Kitchen W8

Restaurants

Restaurants and cafés

Kensington

Expensive

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Time Out says

Mon Oct 17 2011

The neutral-toned decor, faultless service, good acoustics and unfussy atmosphere at Kitchen W8 appeal to a well-heeled clientele, half of whom are French (but then, so it seems, is half of Kensington). That the exacting French diners embrace Brit chef Philip Howard’s food is testament to its exceptional standard. Yet the restaurant isn’t exclusively a playground for the elite; the £19.50 three-course set lunch is one of the best Michelin-starred bargains around.

The kitchen offers a regularly changing menu with a modern lightness that’s combined with classically beautiful execution. A late May selection hit all the marks for seasonality with wild garlic, English strawberries, artichokes, Jersey Royals, mousserons and sorrel. A starter of smoky, grilled white asparagus topped with rose veal, silky scrambled egg and microgreens was a lovely combination and a pretty melange of pink, green and pale yellow, all tied together with a heady black truffle sauce. Also of note was a killer bitter chocolate and thyme pavé with salty hits of caramel in the form of ice-cream, crisp shards and honeycomb.

The formula works so well that the owners, Howard and restaurateur Rebecca Mascarenhas, have recently revamped long-running Sonny’s in Barnes as Sonny’s Kitchen.

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Address:
Kitchen W8 11-13 Abingdon Road
Kensington
London
W8 6AH

Phone:
020 7937 0120
Website:
www.kitchenw8.com
Opening hours:
Lunch served noon-2.30pm Mon-Sat; 12.30-3pm Sun. Dinner served 6-10.30pm Mon-Sat; 6.30-9.30pm Sun
Transport:
Tube: High Street Kensington tube
Price:
Main courses £18.95-£31.50. Set lunch (Mon-Sat) £17.50 2 courses, £19.50 3 courses. Set dinner (Mon-Fri) £21.50 2 courses, £24.50 3 courses
Map
1. Kitchen W8
  - 11-13 Abingdon Road
    Kensington
    London
    W8 6AH
  - 020 7937 0120
  - www.kitchenw8.com
  - 51.498840,-0.196695

Categories:
Food and drink
Facilities:
Eating and drinking facilities. Restaurant and bar facilities. Reservations required. Accessible facilities

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Comments & ratings

(2 ratings)

Overpriced. The started with the egg yolk sitting on its own with a circle of chopped egg white round it - pretentious and not nice. The main of rabbit was just tiny medallions wrapped in panacetta with raw fat, removed it on each piece. Rabbit needs to be in chunks with a good gravy, this was tasteless and tedious to unravel. The pud. was great.

diana nicol About 9 days ago
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I have a huge amount of time for this restaurant having been at the weekend on the recommendation of a regular restaurant eating friend. I had the Raviolo of Lamb’s Sweetbread with a Fondue of New Season’s Onions to start and found it the best dish I have eaten all year. The filet of Sea Trout wasn't quite as impressive but still delicious. We ended by sharing the Bitter Chocolate Pavé which was light and incredibly well balanced. We will be going back as soon as possible

Richard Mon Jun 11 2012
Rated as: 4/5
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best restaurant in west london

marc Fri Feb 3 2012
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I'd read good reviews about this place so i thought i'd take my mum there. We did not receive a very warm welcome by the girl at the front desk. We were just a few minutes early and she obviously wasnt happy to accommodate us, even though we were happy to just sit in the corner for a moment. The rest of the staff were very friendly. The food tasted very nice but the portions were miniscule. I would have expected much more for the price. There was no music, no atmosphere and the £7.90 service charge was automatically added to the bill. Whilst i am more than happy to leave a tip, i understand that it is discretionary, not compulsary. I wont be going there again.

heidi Thu Oct 27 2011
Rated as: 2/5
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