Town House at The Kensington has always had a special place in our hearts and having not visited them for a considerable amount of time, it was time to make a return to check out their seasonal menu updates and revisit the old English Town House charms of the restaurant.
If you are looking for a calming, serene experience, then Town House is the perfect restaurant for you. Alexander Waterworth Interiors has done a remarkable job to create a tranquil dining space which feels both homely and elegant at the same time. There is a classically designed drawing room which mixes in designed for comfort seating and rosewood furniture.
From the starters to the main courses, their state-of-the-art Josper grill plays a prominent part on their menu. The Josper grilled octopus starter was perfectly tender with the right amount of chew and was well flavoured with reinvigorating cucumber salsa and red peppers.
The other starter we tried was a very seasonal white Wye Valley asparagus. This delicacy was only sold commercially in 2013 but it is now every chef’s dream asparagus offering, due to its subtle flavours and a slightly sweeter end product. The version here doesn’t disappoint at any point especially when it’s matched with the savoury taste from the brown shrimps and poached Hens egg.
There were more wonderful asparaguses to try for the main course with their risotto which also had indulgent tasting girolles and truffle. Apart from the flavours, what was fantastic about the dish was the right level of consistency and the fact the rice wasn’t overcooked as can often happen with risotto dishes.
The sirloin steak tagliata was well-sourced and imbued with extra flavours. It did come with a generous portion of crispy onions, although my guest said he would have preferred less rocket and Parmesan shavings rather than large slices of Parmesan.
We also enjoyed a crisp, refreshing bottle of Viura, Bodegas Máximo 2015. It had a tremendously smooth finish and delicately spicy notes and you would struggle to find a better bottle of house wine in most high-end restaurants.
Desserts were expertly executed as the other courses we had experienced throughout the night. Lemon posset was sturdy in texture and had just the right amount of citrusy notes without being tart tasting. Valrhona dark chocolate fondant had a perfectly-timed gooey centre, although it was missing the promised raspberry sorbet but we got what appeared to be dried raspberries instead.
Town House at the Kensington is one those assured restaurants where you know the service and quality of food are always of the highest standard and a place you will happily return on a regular basis.
baldwin@townfish.com