The Noble

Food - 3.5
Service - 4
Ambience - 3.5

I thought I might start out that way, in order to help me group my thoughts about our meal here recently.

As you leave Finsbury Park station and walk along Stroud Green Road towards the yuppier and more gentrified Crouch End, it is an obvious fact that the restaurants will change from your typical kebab shop, up the range to a cute, local gastropub.

The Noble is one of these. Just up the road from the Old Dairy which is a larger, more expensive and more popular gastropub, it is quietly perched on the corner of Crouch Hill and provides an alternative to the other two of the trio (the aforementioned Old Dairy, and the Larrik). We decided to come here as opposed to the Old Dairy (where I am going tonight and will duly post a review) because it was cheaper and as both change their menus on a regular basis, the Noble's menu appealed to us more at that point in time.

The food was decent - good - not exceptional, but very filling, fresh, and someone has taken the time and care to think about what is fresh at the moment and suits the climate. This was clear as through our time spent having our dinner, mains were crossed off the large chalk board in the centre of the small dining area and subsequently replaced with another option.

We had no starters but steak and a mushroom risotto. The steak was good, cooked the way we had asked, and came with fat chips and some vegetables and a very nice Stilton sauce. While my boyfriend and friend were really, really pleased with theirs, I was just... happy. It was good, but I wasn't over the moon. Another friend had the risotto and she loved it. I wish we had tried their homemade bread - a huge, exceptionally long crusty loaf - and any place that makes their own bread definitely earns brownie points for the effort.

The service is friendly and there are a few comfortable couches scattered around the room. It's a cozy spot and I would go there again, but for the fact that we live in London and are absolutely spoiled for choice.