Incontro Restaurant

Opened tonight - they were serving food on the house buffet-style, and were so passionate about the place. A really friendly restaurant, great food and great addition to the area. They are desperate to be part of the community and buy produce locally, offer community events and engage with local people. I think the chef hugged me about 8 times before leaving as well. Passionate people...<div><br></div><div><br></div>
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Comments

  • It's opposite The Old Daisy. Wasn't a buffet style to be fair, they just gave us loads of dishes to try - northern Italian experience. Very different from the other Italian restaurants around.
  • On Crouch Hill? Next to Stapleton Tavern?
  • Yep, on Crouch Hill next to Stapleton Tavern.
  • <p>If I ever open a pub it will be called The Old Daisy.</p><p><br></p><p>I was thinking the other day that what SG needs is not another hipster home brew joint but a pub or something that actually could host events, a bit like Earl Haig does in Crouch End. Pop up films, quizzes, stand up, book clubs, markets, bit of a disco, Hallowe'en party, Christmas do etc. That's what I'd like to see in SG.</p>
  • I know that a couple of the pubs do one or two of these things but football on the big telly seems to put a stop to the good stuff.
  • edited January 2016
    Incontro - This is the new place from the ex-owner/chef of Tufo right?<div><br></div><div>miss annie - It's tough for pubs that don't have private rooms or separate areas for these things because if stand up / quizzes for example take over the whole pub, you lose out on customers that just wanted a quiet drink. <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Plus some (not all) of the people that attend book clubs, quizzes etc spend very little money at the bar, which really hurts smaller independent pubs.</span></div>
  • I've still not been to the Earl Haig. Indeed somehow I seem to have missed the fact that it had been converted into a pub.<div><br></div><div>This 'craft beer = home brew' piffle is a tad wearing though. Some people like trying interesting real ales made by small businesses rather than boring smoothpour bitters by huge commercial companies. Some people like trying interesting craft beers made by small businesses rather than boring mass-produced lagers. Even aside from the ethical dimension, the very best beers that I have ever tasted anywhere in the world have been produced in the last few years by small London craft brewers. To compare this to the undrinkable filth my old man produces in his garage is pretty crass.*</div><div><br></div><div>*and his home-brew is horrible too.</div>
  • Is Incontro where the failed Polish pancake place was?
  • CityOfSin, did Osteria Tufo change hands? When did this happen? My wife had a good meal there a while ago but when we went recently it was pretty poor. We ended up going to Season for pudding (the amazing chocolate rosemary pots). <br>
  • My understanding is that Paola (front-of-house) now owns/runs it and there is a new chef. This happened before Christmas.
  • so there are 2 new italian restaurants in Stroud Green-ish (i understand that this is Crouch Hill).<div><br></div><div>How interesting.</div><div><br></div><div>Crouch Hill has now got 3 italian restaurants in like 300 meters.</div><div><br></div><div>Wow....</div><div><br></div>
  • What ever happened to Real Ale or has that been rebranded?
  • <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font color="#555555" face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">3 Italian restaurants in like 300 meters?</span></font></span><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;"><font color="#555555" face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I make it 9 in 400 metres...</span></font></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Guiseppe's (formerly Fabrizio's)</span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Il Piccolo Diavolo</span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Incontro</span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">La Porchetta</span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;"><font color="#555555" face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Italian Deli</span></font></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;"><font color="#555555" face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Pizza Pappagone</span></font></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;"><font color="#555555" face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">La Forchetta</span></font></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;"><font color="#555555" face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">La Saporita (On Tollington)</span></font></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;"><font color="#555555" face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Hana Maria</span></font></div>
  • Real ale still exists.<br><br>Craft beer tends to be colder, can be slightly carbonated, comes from a keg (rather than a cask), I'd say tends to have more flavour and brewed in smaller batches.<br>
  • Please advise then on the differences between beer, bitter, ale, lager, weissbeer, red, brown ale, porter and stout. I was trying to explain this yesterday to a Polish friend. This involved opening a number of bottles.
