The concept at Monmouth Kitchen is surprisingly unusual where Italian and contemporary Peruvian cuisine are equally celebrated instead of the fusion cuisine you might see at other hotel restaurants. The seven dials location is ideal for Covent Garden shoppers looking to rest their tired feet. The decor is a slick combination of white and grey which has that smart timeless charm where it won’t feel dated even a few years down the line.
The menu is fairly divided between the two cuisines so that you can enjoy a classic tacos starter with a pasta main course. I opted for a Peruvian starter, a Peruvian main course and an Italian dessert. The Peruvian touches on the dessert selection were much weaker than the Italian options.
Ceviche is very much common place in the London dining scene these days, but a lobster ceviche is more of a rarity. The pieces of lobster meat for this dish was perky and succulent and mixed well with the citrusy sauce and the heritage tomatoes. It was chilled gently to an ideal serving temperature, although I would have preferred more pieces of the lobster meat.
Next came their signature lamb cutlets served with a very spicy red anticucho sauce. The dish was pure theatre being served on a hot lava stone, so that is was sizzling as it arrived and continued whilst I finished the first piece of lamb cutlet. We all need food to be served on a hot lava stone over the winter: to keep yourself as well as your food warm in these icy cold times. The lamb was much spicier and flavoursome than your standard roast lamb and is indicative of why Peruvian cuisine is so popular these days.
The robata grilled baby aubergine were just as flavoursome but it was as the name suggested very petite in size. Definitely not a dish for sharing.
It was easy to pick the dessert as I was immediately attracted to the classy sounding panna cotta with white peach and oregano. The dish wasn’t overly sweet and in fact had a slight warm, bitter taste from the oregano, which gave the dish a more complex flavour profile.
They thoughtfully have a tasting menu for both cuisines at only £30 each including a welcoming aperitif. For your fickle-minded dining guests, Monmouth kitchen might be the ideal meeting point for dining.
baldwin@townfish.com