Latest reviews for Food & Drink in Kensington, London, United Kingdom

Buttercup Cake Shop - Kensington Cupcakes by sue

sue — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:30:02 +0000

Review by sue

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7937 1473

Website: http://www.buttercupbakeshop.co.uk

Currently being addicted to cupcakes, when I read about the Buttercup Cake Shop in Kensington I added it straight to my to-do list. A couple of weeks later I came up with the ingenious plan of taking my sister and her BF to Whole Foods, but beforehand suggested we head to Buttercup for morning tea, as it is not a good idea to visit Whole Foods on an empty stomach!

Buttercup is hidden away, a few blocks back from Kensington High Street. It is a small shop with only a couple of tables, and a small display cabinet of delicious looking cupcakes. There is a good range of flavours - the friendly American owner has bought over some American recipes, and added a few British concoctions as well. You can eat in (with a cuppa) or take away, and they also offer delivery.

Between the three of us we sampled four cupcakes - the Mocca, Banoffee, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and the St George's Day special - which was a vanilla cupcake with red and white icing. My sister and her BF liked the Banoffee best, while my favourite was the Chocolate Peanut Butter - yum!Currently being addicted to cupcakes, when I read about the Buttercup Cake Shop in Kensington I added it straight to my to-do list. A couple of weeks later I came up with the ingenious plan of taking my sister and her BF to Whole Foods, but beforehand suggested we head to Buttercup for morning tea, as it is not a good idea to visit Whole Foods on an empty stomach!

Buttercup is hidden away, a few blocks back from Kensington High Street. It is a small shop with only a couple of tables, and a small display cabinet of delicious looking cupcakes. There is a good range of flavours - the friendly American owner has bought over some American recipes, and added a few British concoctions as well. You can eat in (with a cuppa) or take away, and they also offer delivery.

Between the three of us we sampled four cupcakes - the Mocca, Banoffee, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and the St George's Day special - which was a vanilla cupcake with red and white icing. My sister and her BF liked the Banoffee best, while my favourite was the Chocolate Peanut Butter - yum!

Oddono's - The saviour of Italian Ice Cream in London by gastro1

gastro1 — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:55:48 +0000

Review by gastro1

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7052 0732

Website: http://www.oddonos.com

Tags: rare finds

When the Owners of La Bottega del Gelato in Bayswater retired about 2 years ago I knew that Londoners who savour real Italian home made ice cream would be in serious trouble.

The outlet has allegedly been passed on to a relative; however what is being served is clearly industrial.

Some may remember a similar affair with the retirement of the owner and ice cream maker at Benigra on Tottenham Court Road some 8-10 years ago.

Thankfully Christian O'Ddonno and a friend who were students in London and could not satisfy their taste for the Ice Cream of their homeland saw a gap in the market. After undergoing on the job training back in Italy they opened a superb Ice Cream Parlour in South Kensington that also supplies some notable restaurants. The sorbets and Ice Creams are really outstanding!

Caramello and Panetone ice cream are my particular favourites.

Oh and if you have just had a shish kofte or donner round the corner at Bospherous this is the perfect Ying after your Yang - food on the move par excellence !When the Owners of La Bottega del Gelato in Bayswater retired about 2 years ago I knew that Londoners who savour real Italian home made ice cream would be in serious trouble.

The outlet has allegedly been passed on to a relative; however what is being served is clearly industrial.

Some may remember a similar affair with the retirement of the owner and ice cream maker at Benigra on Tottenham Court Road some 8-10 years ago.

Thankfully Christian O'Ddonno and a friend who were students in London and could not satisfy their taste for the Ice Cream of their homeland saw a gap in the market. After undergoing on the job training back in Italy they opened a superb Ice Cream Parlour in South Kensington that also supplies some notable restaurants. The sorbets and Ice Creams are really outstanding!

Caramello and Panetone ice cream are my particular favourites.

Oh and if you have just had a shish kofte or donner round the corner at Bospherous this is the perfect Ying after your Yang - food on the move par excellence !

C. Lidgate - Carnivore Heaven!!! by SiReine

SiReine — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:24:06 +0000

Review by SiReine

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7727 8243

Tags: delicatessen, friendly staff, meat

A real foodie heaven!

