Food Lab
56 Essex Road, Islington, London N1 8LR
Part café, part restaurant and part deli, the Food Lab is the brainchild of Italian singer-turned-chef Liliana Tamberi. It's an eaterie suffused with her love of Tuscany and its produce. Come early for breakfast (eggs royale a speciality); drop in for a coffee or a takeaway lunch; settle down over a plate of pasta at an outdoor table in summer – you really can’t go wrong. The home-baked pastries and cakes are great, while for a real treat how about sharing a mixed board of Italian cheeses and cured meats with fresh focaccia? There’s plenty of room downstairs, alongside the glass-walled pantry.