  • Sounds a good explanation.... could you tell the difference by the end? If you want to go down the craft beer route you need to include IPA, American Pale Ale, Session, Imperial Stout, Saison and Sour.
  • I have a Spanish person staying with me now and we have a plan to drink our way through 1001 Beers to Try Before You Die. That is one beer a night for 2 1/2 years. Highly educational and quite a few craft beers in there.
  • @CityOfSin I've been to several book clubs in pubs,(and we host a number of them in our bar at work too), wine is an important part of every single one! 
  • edited January 2016
    @ miss annie - Oh I don't doubt it. (That's why I said some, not all).<div><br></div><div>Walked past Incontro last night - they've done wonders with the interior. They'll just need to do some hardcore advertising to get people up the hill and through the doors.</div>
  • <p>I'll nip up and have a look at the weekend. </p><p><br></p>
  • I think Osteria Tufo has gone up again with the new chef. The meals have been consistently good recently.
  • <p>"Craft beer tends to be colder, can be slightly carbonated, comes from a keg (rather than a cask)"</p><p>Sounds like an old CAMRA description Watneys Red Barrel!</p><p>I have had a few pints of beer from Camdem  Brewery  when the Noble was open  and thought it was very fizzy and too cold.</p><p>It is almost like they are targetting larger drinkers to try something a little diffrent but at a much higher price. </p><p> </p>
  • I only got into drinking ale in my late 20s having been firmly a lager man before that. <div>I like my beer cold, so always prefer a pub with a properly cool cellar and when at home keep ales in the fridge.</div><div>Craft ale tends to suit me perfectly in that respect.</div><div>I can see how if you like your beer <a href="http://www.johnmajor.co.uk/page1086.html">John Major</a> it wouldn't suit.</div>
  • @Ali ; Was that Camden Hells? If so, that is a lager.<br>
  • <p>Papa</p><p>That is an interesting speech with the  refrendum about to hit us.</p><p>Not sure if your saying Europe has given us cold beer or I have some sort of romantic vision  beer and waht  pub should be like.</p><p>I am all for choice but do think that the craft thing is a bit over done.</p><p>Back to the speech. Can anyone remember currency restrictions?</p><p>You used to have take your Passport to the Bank to have the amount of currency you had recorded in the back of it then it was  stamped by the Bank. </p><p>I don't remember being restricted to £25 but can rember doing a months  Interail  on about £100 when I was a student</p><p> </p>
  • No ulterior motive, was going to write the word warm and then remembered the famous Major speech.<div><br></div><div>I'm a philistine wanting my beer cold.</div><div><br></div><div>The craft thing is definitely a bit overdone - a bubble so to speak, but I welcome the choice and new element of options to drink.</div><div><br></div><div>I'm too young to remember currency restrictions but my dad had stories of being able to go abroad only with limited amounts of cash.</div><div><br></div><div>That speech is pretty interesting to read now. This is the famous bit: </div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">'Fifty years from now Britain will still be the country of long shadows on county grounds, warm beer, invincible green suburbs, dog lovers and pools fillers and -</span><wbr style="box-sizing: content-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> as George Orwell said -</span><wbr style="box-sizing: content-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> “old maids bicycling to Holy Communion through the morning mist” and if we get our way -</span><wbr style="box-sizing: content-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Shakespeare still read even in school. Britain will survive unamendable in all essentials.'</span></div><div><br><div><br></div></div>
  • It was an excellent find  nothing wrong with choice as long as there is something for most folks
  • I've yet to get as far as drinking lager, beer or ale of any kind. One sniff is enough to put me off. There is a consistent smell in all of them that smells like the 1970s. It's clearly something drinkers get very passionate about though. Do the football pools still exist? I used to trudge about with my mum when she used to collect them door to door.
  • Football pools still very much exist
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