http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam Konstam - London, 2 Acton Street, WC1X 9NA, United Kingdom en http://cdn.trustedplaces.com/i/uploads/placepics/122979_aede7a6b.140.jpg http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/193t07
Review by willcritchlow

Rating: 4.00
Tags: good value
If the biggest criticism is of the ceiling decoration, you know it can't be that bad.

I had a great simple lunch here - the starter of aubergine, walnut and chorizo was better than the main course, in my opinion, but the food was fresh and high quality.

I enjoyed the quirkiness of the menu including the "explanation" of one of the dishes that left us none the wiser.

All in all, a quality venue. Recommended if you're in the area.]]> Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:35:22 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/193t07415850360 willcritchlow good value 51.528957673165 -0.11623620986938 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1h8sm7
Review by kittylyst

Rating: 5.00
Tags: romantic, british
Konstam is a true favourite - it's menu changes wonderfully with the seasons and the produce is amazingly fresh, and sourced (as far as possible) locally.

The fish they serve can be a particular delight - I am amazingly fussy about how fresh my fish needs to be (it develops a flavour I really don't care for if it's more than about 24 hours old) and Konstam is one of the very few places I've ever found which reliably serves it fresh enough.

Away from the seafood, the meat is top-drawer organic produce, and the vegetables are often forgotten English classics - especially the pleasingly unusual salads.

Particular favourites are the belly pork and the lamb.

Wine list has a British bias, but not overwhelmingly so, and is a fine example of how much English wine has come on in recent years - and the Chapel Down sparkler is an absolute gem to the traditional British palate.

The only minor criticism I could make is that the service is occasionally a little slow, but as I am a firm believer that overattentive is much worse than underattentive this is easily accommodated.

Pricewise, it's not a cheap night out, and the wine is slightly over the odds on some bottles (but not massively so) - however with careful selection of choices, it's possible to have an absolutely top-drawer night out (English sparkler, 3 courses with plenty of wine and cheese) for 60-70 pounds a head, which for the quality it represents can be seen as great value.]]> Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:06:42 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1h8sm71786309891 kittylyst romantic british 51.528957673165 -0.11623620986938 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1f4rh7
Review by up_shiraz

Rating: 4.00
Tags: lively, british, crowded, expensive, romantic
...and that's just the ceiling decoration! This was my second visit and if anything, it had got even better. A group of 8 of us sat down for dinner, with Olly Rowe as well on his night off (though that didn't seem to stop him working!)

The decor is stunning, with bizarre bathplug chain scultpures (not the technical name...) hanging all over the place. The atmosphere, with the small finishing kitchen right in the middle of the action, is always buzzy and exciting.

A terrine was full of big chunks of pressed game meats. Parsnip and walnut soup was thick and packed with flavour. As for the mains, i went for Waltham Abbey chicken, a meat I would never normally bother with in a restaurant. However this was delicious, perfectly cooked, crispy skin and juicy. It was served with a sinful blue cheese daupinoise...which was well...'go straight to your bedroom without any pudding' naughty.

I have to admit i don't quite get the wine list here. It is eclectic and does feature great wines from Chapel Down in Kent and natural wines from around Europe, but it is pricey and i don't think all the bottles hit the heights for what you pay. That aside it is a really fun, tasty and noble enterprise.]]> Sat, 06 Dec 2008 11:38:49 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1f4rh71170328726 up_shiraz lively british crowded expensive romantic 51.528957673165 -0.11623620986938 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1j7f48
Review by hither

Rating: 5.00
Tags:
I confess that we did go to this restaurant partly because we saw the TV programme - but also because my husband works just around the corner and had been watching the renovations, and also because the idea of sourcing food locally in London really appeals.

We went on a Saturday evening, but had an early booking so it wasn't too busy.

This was some of the best food I have ever had. I started with a salad, which is not an option I would normally go for, but it was absolutely delicious - including a perfectly soft boiled egg and some local blue cheese. Yum.

