Tsiakkos & Charcoal, 5a Marylands Road, London W9 2DU (020 7286 7896). Starters and sides £4.50-£9.50, mains £13.50-£18, desserts £5.50, wines from £20
It is a dark, damp night in London’s W9. Rear lights reflect off wet roads, a gash of red against the black, and occasionally the constant growl of traffic on the Harrow Road is cut through by the distant Doppler of a police siren. And yet there is something here on this mostly residential street that reminds me of my sun-kissed time Greek island hopping so many years ago. It is the heavy waft of charcoal smoke and the encouraging top note of rendering fat; it’s the aromas I recall from the tavernas that huddled close to each other along every island quay front. That’s the thing about Tsiakkos & Charcoal. You will smell it long before you find it and even when you find it you will doubt that you have.
