I asked if I can nonetheless have it well done. The reply was not what I expected: a stern 'We serve it medium rare'. The look to accompany the statement was what I can only describe as one of those glares the teacher gave you at school, when you knew you were in trouble, regardless of whether you misbehaved or not. Im not the most confrontational person, so I didn't feel comfortable to stand my ground (thinking back, I don't think I should have to) and muttered, 'Oh, actually, the pasta would be lovely'. The look was back. My mate went for a safe salmon. I think in the end the food was ok, although I can't call it memorable. Not sure whether it was because of the food, or because of the feeling I was left with after my attempt to order.Thinking it was an isolated incident, I still decided to browse more reviews once I got home. When I realised that it wasn't and that others have complained about the unprofessionalism and inappropriate neuroticism of the manager lady (turns out, it was co-owner Denise Tang), I was slightly relieved it wasn't just me, but also angry with myself for not reading the reviews more carefully. I also felt a bit cheated for being treated like that by the owner of the restaurant - its not like she has got a superior for me to complain to about my experience, does she? Anyway, I remember my experience as somewhat bitter, which is a shame, because the food was probably not bad at all - but it is hard to remember through the big cloud of patronising attitude.

15-05-2008
dan langley

The last thing you expect when going out for dinner is to be left feeling humiliated by the restaurant owner. By your date - maybe, by the owner - not really. However, this is exactly what happened to me in Market. Having heard some reasonably good things, plus the trendy Camden location, I decided to go for it - it was slightly above my price range, but I was meeting up with an old schoolmate who I hadn't seen for ages. The ambiance was quite pleasant, and the staff were friendly. Until a woman, seemingly a manager, came up to the table. She asked if we were informed of the specials. We weren't and said so. She got a look of disbelief in her eyes, gave an evil look towards the kitchen and said : 'I see'. We felt slightly uncomfortable, like the unwilling spectators of someone else's argument. She then proceeded to tell us what the specials were, which was good.This manager lady also came to take our orders. I opted for the onglet with fries, and asked for it to be well done. She said they usually serve it medium rare - I asked if I can nonetheless have it well done. The reply was not what I expected: a stern 'We serve it medium rare'. The look to accompany the statement was what I can only describe as one of those glares the teacher gave you at school, when you knew you were in trouble, regardless of whether you misbehaved or not. I'm not the most confrontational person, so I didn't feel comfortable to stand my ground (thinking back, I don't think I should have to) and muttered, 'Oh, actually, the pasta would be lovely'. The look was back. My mate went for a safe salmon. I think in the end the food was ok, although I can't call it memorable. Not sure whether it was because of the food, or because of the feeling I was left with after my attempt to order.Thinking it was an isolated incident, I still decided to browse more reviews once I got home. When I realised that it wasn't and that others have complained about the unprofessionalism and inappropriate neuroticism of the manager, I was slightly relieved it wasn't just me, but also angry with myself for not reading the reviews more carefully. I also felt a bit cheated for being treated like that by the owner of the restaurant - its not like she has got a superior for me to complain to about my experience, does she? Anyway, I remember my experience as somewhat bitter, which is a shame, because the food was probably not bad at all - but it is hard to remember through the big cloud of patronising attitude.