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BELFO NOORD
72 Chalk Farm Road London NW1
Tel: 0171 267 0718
Fat Man rating: 85/100
Located just north of Camden market and with a sister restaurant in Covent Garden on Marsham Street, this intriguing combination of style, food and drinks, all simplicity itself, has made the owner a very rich man indeed; even more bizarrely - deservedly so! Enter the dining area of Belfo Noord via a metal ramp over the kitchens and descend into a sort of monastery with ash tables and plaster walls, inscribed with Latin names. Get served by strange men and women wearing monks' habits. Park yourself on the most uncomfortable chairs imaginable. Join in the next table's conversation as they are so close it's obligatory. Sound good? Well, it's bloody fantastic.
The menu is predominantly mussels or sausages - this place is not popular with the Chassidic - and every dish is wondrous - I think I've actually tried every one now! There are alternatives for the boring but, wait - it gets better! There are over 100 Belgian beers to choose from, some as high as 12%, and about 80 different flavoured Schnapps. These can be purchased on boards with a number of different capacities; they come in lengths of 1', 18' etc. and are damn good fun.
This place is probably best enjoyed in a crowd but it's refreshing to find somewhere that is both novel and accomplished in its product. Expect to pay about £20 per head for food and the drinks' bill is up to you!
Kids welcome.
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