The Star is great pub with all the classic gastropub features and a lot more besides, including a delicious menu and a very special open mic night on Thursdays.

The Venue
The attention to detail at The Star is fantastic - every corner of the pub has been carefully considered. Props galore give you something interesting to look at, wherever your eye wanders, with a ram’s head over the bar, plus other creatures whose last human contact was with a taxidermist. The look and feel of The Star is that you have been welcomed into someone’s house. Classic wooden dining tables and mismatched chairs lit by well-used church candles occupy the main body of the room, with huge ferns to make it even more homely. A large, ornate display of dried flowers in a giant vase decorates one end of the bar and below this is a coffee machine and selection of papers and weekend supplements. Aside from the dining tables, there is a cosy area furnished with old Chesterfield sofas, a battered old rug, tasselled lampshades and a roaring fire, which all help to emulate a very distinguished drawing room. Climb the townhouse-style stairs to get to the function room - another living room-style bar, with a fireplace, velvet curtains, sash windows and retro tan leather armchairs.

Outside is a little courtyard with outside-in decor – think the Big Brother garden but much cooler. There are mirrors and fairy lights on the powder-blue walls, and the integrated timber benching is mostly occupied by chilly smokers, who are warmed up a little by the greenery.

The Atmosphere
A quiet but good quality jukebox plays The Clash, Bob Dylan, jazz, reggae and dance in the background to the comfortable locals. Some drinkers settle down for a long, lazy evening over a few bottles of wine and some pints, others include young and trendy arty types meeting for a few beers. Ages range from early twenties to late forties and the vibe is definitely chilled out.

If you make it to the Star on a Thursday, you will also see a steady stream of musicians with guitars on their backs making their way upstairs to take part in the acoustic open mic night. Expect to spend the evening listening to some superb singer-songwriters in a caring sharing atmosphere.

The Food
The one-page menu is updated daily, led by whatever seasonal produce is available. Very generous portions will leave the small of appetite feeling almost too full for a main, but the scallops with pan fried pancetta make a perfect combination - the soft, sweet seafood is complemented by the crisp, salty meat and the sharp tomato dressing. The chicken liver pate is smooth, full of flavour and irresistible on brown toast with the sweet and tangy red onion marmalade.

Most mains are pretty heavy, with potato, rice and pasta hard to avoid, but the more creative recipes fair very well. The roast pork belly stuffed with dates is served on a bed of creamy, smooth, melt-in-the-mouth mash, which is topped with soft, wilted spinach and the pork belly is perched on top. Nestling under the divine, crunchy crackling are some sticky, sweet dates that could have been grown just for this dish. Add the creamy, subtle tang of peppercorn sauce and your whole mouth will think it’s gone to heaven. The rib eye steak is huge, as are the chips and it’s a good steak - filling and juicy. The chips are spot on – crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

For dessert, the baked vanilla and lemon cheesecake has a pleasantly firm texture, and gives oral pleasure in the form of that light, feathery tickle at the back of the throat. The warning bells that might ring when you see that the tarte tatin comes with strawberry ice cream are justified. The ice cream itself is delicious, as is the tarte tatin, but unfortunately mixing the two flavours together just doesn’t work. The daily updated menu is studiously handwritten. The downside of this is that some words just cannot be deciphered.

The Drink
The bar is just as interesting as the rest of the venue, with European beers on draught: Leffe, Staropramen, Amstel and Hoegaarden, and Fruli Strawberry beer in bottles. There is also an extraordinary selection of spirits on wooden shelves behind the bar, including Hendricks gin, Grey Goose vodka, Jagermeister, Croft Port, Stones Ginger Wine, Laphroaic Scotch Whisky, Knob Creek whiskey, Zubrowka vodka, Reyka Icelandic vodka, Mount Gay rum, Black Bush Irish whisky and Galliano.

Wines include a light and tangy Monte Clarijo Rioja, plus an extensive list that’s written up on a huge blackboard – reds, whites, roses, prosecco and champagne. Pimms, mojitos and Bloody Marys are also available. Again, the downside is the carefully written but sometimes illegible handwriting.

The Last Word
If you are anywhere in North London, The Star is well worth a visit, whether you like salubrious surroundings, interesting food or live music from London’s finest up and coming singer-songwriters.

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