22nd June 2007
An understated gem off Kensington High Street.
I like this place a lot. It has not been open all that long and I went there first on spec having found it in a guide book. What a gem.
It is rather understated and the ambience is calm and soothing. The food is very good, prices - including for wine - reasonable, and the staff are some of the best I have ever come across in London.
The frontage is low key, and the interior is 'gently' contemporary with white walls and an interesting collection of photography and pictures. One big plus here is that the tables are sensibly spaced. This means you can hear what people round your own table are saying, have discreet conversations, and the background noise level is tolerable - really important for those of us who don't hear so well. They do have piped music - which I strongly dislike in eating places - but it is kept low, and as the room is divided into a number of 'spaces' you can ask for a table in an area away from the speakers.
I understand the chef likes fish dishes, but these do not dominate the menu and there is a good balance of meat and vegetarian as well. It is Franco/Italian/British.
Last time we went for dinner, I had the set menu (also available at lunchtime) for 19:50. This offers a choice of two starters and two main courses. I had a delicious 'bread soup with tomatoes', a sort of Italian interpretation of gazpacho. Pantagruel's spouse had prosciutto with melon. A simple dish but beautifully done. I like that. The melon looked perfectly ripe, juicy and sweet and, for two ingredients, it was imaginatively laid out.
For main courses I had skate on a bed of crushed peas (a sort of upmarket 'mushy peas' only with firm succulent petit pois). Pantagruel's spouse had a tagliatelle dish, reported to be delicious.
The wine list is good and the prices very reasonable. I had a tasty glass of Chilean Merlot priced at 3.75 (compared with the more typical 6-8 a glass for wine of certainly no better quality in restaurants of this calibre in London).
The pudding list offers a good range. We shared an iles flotantes (pantagruel wasn't intending to join in, but when they bring that extra spoon ...). Delicious, and light as a feather, with very more-ish creme anglaise dotted with toasted almond slices.
The staff are wonderful: cheerful - but not in a forced sort of way - friendly, helpful, and relaxed whilst being highly professional. Service moves at just the right pace.
This restaurant scores highly for me because they get the all-round experience right. It's not actually convenient for me to get to, but I will make a detour - or find excuses - to go there.
Loading...
Post to facebook
