Newly landed on Junction Road, just before the current spate of lockdowns, dinky space Norman’s has old-school café vibes with monochrome flooring and cute gingham curtains.
The talented – visionary? – peeps behind it have a stellar background: Lyle’s, French House, Clove Club and Crispin – this is no run-of-the-mill cafeteria, despite initial appearances.
Housed in the former home of much-loved, and rather pioneering, tapas bar Del Parc (which we reviewed dozens of times over the years), the spot is takeaway-only at the moment (obvs). Excitingly, once all is back to normal, it will serve British comfort food for lunch and dinner – and also moonlight as a wine bar.
For now, a selection of tempting hot sarnies are on offer, written on a chalkboard menu by the door. The twist? The bread component for all choices is a toasted English muffin.
We can’t resist the panko-crumbed chicken thigh escalope, and aren’t disappointed when we bite into well-seasoned, juicy meat. Slices of pickled wally and a slick of balanced garlicky mayo make fine accompaniments.
We’re already planning a return takeout visit to what is a more-than-welcome neighbourhood addition.
Open Wednesday-Sunday 10am to 4pm at 167 Junction Road, N19 5PZ. Follow @normanscafelondon.
Please support us if you can
If you’ve enjoyed reading this, perhaps you could help us out, too? Kentishtowner is now in its 11th year, but with the demise of our free independent monthly print titles due to advertising revenues, we need your support more than ever to continue delivering cultural stories that celebrate our neighbourhood. Every contribution is invaluable in helping the costs of running the website and the time invested in the research and writing of the articles published. Support Kentishtowner here for less than the price of a coffee – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