I've made the BEST "escalope a la moutarde" with their veal!! (A real treat when I feel home-sick)

Deninitely go there:
- if you have a special dinner party
- you really want to impress a carnivore!
- over the Christmas season(order in advance)

Not cheap but we all know "in London you pay for what you get!"
A real foodie heaven!

I've made the BEST "escalope a la moutarde" with their veal!! (A real treat when I feel home-sick)

Deninitely go there:
- if you have a special dinner party
- you really want to impress a carnivore!
- over the Christmas season(order in advance)

Not cheap but we all know "in London you pay for what you get!"

Tesco - Tesco and RODENTS by brown

brown — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 17:57:32 +0000

Review by brown

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7853 7100

Website: http://www.tesco.com

Tags: supermarket, food, big

When shopping at this store pay careful attention to the products you buy. They have had a problem with rodents and their delivery bays. Also if you have placed an order form tesco and you live in central london then it is more than likely that it has come from this store. My last order showed up with food supplies eaten and rodent droppings in the bags. Not long after we seemed to notice a mouse in our flat, in fact we believe that when the tesco man came around he also brought with him more than we ordered. In fact the manager of the store acknowledges that mice were in the loading bay and that they were also found in the lorry vans. They wont tell you this, however they did tell me. The staff and general attitude with this whole ordeal has highlighted other issues with Tesco. Please be careful making your purchase. There are a number of diseases that can be passed on to humans were food can come in contact with rodents, Leptospirosis is just one of them.
When shopping at this store pay careful attention to the products you buy. They have had a problem with rodents and their delivery bays. Also if you have placed an order form tesco and you live in central london then it is more than likely that it has come from this store. My last order showed up with food supplies eaten and rodent droppings in the bags. Not long after we seemed to notice a mouse in our flat, in fact we believe that when the tesco man came around he also brought with him more than we ordered. In fact the manager of the store acknowledges that mice were in the loading bay and that they were also found in the lorry vans. They wont tell you this, however they did tell me. The staff and general attitude with this whole ordeal has highlighted other issues with Tesco. Please be careful making your purchase. There are a number of diseases that can be passed on to humans were food can come in contact with rodents, Leptospirosis is just one of them.

Whole Foods Market - Over priced, now over here by ramanauskas

ramanauskas — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 10:52:57 +0000

Review by ramanauskas

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7368 4500

Website: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/uk/kensington

Tags: expensive, organic, supermarket

If you have more money than sense, Whole Foods has taken over from Fortnum and Mason as the place to buy your apples.

Yes, I know it's beautifully laid out. Yes I know it's supposed to be in the vanguard of organic food consumption.
But somehow it just seems to try too hard? And the prices are definitely too much.

For example, 250g dorset sheeps cheese is (gulp) Â£8.49, which you can get in the slightly less grand surroundings of the John Lewis Food Hall (Oxford Street) for I think Â£6.79.
The draw for me is the fantastic range of US wines - lots of Californian wines which I haven't seen elsewhere in the UK. But even then, a bottle of Zin I bought recently (Â£8+) was corked and undrinkable, and I didn't have time to take it back and complain. Next time I go in I'll let them know and see what they say.

We've been to the gastro-palace upstairs once, for breakfast. Again, very expensive even for Kensington, though a beautiful space with great tall windows overlooking the High Street. The yoghurt was sweetened and the staff (admittedly in the first couple of weeks) a bit clueless.

To sum up: an expensive curate's egg.

If you have more money than sense, Whole Foods has taken over from Fortnum and Mason as the place to buy your apples.

Yes, I know it's beautifully laid out. Yes I know it's supposed to be in the vanguard of organic food consumption.
But somehow it just seems to try too hard? And the prices are definitely too much.

For example, 250g dorset sheeps cheese is (gulp) Â£8.49, which you can get in the slightly less grand surroundings of the John Lewis Food Hall (Oxford Street) for I think Â£6.79.
The draw for me is the fantastic range of US wines - lots of Californian wines which I haven't seen elsewhere in the UK. But even then, a bottle of Zin I bought recently (Â£8+) was corked and undrinkable, and I didn't have time to take it back and complain. Next time I go in I'll let them know and see what they say.

