There are so many great new restaurants opening all the time in London that deciding to go back to an old favourite almost always feels like a bit of a wasted opportunity.

But sometimes, the planets align and one of said old favourites open a new restaurant themselves. And then it very much is your duty to go and check if it’s as good as the original (right?).

Especially when the new venue takes reservations!

So, after a walk through King’s Cross to see some of the installations for Lumière London, we made a beeline to the newly opened Mildred’s in Camden.

And it was love at first sight. I mean, you can’t really go wrong with warm wood and gold rose accent touches, can you?

It took us forever to choose…

Partly because of doing faces (not naming anyone, but that was Ophélie) and taking too many pictures (alright, that was all me!)…

But also because we simply wanted to try EVERYTHING!

We started with a round of cocktails (your fave vegetarian being in town is something to celebrate, right?)

The Bombay Cooler (rum, mint, lime, chai syrup).

The Bourbon Sours (bourbon, amaretto, lemon, sugar syrup)

And a (quite spicy) Bloody Mary. And chips.

And the BEST basil mayo there ever was (not pictured because I was far too busy inventing evil plans to keep it all to myself). I could happy have nibbled on those all evening.

But that didn’t quite happened. Instead, we kind of munched our way through most of the menu.

Starting with a few starters…

Including this Panfried halloumi with charcoal roasted peppers and leeks and chargrilled flatbread (excellent)

Rose harrisa hoummus, smokey babaganoush and chargrilled flatbread (always a crowd-pleaser)

Mains followed shortly after.

Sri Lankan sweet potato curry with roasted lime cashews, pea basmati rice and coconut-tomato sambal.

Polish burger (beetroot, white bean and dill in a focaccia bun with iceberg lettuce, mayonnaise, pickled cabbage, gherkin and cheese)

Classic burger (smoked tofu, lentils, piquillo pepper in a focaccia bun with relish, rocket, red onion, tomato and cheese)

And the dish of the night: Mock duck Cassoulet.

I was so curious to try a vegetarian version of cassoulet as it’s a dish that’s so reliant on meat and meaty fats in its original version and it did not disappoint!

Despite eating more than my share of yet more chips (#sorrynotsorry), we somehow manage to gather the necessary strength to have dessert.

Coconut panna cotta with salted caramel espresso sauce (just a little wobbly and absolutely divine)

Peanut butter brownies and vanilla ice cream (rich and dense, just as it should be)

And a little bit of extra indulgence with Maraschino cherry truffles to polish it all off.

And in the end, a very full belly and a massive smile on my face because this new Mildred’s restaurant IS just as good as the original. And I won’t have to queue ever again when I get a cravings for those basil-mayo drenched chips.

Mildred’s Camden, 9 Jamestown Road, London NW1 7BW