Paesan Crouch End - Haringey

Promising setting (we sat in the outside rooftop area), nice staff, friendly service, but very disappointing food. Rather tasteless and flavourless pasta (pesto didn't taste of pesto), small portions, and the first time we've been to a pasta restaurant and not been offered parmesan but then we weren't offered salt, pepper, or anything else either. Oh, and my daughter said the toilets are definitely to be avoided.

Having already been to several other restaurants in Crouch End, we decided (on a Monday night when quite a few are closed) to try Paesan. It's a quirky place. The bulk of the seating is upstairs, with the kitchen open-plan and taking up most of the ground floor. When we arrived at 6pm just one other table was being used, but by the time we left most were occupied. The decor is rustic, as you ought to expect given the restaurant's name. The menus are on clipboards and I didn't make myself popular by removing the clip in an unfulfilled expectation of finding some non-pasta main courses. We had the antipasta misto, which was distinctly average. My wife then chose the frutti di mare: it's made with fregola that was too soft to really work. From my perspective though the meal was redeemed by a truly outstanding norcina made with fennel sausage, mushrooms and truffle oil. The two staff serving were pleasant and our food arrived in reasonable time. However with just once person in the kitchen we did wonder how they were going to cope with all the other diners still waiting for food when we left.

We decided to give this restaurant another chance on New Year's Eve, but unfortunately, it was a truly terrible experience. The service was poor, as they rushed us to order without informing us that several menu items were already sold out, even when we asked for specials. The staff had no knowledge about wine either. The food was average with tiny portions, and the atmosphere was dull. At 10:15 pm, after being there for over an hour for our party of four, we were informed that the kitchen was closing and we had to order dessert immediately. When we opted for desserts, we were told that the coffee machine was broken and they had run out of tea. The staff were either rude or inexperienced. Overall, it was a comically bad dining experience, and we would advise people in Crouch End to avoid this restaurant. We had heard negative reviews about this place but decided to give it a chance, which turned out to be a mistake. There are much better Italian food options in Crouch End.

The downstairs bar is dirty and run-down, with a kitchen area that looks grimy and unappetizing. Upstairs, the small and basic pasta was revolting, with a sauce that tasted like it had been sitting around for days. The fried courgette was soggy but edible. The only redeeming feature was the very sweet and charming waitress. Overall, it was a dreadful meal.

Having grown up in Italy, I was excited to try this restaurant. The pasta was tasty and the fried zucchini starter was especially delicious. The waiters seemed a bit inexperienced but were very friendly. It took a while to get the menus, place our order, and for the food to arrive. Unfortunately, the bill was also incorrect. The prices felt a bit high for the portion sizes, but I understand that rent in Crouch End is expensive and the ingredients were of good quality. The restaurant had a trendy atmosphere, but it was a bit cramped. Overall, I enjoyed my experience but found it somewhat underwhelming and probably wouldn't return. Still worth a visit though!