And the award for laziest blogger goes to….myself. I have posts ready to publish, however due to pure tiredness after work, all I can manage is dinner, a spot of TV, a quick check of emails, then bed. Repeat x 5 till the weekend when I can finally catch up on everything.
It’s a little embarrassing it has taken me so long to write a post on The Albion, as I live so ridiculously close. We’re talking a 30-second walk. We don’t actually eat here too often to be honest, as on a Sunday afternoon, there’s nothing I like better than loading up a whole chicken with some butter and herbs and filling the house with that irresistible, unmistakable smell, but on those rare Sundays when Sainsbury’s closes before I’ve made it there, The Albion is a good alternative.
A quick call to The Albion with only a few minutes notice, secured us a table, and meant we didn’t have to wait. Grace ordered the beef, which came with bone marrow. I was quite jealous over that, especially as I have ordered the beef previously and I racked my brain trying to remember if I was lucky enough to feast on the wobbly, rich, fatty marrow. I don’t think I was. While I prefer meat to be on the pink-side, I do think the default rare The Albion offers, is just a touch too underdone for my tastes. Below is medium rare, and I think it’s probably just the right amount of cooked. Carrots, spinach and ‘tatoes are served along-side.
When my first choice of pork belly was sold out, I nearly felt like crying. I was so looking forward to a fat slab of juicy pork, crunchy crackling and sweet apple sauce on top. As an alternative, the lamb was a worthy 2nd choice. The lamb rump had just the right amount of flavoursome fat running through it. The lamb was so fragrant as well – something I normally never notice. Choice of vegetables on the side were well-cooked, if not a little boring in choice. I wanted a well-cooked roast and it filled the brief.
The highlight of the meal was the dessert. As it usually is. If it were up to me, all meals would simply consist of dessert and savoury would be optional. A scoop of strawberry ice cream was surrounded, by all the components of a Sunday pudding. Wobbly scoops of delicate elderflower jelly, bite-sized crunchy, chewy meringue, drops of creme anglais, large slices of sweet strawberries and plucked basil leaves scattered around the plate. When it arrived, I have never been so utterly filled with regret about agreeing to share dessert. The pairing of strawberries and basil is such a beautiful combination, I wish more recipes made use of those flavours.
I love having The Albion so close by for emergency Roast runs. There is a huge garden out the back, perfect for sipping cider on sunny days. Staff are helpful, friendly and knowledgable. The Albion is in the back streets of Islington/Angel – Angel is definitely the closer tub station, and it’s well worth trek to the back streets to find this gem.
Culinary Creep 
God, those roasts looks good! Rare beef, wobbly bone marrow, sometimes I wish everyday could be Sunday. I’m off to Romney Marsh tomorrow, I hope I find some lamb as good as that!