Kensington Place

The food here is excellent. No complaints about the service - it's always been fine when I've eaten here. It's a bit noisy, but has a good atmosphere.
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E J Moore - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, November 20, 2007

A really good standby in the area. The food is consistently good, particularly the fish dishes, which comes as no surprise as they also run an attached fishmongers. Can get very noisy if you go at a busy time because everything echoes off all the glass, concrete and high ceilings.

The best time to go is around 2.30pm, where it's quite quiet and you can take advantage of the lunch menu, which at £20 for three courses is excellent value. Things can really get a bit too expensive a la carte.

The staff are at best uninterested, at worst a bit surly. I will never understand why people like this work in the service industry if they clearly hate it so much (I have had lots of waitressing and bar jobs, and was never once rude or unfriendly to customers unless they were rude to me. Even then, it would have to be something really exceptionally horrible for me to give that kind of treatment.). Staff turnover is probably high though, so hopefully they will get lucky next time.

A good place, just pick your moment to go carefully.
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Claire Thompson
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Sunday, July 08, 2007

We ate here recently with frineds on the spur of the moment one Friday evening. It was around half 9 and we did not have a booking, but despite this, the staff were more than happy to seat us at the bar, and offer us the next available table. Given this is the time several tables were finishing their meal, this showed a welcome pragmatism from the staff that is often sadly lacking - waiting staff seemingly wanting to punish potential paying customers for failing to plan ahead.

From the start the experience was delightful. While waiting at the bar, we enjoyed the complimentary excellent olives and smoked almonds, and once shown to our table with our drinks, we were immediately offered several types of bread. Being a bit of a carb fiend, I could have happily sustained myself on this, as it was offered repeatedly during the meal, and its quality was outstanding; however, I decided this would be slightly poor form, and agreed to peruse the menu. I have to note at this point, that, unlike here, too many restaurants try to extract vast amounts of extra cash out of clientele for things like bread and side dishes - I always wish they would incorporate this into the price of their dishes, rather than leaving you with an unpleasant surprise when the bill arrives.

The menu, as has been noted in previous reviews, is quite wide ranging, and the set menu showed a degree of imagination and creativity often missing from these, which forces diners to the more expensive a la carte options. Again, an example of the generosity of spirit evident here. One of the four of us chose from this menu, so we got the chance to sample both.

The food, to be honest, was a bit hit and miss. The hits were absolutely outstanding, most noticeably in two superb fish dishes - a starter of sea bream and a main of salmon. An excellent lamb loin was also beautifully cooked and presented. Less successful, and chosen by three of us, was a spicy squid soup which sounded amazing, but appeared as a small bowl of tomato gloop tasting strongly of seafood, but with its components unidentifiable. It wasn't bad, just disappointing, and did not fit the description that had set our mouths watering. Desserts were similarly mixed, with a rhubarb creme brulee having shades of a school pudding, but tasting pleasant enough, so presentation was partly forgiven.

The wine list is excellent, with a range of new and old world offerings, many from older vintages, in a good spread of price brackets. A true surprise was a superb bottle (their last) of the Mt Horrocks 1998 shiraz, selected with knowledgeable advice from an enthusastic and unpretentious sommelier.

The meal wasn't cheap, at £60/head for two courses each (with shared dessert) and one and a half bottles of wine, but it was, on the whole good value, for a very enjoyable experience, made top notch by excellent service, and the sense of inherent generosity that came from the complimentary bread and nibbles.

We'll definitely be back....though we might even have the good manners to book next time ;)
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Kate - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, July 03, 2007

We were in a group of about 25 and ate in the private room. Perhaps it was because our table was for 10pm that when we sat down it was if the restaurant was slowing down (depsite it being full).

The service was truly awful - none of the waiting staff knew who had ordered what and the food was brought in drips and drabs (perhaps not surprising for a table of 25 but even people sitting in the same area did not have their dishes at the same time). The quality of the food was fine but and was well short of what I had expected.

I can think of so many better restaurants to go to in London. Personally, I would not recommend it.
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Rick Brown
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Monday, July 02, 2007

Food was very good as usual but once again the service and snooty behaviour of some of the female staff left a lot to be desired - not good when you are entertaining prominent figures from abroad. Please get the cashier to look tidier !
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Maria
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, June 06, 2007

A place where one does not begrudge one penny of the service charge.

Excellent food - especially good value if you partake of the superb choice available on their fixed-price, ample 3 course menus.

Book to avoid disappointment, as this place fills up - deservedly!
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, April 29, 2007

A place where one does not begrudge one penny of the service charge.

Excellent food - especially good value if you partake of the superb choice available on their fixed-price, ample 3 course menus.

Book to avoid disappointment, as this place fills up - deservedly!
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, April 29, 2007

Was so disappointed with Kensington Place this weekend. Having had so many great meals there. My partner said it felt like the end of a relationship. Whilst we raised concerns on the night we did not want to make a scene as we were entertaining friends. However as we felt strongly she subsequently rang the manager to give her - very nicely - some customer feedback (e.g. about not getting the round, window-side table we'd been promised; the first course and main courses having been cold (the first course had to go back twice before it was heated properly) and the side dishes ordered not arriving but being charged for (we had to ask twice before the proper correction was made) but she was rather defensive and not really interested at all. Additionally the food was particularly bland in presentation and taste, and the service staff polite but not very tactful (initially testing the food temperature when we politely complained - presumably assuming we were unable to distinguish hot and cold?). All very sad. We thought seeing it so below par, and half-empty, was like seeing a once-great cruise liner that has seen better days.
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Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Monday, March 12, 2007

I had been in this restaurant for, at least, eight times already. I simply, just got addicted, I suppose..Well, what can I say? The food is good, but the atmosphere and the service it's definetly great.Besides all, it's very well located, what is even better!
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Carolina Lins
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, March 07, 2007

This is the first time I have been incensed enough by a restaurant to write an online review. Where do I start, we had a booking for 9pm and were left waiting 30-40mins for the table. We had to chase them up just to ensure they hadn’t completely forgotten about us as no one came to apologise or explain for the wait.

Not particularly friendly serve, an incorrect starter with the waiter initially claiming that the obvious ricotta and rocket salad in front of me was in fact the rabbit I had ordered, hard to get the two confused. The one positive was our waste lines were saved, despite giving us the menus for dessert and our desire to order they never bothered to actually arrive to take it. We gave up, got the bill which was incorrect and had to be changed then left vowing never to return. The food we did have was ok but will never warrant putting up with the bad service or suit the price.
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Clare
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Monday, March 05, 2007