Latest favourites and wishlist by OneGreenEarth

Duke of Cambridge - review by chrisp

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:55:55 +0000

Duke of Cambridge - review by chrisp

Rating: 3.4

Location: 30 St Peters Street, N1 8JT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7359 3066

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

Tags: posh, gastro pub, mature, standard pub food

If there can be any such thing as a "pariah gastropub", then it's the Duke of Cambridge in Islington. Opened as the UK's first 100% organic gastropub in 1998 it remains a solid, dependable place for a bite to eat but for some reason has in recent years attracted the kind of vitriolic backlash from foodies normally reserved for Â£95 burgers or when Delia "goes cheat". Part of the reason could be that while other food pubs in the capital have matured into rustic French restaurants or gone all "St. John" and started serving spleen and chitterlings, the menu at the Duke has remained steadfastly gastropub-traditional and is aimed squarely at wealthy Islington locals - think Feta Salad, mushroom risotto, Italian sausages - safe, comfortable and familiar. Not that there's anything wrong with that in itself, but the problem with limiting yourself to all organic ingredients is that you suddenly find you have to charge Â£15 for rabbit stew to make the numbers work.

It was a perfectly good rabbit stew - good deep flavours and a nice variety of herbs and veg, if very slightly overcooked rabbit meat and a bit tricky to dissect from the many tiny bones - but all the while there's that nagging knowledge that rabbit is vermin, and a very very cheap meat, and charging Â£15 for a stew that basically involves chucking the carcass in a big pot with some bay leaves and veg and boiling it for an hour is, well, a bit cheeky.

Duke of Cambridge - review by Niamheen

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:39:34 +0000

Duke of Cambridge - review by Niamheen

Rating: 3.4

Location: 30 St Peters Street, N1 8JT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7359 3066

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

Tags: trendy, gastro pub, excellent pub food, different pub food, independent pub

The Duke of Cambridge has been local to my workplace, for, oh, 5 years now. It's a bit far for lunch, however, and after work and at weekends I like to go somewhere different to the area I've been prowling 9-5 Monday to Friday!

I was hearing good things though and really wanted to try it so I called on a Friday evening to book a table for lunchtime the next day. They said that only one table was booked, so we shouldnâ¬"t worry, but as I was on the phone I thought that I might as well just book a table. Iâ¬"m glad I did as when we got there for lunch on Saturday it was packed.

Situated on St Peter St, just off Essex Rd in Islington, the Duke of Cambridge is set on a street corner, with lots of windows looking into quite a nice looking refurbished pub. Our table was towards the back by the open kitchen, in a conservatory.

For those of you that donâ¬"t know of it, the Duke of Cambridge was Britainâ¬"s first organic gastropub. It has been brought to my attention a number of times, most recently in the Oberver Food Monthly Eco Awards, with Geetie Singh reaching number 16 on their top 40 list. It has also been listed on the Best Sunday Lunch OFM lists twice. Itâ¬"s had positive reviews in far too many places for me to list here and maintain your interest!

They use seasonal, fresh, local and organic ingredients, and most foods, from bread to ice cream are made on the premises. The menu changes twice daily and is determined by what the supplier delivers. They have an ethical fish policy, farmed salmon and trout is organic, wild fish is caught off the coast of Britain - on the South and South East coasts where possible to minimise food miles and they only purchase fish caught using sustainable fishing methods. In addition to this fish is purchased seasonally and outside of breeding seasons. Their policy is approved by the Marine Conservation Society.

Once seated, we were given some menus and some water. Service was prompt and polite, we ordered from the menu on the blackboard on the wall. I chose the yellow split pea and coconut curry and my dining companions chose the chickpea and spinach cake with roast butternut squash, greens and mushroom sauce, and the pan fried sardines with puy lentils. Two of us had wine by the glass, it was only lunchtime after all!

I couldnâ¬"t criticise the food, it's good gastropub fare, and I tried all the dishes. It was all cooked with great care and clearly with the best of ingredients. The presentation was rustic and inviting, I couldnâ¬"t wait to tuck in. The curry was delicate and light, and contrasted with some sour onions and yoghurt with delicious leaves, really lovely. The chickpea and spinach cake sounded like it might be heavy, but not atall, it was rich and flavoursome, and very moreish, which can be a problem if itâ¬"s not your dish! The sardines, I am told were delicious. We finished our meal with coffee served in a moka with some hot milk and chocolate cake for my friends 2 year old daughter. She allowed me a taste, well, she wasnâ¬"t looking if I am honest! It was rich and dark, and she really enjoyed it, as the couple at the table next to us commented!

The main courses are priced on average between Â£11 - Â£15, starters and desserts at about Â£6. Itâ¬"s worth every penny.

Konstam - review by hither

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:54:22 +0000

Konstam - review by hither

Rating: 4.1

Location: 109 King's Cross Road, WC1X 9LR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 5040

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

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.

Konstam - review by cookster101

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:28:38 +0000

Konstam - review by cookster101

Rating: 4.1

Location: 109 King's Cross Road, WC1X 9LR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 5040

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

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

Konstam - review by belinda

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 12:48:59 +0000

Konstam - review by belinda

Rating: 4.1

Location: 109 King's Cross Road, WC1X 9LR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 5040

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

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!

Konstam - review by Browners

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:48:55 +0000

Konstam - review by Browners

Rating: 4.1

Location: 109 King's Cross Road, WC1X 9LR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 5040

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

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.

