Journal Canteen

The Canteen, not to be confused with street-side Journal Cafe, is the culinary haven up the stairs adjacent to the cafe. The rustic Italian menu is confident in its simplicity, the wine list is short and sweet, and the decor industrial chic: concrete floors, metal stools, bench by the window, communal tables with cutlery baskets. The obligatory antipasto might comprise a wedge of spongy pea frittata, plump olives, ribbons of zucchini, mushrooms and slow-roasted tomatoes. There's now a broader offering of house-made pastas, too. Consider a hearty bowl of capunti - canoe-shaped pasta with baked cauliflower and melting fontina. Or you might choose suckling pig lasagne, studded with fennel seeds and topped with basil pesto, or perfect pillows of ravioli filled with lemony-ricotta in a bright tomato sugo. There's always something meatier on offer, maybe a moist lamb shoulder and carrot puree, and in the evenings, perhaps porchetta. A joyous fig and ricotta tart with stove-top coffee make the perfect ending.