The Elk in the Woods

39 Camden Passage
London
N1 8EA

I went to The Elk in the Woods so long ago that most details have been erased from my fuzzy mind (thank goodness for the menu posted on their web page). But I do remember having a good time, and enjoying the food, so I definitely left thinking that it was a fun meal with some interesting elements. We were with friends from the US, so this turned out to be a great place to introduce them to some elements of finer British pub grub. Clockwise from the upper lefthand corner, we have:

• braised rabbit with wild mushroom, pancetta and roasted garlic ragu served with mashed potato
• skewered quails wrapped in pancetta with sage and rosemary stuffing
• chorizo and thyme lentils
• venison burger (from the specials menu)
• frickadeller, roast bacon, gherkin, apple sauce and mormors potato salad with gammel dansk
• duck leg confit with parsnip mash (from the specials menu)

Thankfully everyone was happy to share bites of their dishes so I got to try a little of everything. I loved my quails and the lentil side was perfect for me. I was also pretty enamoured with the rabbit - it was much better than my one attempt at rabbit stew a long time ago. The venison burger had a nice gaminess to it that I really appreciated, and the frickadeller (which is delightful to say out loud) turned out to be fantastic Danish pork meatballs. Enough surprising elements (like frickadeller) make this meal stand out a bit - I'd take people with a slight sense of adventure here, I think.