The main was pork belly, which is something we often see being cooked on TV programmes but which we haven't had the courage to try ourselves. It was absolutely delicious, melt in the mouth tasty.

The service was great and the decor is interesting - on the TV show they said that the chains were supposed to bring in light from the windows to the tables so I spent some time trying to decide if that was actually feasible (it was dark when we were there so I couldn't see it in action).

I can't wait to go back.

]]> Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:54:22 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1j7f481905602113 hither 51.528957673165 -0.11623620986938 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1u9ab8
Review by cookster101

Rating: 5.00
Tags: lively, british, good value, romantic
Set in the more genteel part of Kings Cross off Grays Inn Road this ex-boozer offers food with a twist...all of the ingredients were sourced from within the M25 down to the oil, bread and the salt and pepper. (It was featured in a documentary called the Urban Chef on BBC2 a year ago) The Valentines menu alone was wonderful. Ox-tongue, duck heart or beetroot soup for starters. Brill, skirt steak or lamb heart for main and some truly memorable sweets such as Quince Ice Cream and hazelnut brittle, Hot marmalade pudding and gooseberry sorbet. The strange decor of swirling beads from the ceiling gives it a chic and modern feel whilst the food is prepared in front of you by the chefs. Wonderful. Even the English red wine was quaffable. A truly London restuarant]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:28:38 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1u9ab81414685688 cookster101 lively british good value romantic 51.528957673165 -0.11623620986938 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1t76e7
Review by belinda

Rating: 2.00
Tags: expensive, english wine, local produce, organic, crowded
My friend has been eager to visit Konstam for ages and we finally got to go last night. Unfortunately it did not live up to its hype. Service was appalling and food was so-so. Although they apologised for the 3 hours it took for us to have our meal, it simply was not good enough. The reason...everyone was seated at the same time...hello! everyone booked, there are no walk-ins here so not staggering your bookings if your kitchen cannot handle it is simply unacceptable.

Service was not attentive and we had to ask several times for things that were missing. Our waitress was run off her feet while 3 other staff stood behind the counter and chatted. When i asked one of these for my coffee, did he make it? no he went and found our waitress who had to make all our coffees while they watched. Its that team spirit that really makes the place.

Decor was... well kind of strange. the windows and ceilings were draped in those metal beads that you often see in Chelsea establishments and looked totally out of place in the old pub, I think the space had a great opportunity to make it something special and they totally missed it.

There were 5 of us and although I did enjoy my food everyone else was not impressed. I was however impressed with the English wine!]]> Sun, 27 Jan 2008 12:48:59 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1t76e7300879114 belinda expensive english wine local produce organic crowded 51.528957673165 -0.11623620986938 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1946p8
Review by Browners

Rating: 4.00
Tags: lively, oliver rowe, celebrity chef, eco, british, good value, local, crowded
Lulu joined us on a 6 month rotation to work on our account and has done such a good job we thought she deserved a good lunch. And I have been wanting to go to Konstam for ages so it was a great opportunity to kill two birds with one aimed throw of a stone.

6 of us trekked down to Acton Street, just down the road from King's Cross. This neck of the woods is developing a bit of an eco-conscious theme with Acorn House just up the road on Swinton Street.

The decor in Konstam is different to say the least. The girls arrived in the first taxi and drove straight past becuase it looked like a disused pub! The distinctive ball bearing curtains are very imaginative but make the room a bit dark during lunch. They also give the place a bit of a bondage feel, which is no bad thing. In fact we really liked the design and thought they were very brave to have a completely open kitchen. No food dropping here!

It's one of the most original dining environments I've been to and is a great point of difference. As a bunch of advertising people we thought they had done a great job in differentiating themselves in terms of their USP (gimmick) of all the food coming from within the M25 and the design being eye catching and unique. We did think however that the whole thing wasn't as joined up as it might be. The look and feel of the place doesn't really fit with their key selling point. But who cares! We were here for a good lunch.

Oliver Rowe has done a great job of promoting Konstam with his BBC TV show, "The Urban Chef". It goes to show if you have an interesting concept that is surprising and fits into the cultural flow you are onto a winner.... so long as the product is good too!

