Last night I met up with my 3 best friends for a winter warming dinner at Kipferl, an Austrian restaurant in Camden Passage (near Angel).

My flatmate had been talking about how great it was for a while, and having never eaten any Austrian food outside Austria, I was keen to find out more!

I love Camden Passage, it’s definitely one of my favourite lanes in London. The hidden winding street feels magical, and if you replaced the shop names with words like ‘owl emporium’ or ‘apothecary’, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that you had tumbled into the world of Harry Potter.

Kipferl is nestled half way down, across the road from The Elk in the Woods (a great place for cocktails). We ran in from the cold dark night into a warm and brightly lit room. Kipferl somehow manages to be cosy yet elegant. Most cosy places I know rely on rugs and sofas, so I don’t know how Kipferl manages to make you feel so warm and glowing inside. Perhaps it’s the delicious aroma of molten mountain cheese that infuses the air.

We started off our meal with some much needed Gluhwein. It was served with a little Milka chocolate (chocolate is always appreciated!) The Gluhwein was good if a little lacking in sugar, and they use spice ‘teabags’ which I personally don’t think works as well as using whole fresh spices. However it was warm and aromatic and very much enjoyed!

My friend and I were very keen to try the Goulash soup, so we ordered the starter portion to share. I’m a huge fan of Hungarian goulash (which is very different), and though I’ve never had goulash in Austria, I’ve grown up eating it in the ‘refugi’ in the mountains of Northern Italy and it is one of my favourite dishes.

The goulash at Kipferl was good – not as rich as some of the goulashes I’ve had before, but for £4.50 it was a filling and warming winter meal that I’d definitely go back for!

The selection of mains is perfect – not too many to overwhelm you, just enough that you’re torn between dishes and end up vowing to return to try more!

I opted for the pan fried veal in a mushroom and wine sauce with fried potatoes and green salad. (I won’t attempt to spell that out in German but I did make a very brave attempt to pronounce it!) It was really delicious – creamy yet with a delicate hint of mushrooms.

My friends opted for the schnitzels – one was fried in a pumpkin seed coating, and the other was served with a cranberry sauce. Both were really tasty, but I preferred the latter. If anyone is craving schnitzel, I strongly recommend making a visit to Kipferl – definitely the best Schnitzels I’ve had in London!

And another photo of the pumpkin seed schnitzel….

I honestly didn’t have space for dessert after all the delicious food, but my friend ordered the strawberry dumplings and they looked really pretty, dusted with sugar and filled with strawberry sauce. I generally prefer savoury food, especially when the food is this good, however I’ll admit I was very tempted!

All in all we had an amazing night and I can’t wait to go back to try more of the dishes. It’s a great place to go with friends as there’s such a welcoming and friendly atmosphere – definitely recommend it!