Konstam

I promise I didn't go to Konstam because he's the bloke off the telly. I was recommended it by someone who went and had no idea about the telly thing or the fact that most ingredients are sourced from within the M25. He just recognised that it was cracking good cooking and he was right.

I wasn't dissapointed, it's tough to get a booking but deservedly so. The decor's funky but still intimate and the kitchen is open in a manner braver than most - you are so close to the chefs and the range you can see everything. It's like a demo kitchen which is wonderful if you like cooking.

The menu is an engaging mish mash of posh, rustic, innovative and delicate. Not everything was perfect but there were a couple of real stand out items.

The Mersea Squid was cooked perfectly with punchy flavours. Not a big fan of squid, I would have been tempted to avoid Essex squid but this was a delight.

I've been dreaming about the Pan-roasted chicken ever since I went. Chunky golden breasts never looked so good! Caramalised, fragrant and herby, I truly could live off that dish for the rest of my life.

Boiled ham and cabbage has never been so good either - another knockout dish cooked to perfection, the ham melted in the mouth and the sauce and cabbage were unbelievably good.

A couple of dissapointing bits (pigeon sourced from within the M25 - we all have our standards)but the good most definitely outweighed the mediocre.

I feel sad about the service though (I'm shaking my head sadly as I type). The waitresses were all very sweet, attractive and well turned out but there's no real service spirit going on here. You know when you go to a restaurant and the staff are buzzing, there's energy about the way they work and they know their service sh*t. These ladies, lovely though they were, behaved as if they were helping out at a family party, slow and inefficient, they really let the place down. Oliver, if you employed them they're your mates, treat them to a free dinner and serve marching orders with pudding. The capital is brimming with excellent waiting staff, there's no excuse.

I thoroughly enjoyed Konstam at the Prince Albert. It restored my faith in the identikit London restaurant scene and made me really want to tell people about it, that's got to be a good sign. Here's to it's continued succes and may the pigeons of WC1 beware.