Kensington Place review by Kate
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 ;)
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
review comments
Leave a comment
Please note this is to leave a comment on the readers review above.
To review this restaurant please click here
To leave a comment about the review above, please log in or register first.
To review this restaurant please click here