Sun & Doves - review by genfink

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 09:57:59 +0000

Sun & Doves - review by genfink

Rating: 4.8

Location: 61-63 Coldharbour Lane, SE5 9NS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7924 9950

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

Tags: lively, gastro pub

I may be a bit biased with this as the S&D is kind of my local, however many reviews from friends visiting from outside the area lay weight to my claim that this is definitely one of the best pubs around.
We recently attended the Halloween pub quiz, which was great fun. The food was very nice though in the past the service has been a bit hit and miss. We went for fairly basic fayre, nachos and some bowls of chips but they were very tasty!
The quiz was great fun and seems to happen weekly rather than monthly as indicated above. I haven't had the chance to attend the film nights as yet but certainly plan to in the future.
Also, San Miguel on tap, bonus!

Sun & Doves - review by t0m

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 17:54:56 +0000

Sun & Doves - review by t0m

Rating: 4.8

Location: 61-63 Coldharbour Lane, SE5 9NS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7924 9950

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

Tags: lively, gastro pub, good value

The Sun and Doves is a rarity indeed - a gastropub at the Camberwell end of Coldharbour Lane. The food is excellent, and drinking there is a great way to wile away an evening.

They also have great free music nights, which are highly recommended.

Konstam - review by lattebird

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:03:15 +0000

Konstam - review by lattebird

Rating: 4.1

Location: 109 King's Cross Road, WC1X 9LR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 5040

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

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.

Sun & Doves - review by Cazz

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:15:37 +0000

Sun & Doves - review by Cazz

Rating: 4.8

Location: 61-63 Coldharbour Lane, SE5 9NS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7924 9950

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

Tags: Lively, British, Good value

They also do barbecues in the summer, which smell absolutely divine. Their menu is fabulous, I'd recommend the fishcakes and the nachos.

Worth checking out for their very quirky garden.

They host regular events - I believe that Tuesday is film night.

A lovely lovely place to go for a couple of beers.

Duke of Cambridge - review by Unpremeditated

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 22:00:53 +0000

Duke of Cambridge - review by Unpremeditated

Rating: 3.4

Location: 30 St Peters Street, N1 8JT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7359 3066

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

A good, if pricey gastropub with a friendly atmosphere. The food is organic and usually piled high on your plate but doesn't come cheap. It also varies between the very good and the extremely uninteresting. Puddings have been a particular weakness in the past - I'm not wild about oversweet desserts but I do think you should add enough sugar to avoid bitterness (that goes both for the pudding and the customer).
Wines and beers are good. To the reviewer who complained about the after-effects of Freedom I would point out that it's quite a bit stronger than Carlsberg - it also tastes much nicer.

The place fills up very quickly at weekend lunchtimes and is usually filled with a mix of trendy Islingtonites and baby-buggies. Get in before 1 if you want to bag a table.

Duke of Cambridge - review by Kaliova

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:32:50 +0000

Duke of Cambridge - review by Kaliova

Rating: 3.4

Location: 30 St Peters Street, N1 8JT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7359 3066

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

Not so good. Their freedom lager has given me and several friends pretty horrendous hangovers - more so than with the same quantity of Carlsberg. Food seems pricey for what you get and the quality is only average. Nice interiors though - good place to go if you're not drinking lager or eating, I guess.

Konstam - review by Angel_Bury

Mon, 21 May 2007 18:37:55 +0000

Konstam - review by Angel_Bury

Rating: 4.1

Location: 109 King's Cross Road, WC1X 9LR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 5040

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

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.

Duke of Cambridge - review by idoru

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 00:32:20 +0000

Duke of Cambridge - review by idoru

Rating: 3.4

Location: 30 St Peters Street, N1 8JT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7359 3066

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

Tags: expensive, british, gastro pub, family & home feel, independent pub, mediterranean

I've just found another local. Working 5mins walk away from this organic gem has just made my day; between here and the Narrow Boat I am set for summer. The bar is ¾ non-smoking and the restaurant is completely. The whole place feels earthy and relaxed/chilaxed (a new word I'm trying out).

I went on a Wednesday afternoon and enjoyed a bottle of very pleasant organic weiss beer, having just come back from Austria I was still in afternoon beer mode. All their beers are local and organic, including the drafts, a nice change. The alternative chap behind the bar was happy to offer a suggestion though it took a little cajoling.

The menu changes twice a day to reflect market availability and they create traditional British fare with the Mediterranean influence. They describe it as such because they concentrate on using local produce, which is best used in local dishes. The menu looked amazing handwritten on giant blackboards behind the bar.

The menu always incorporates 2 meat, 2 fish and 2 vegetarian main courses with 3 or 4 starters and desserts, the small menu ensures the freshness of ingredients. The dishes that floated past me were incredible, particularly the whole baked fish with aioli and coriander, I must go back to investigate more fully!

As a watering hole it more than sufficed with service to the great solid wood tables, there is no music or artificial background noise which is surprisingly relaxing and the high ceilings seem to distribute the noise so you don't feel like your talking to the whole room when it's quiet. We had to ask for our bill a couple of times, though it is usual for service to drop off around 3pm in most places, and that was my only complaint!

Konstam - review by OneGreenEarth

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 18:00:18 +0000

Konstam - review by OneGreenEarth

Rating: 4.1

Location: 109 King's Cross Road, WC1X 9LR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 5040

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

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."