We've been to the gastro-palace upstairs once, for breakfast. Again, very expensive even for Kensington, though a beautiful space with great tall windows overlooking the High Street. The yoghurt was sweetened and the staff (admittedly in the first couple of weeks) a bit clueless.

To sum up: an expensive curate's egg.

H G Walter - The best butcher in London? by ramanauskas

ramanauskas — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:32:58 +0000

Review by ramanauskas

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7385 6466

Tags: butcher barbeque sausages organic meat

H G Walter keeps winning - Best Butcher in the UK in 2005, I think, Best Butcher in the South East in 2006.
It's just down the road from Barons Court tube, in a small parade of shops, but you'll see it because of the queue out the door.
Their Toulouse sausages are the best for cassoulet, in summer they have a superb range of ready-to-barbecue stuff (if we ever get bbq weather again) and in autumn a good range of game.
Also a range of cheeses and veggies.
But it does come at a price - a large joint of beef for roasting culd be as much as Â£30 and their organic geese at Christmas are (gulp) about Â£60. But very very tasty!H G Walter keeps winning - Best Butcher in the UK in 2005, I think, Best Butcher in the South East in 2006.
It's just down the road from Barons Court tube, in a small parade of shops, but you'll see it because of the queue out the door.
Their Toulouse sausages are the best for cassoulet, in summer they have a superb range of ready-to-barbecue stuff (if we ever get bbq weather again) and in autumn a good range of game.
Also a range of cheeses and veggies.
But it does come at a price - a large joint of beef for roasting culd be as much as Â£30 and their organic geese at Christmas are (gulp) about Â£60. But very very tasty!

Le Pain Quotidien - by Roya

Roya — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:42:23 +0000

Review by Roya

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7486 6154

Website: http://www.painquotidien.com

Tags: sandwiches, hot / cold drinks, hot food

A wonderful place to sit with the paper or a good book. The food is scrummy, the staff are friendly and they never hurry you. Perfect Sunday brunch hang-out.

Being where it is it can occasionally become populated with mums and pushchairs, but there's plenty of room, so it never feels oppressive.

Have the savoury muffins. Um-mummm..A wonderful place to sit with the paper or a good book. The food is scrummy, the staff are friendly and they never hurry you. Perfect Sunday brunch hang-out.

Being where it is it can occasionally become populated with mums and pushchairs, but there's plenty of room, so it never feels oppressive.

Have the savoury muffins. Um-mummm..

Bagatelle - Sweet French Stuff by Ladis19

Ladis19 — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 20:12:23 +0000

Review by Ladis19

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7581 1551

Website: http://www.bagatelle-boutique.co.uk/

Tags: french, cakes, delicatessen

This place is quite rightly situated in the heart of South Ken, just beside the French Lycee. It is THE place where French people gather to buy their delicious French bread and patisseries. I will agree that the quality of their food is outstanding however it does come at a price, £17 for a Gallette des Rois. Ouch!!!. My advice is to avoid this place around 4pm. It is packed with French mums and their multiple offspring trying to chose their Goûter (4 o'clock snacks traditionally in the form of a croissant or a pain au chocolat)

Bagatelle also provides catering services for bigger groups. Private parties and corporate functions.

If you are after seriously good French sweets, this is place is for you.
This place is quite rightly situated in the heart of South Ken, just beside the French Lycee. It is THE place where French people gather to buy their delicious French bread and patisseries. I will agree that the quality of their food is outstanding however it does come at a price, £17 for a Gallette des Rois. Ouch!!!. My advice is to avoid this place around 4pm. It is packed with French mums and their multiple offspring trying to chose their Goûter (4 o'clock snacks traditionally in the form of a croissant or a pain au chocolat)

Bagatelle also provides catering services for bigger groups. Private parties and corporate functions.

If you are after seriously good French sweets, this is place is for you.

Troubadour Delicatessen - Nice Food by lisas

lisas — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 14:19:39 +0000

Review by lisas

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7341 6341

Website: http://www.troubadour.co.uk

Tags: food, good, deli

A very relaxing place and very good food! Fantastic for take away. I also like sitting at the big table upstairs and read the papers, or relax downstairs on the comfy sofas. They also have yoga classes upstairs!A very relaxing place and very good food! Fantastic for take away. I also like sitting at the big table upstairs and read the papers, or relax downstairs on the comfy sofas. They also have yoga classes upstairs!