Watch the video to see the Urban Chef in full flow.

We started with a glass of sparkling English wine which was fantastic. Their Chapel Down NV sparkling wine from Kent was brilliant. We liked it's freshness and the fact that it wasn't tainted by any mustiness that always seems to come with Champagne. Maybe that was just us being phillistines!

My mackerel with pearl barley and bacon bits was delicious. Very unusual and really tasty. The mackerel had a great meaty saltiness that went really well with the sparkling wine. Lulu's duck and goose liver pate was smooth, ducky and really excellent. You could taste all the component parts and was even better when smeared on some crunchy toast.

My duck for main course was disappointing. It's unfortunate because I was really looking forward to it. It was overcooked which gave it a very dead grey colour rather than the vibrant pink I was hoping for. I suspect the person who cooked it wasn't a big fan of duck. Anyone who likes duck knows that it's got to be pink, juicy and with salty, well crisped skin. But to be charitable the purple cabbage and sweet mashed potato was great. As was the plum jam. Get the duck right and this would have been great!

The others had pan roasted chicken which was so good that it was all gone before I got a chance to sample it. The skin was crispy and the meat was tender. Just as it should be. And the others had slow cooked bacon which arrived looking like a plate of sick but tasted great! There's an art to presenting slow cooked food; it normally involves covering it in pastry or mashed potato!

A couple of us had bread and butter pudding with quince jam which was brilliant. John said it was the best he had eaten in 2007. Impressive stuff.

Toward the end of our meal Oliver "The Urban Chef" Rowe strolled into the kitchen the check how things were going. I suspect if he had cooked the duck we'd have been raving about the cooking. It was great to see him actually in his own restaurant. He looked very happy with things and at ease with Konstam.

Our minor gripes were that the service was casual and a bit too slow. And more imporantly the food was good but not as good as it could have been.

But overall we had a super time. I'm planning to return for dinner with Cowie when I hope the food will be stepped up a gear.]]> Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:49:32 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1946p81538419869 Browners lively oliver rowe celebrity chef eco british good value local crowded 51.528957673165 -0.11623620986938 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1k44z7
Review by lattebird

Rating: 4.00
Tags:
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.]]> Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:57:45 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1k44z72083134908 lattebird 51.528957673165 -0.11623620986938 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1p02s9
Review by Angel_Bury

Rating: 4.00
Tags:
This is Konstam at the Prince Albert - not to be confused with the Konstam Cafe down the road. A few foodie mates of mine turned their noses up at the prospect of inner M25 produce claiming it was no place for sourcing high quality fresh ingredients. Oliver Rowe is completely bonkers trying to pull off such a concept but I decided to ignore the scoffers, get round there to try it out and the food was delicious. Not quite everything came from within the M25, but short replacing regular types of game with rats, I don't think there's anyway on earth this could have been done. It's a groovy atmospheric little place, the chain mail curtains made me think 'spanky boudoir' rather than trendy eatery but they are effective in blocking out the seedy Kings Cross vista. Anyway, this is a cracking place in an area in dire need of more the same.]]> Mon, 21 May 2007 18:37:55 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1p02s91233580654 Angel_Bury 51.528957673165 -0.11623620986938 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1531p9
Review by OneGreenEarth

Rating: 5.00
Tags: expensive, environmentally friendly, inventive, local food, eco-friendly, green, alternative, new, different
Konstam sources all of its food from with in M25. I havent been yet. It looks really good, if a bit pricey. Here is what the head chef/owner Oliver Rowe says: "Working with local, seasonal food is very exciting for us at Konstam, it means that not only are we constantly reminded of the changing food landscape over the course of the year, but it also pushes us to be more inventive, more creative in our approach."]]> Fri, 09 Feb 2007 18:00:18 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1m02w73/konstam/1531p92071199513 OneGreenEarth expensive environmentally friendly inventive local food eco-friendly green alternative new different 51.528957673165 -0.11623620986938