kitchen w8

2nd march 2015 · by chris · in eating , england , london i had heard a great deal aboutkitchenw8.  apparently a new up and coming restaurant.  time to put it to the test. i went with a friend and we decided to split the set lunch choices so one of us would go for the sea theme courses and the other, the more land based animals. first up, the house bread.  yes.  it is missing something on the left.  yes.  i lack self control.  i was hungry.  what’s there to say? onwards to the real food.  mackerel with peanut, seaweed and monks beard.  i have no idea what monks beard is.  i would hope that it might enlighten me to the level of one of those studious monks you see in the movies.  it was ok but not really to my tastes so i reserve my judgment.  perhaps a more sophisticated palate than mine can provide an informed opinion.  well, at least that is what i am told when i view art.  sometimes i wonder if i have some visigoth blood in me. pig’s head.  now, i didn’t expect a pig’s head to look like this.  i thought it would look more porky or at least shapely.  maybe this piggy was road kill… instead, it seems to be well, rather rectangular.  i haven’t had the privilege of witnessing a pig with a square head yet.  but maybe that’s just me.  however, it did taste very good, packing a quadruple helping of pig in this cubed pate next to a squared collection of the odd parts that did not manage to be reduced into the semi-solid block. featherblade of beef with onions layered with bacon lardons and a small potato.  i found the beef to be ok, nothing to write home about, but it was really the onion with bacon lardons on top which took the cake, or onion gravy in this case.  although the beef was cooked nicely pink, it seemed rather bland.  the onion with bacon lardons on the other hand made up for this issue.  i almost thought that a little piggy had managed to transmute itself into an onion shape. pollock with buttermilk, artichokes and grapes.  yes, grapes!  the artichoke was co

where in london can you get a three course lunch for £28 with a michelin star? the answer is this place,kitchenw8. i’m a big fan of phil howard (previously of the square, now elystan street) who part-ownskitchenw8. looking through the menu, you can see glimpses of phil’s influence throughout the dishes. phil’s books ‘the square: savoury’ and ‘the square: sweet’ are two of the best cookbooks that i own. the food is simple in terms of flavours but just the right side of complex in the construction of dishes. as we headed to high street kensington, i couldn’t wait for the experience to begin.kitchenw8 couldn’t really be in a more attractive area. just off the main kensington high street down abingdon road, it’s perfect for lunch or dinner after some high-end retail therapy. as we strolled into the restaurant, we were followed by other diners who had various designer carrier bags in tow. the dining room is a smart yet relaxed space. the large mirrors and waiters uniforms reminded me a lot of chez bruce in wandsworth, owned by bruce poole who has previously worked with phil howard at the square. we got a spot on a comfortable corner with a panoramic view of the dining room.we had a choice of a la carte or set lunch menus. given that we were excited at the prospect of three courses for such good value, we went with the set menu. i could quite happily have had the set menu as a tasting menu in itself – each and every dish sounded tempting. as the weather was hot, we opted to try a mocktail. a virgin mojito is the sole non-alcoholic cocktail on offer here atkitchenw8 so we went with that. as it turned out, it was well made and very refreshing.

unlike other michelin starred restaurants,kitchenw8 main brief is to bring affordable priced food to the local community. the word "affordable" certainly ticked the box for us, being a relatively somewhat cheaper than most of the michelin starred restaurants that i have encountered.kitchenw8 seems to be unknown to the public, located just off kensington high street.

i had heard a great deal aboutkitchenw8.  apparently a new up and coming restaurant.  time to put it to the test. i went with a friend and we decided to split the set lunch choices so one of us would go for the sea theme courses and the other, the more land based animals. first up, the house bread.  yes.  it is missing something on the left.  yes.  i lack self control.  i was hungry.  what’s there to say?

this is actually my second visit tokitchenw8, having eaten there about three years ago before i started blogging. the restaurant is known for its excellent priced set lunch and that is what i went for as i was on my way to an exhibition so i couldn't stay long.

an exorbitantly priced riesling hurls us into the inevitable wallet lightening experience thatkitchenw8 will be; however with the starters comes a sense of justification. a giant tortelli is laden with scallop, resting on a celeriac puree with a creamy veloute.

meet my new favourite local restaurant in london:kitchenw8. i had here the best all around meal, everything from starter to dessert was fantastic and after the dinner i just had that satisfied feeling that you only get when everything goes just right.

kitchen w8 is a michelin star restaurant, not far from high st kensington… i have never been a fan of eating around high st kensington cause i think this area doesn’t boast must quality but here its completely a hidden gem with the accolades they have and the price they charge of the set menu at lunch i just have to give it a try eventhou i heard good words from my friends, i have to come check it out myself michelin star restaurant always come with the complimentary bread and butter and here its not bad at all… crisp crust and dough fill of white or brown.. good start… so without further intro, let see whatkitchenw8 cooks up… first for starter of crispy hen’s egg with truffle pesto on a bed of parmesan polenta and partridge tortellini with celeriac volute on bed of pear and celery both were amazing… the crispy hen eggs was crispy, yolk still runny.. polenta was creamy, crispy bacon bits adds that pork fatty flavour to it.. but the truffle just blew the whole thing to the next level

kitchen w8 is a michelin star restaurant, not far from high st kensington…

i have never been a fan of eating around high st kensington cause i think this area doesn’t boast must quality but here its completely a hidden gem

with the accolades they have and the price they charge of the set menu at lunch i just have to give it a try eventhou i heard good words from my friends, i have to come check it out myself

michelin star restaurant always come with the complimentary bread and butter and here its not bad at all… crisp crust and dough fill of white or brown.. good start…

so without further intro, let see whatkitchenw8 cooks up…

first for starter of crispy hen’s egg with truffle pesto on a bed of parmesan polenta and partridge tortellini with celeriac volute on bed of pear and celery

both were amazing… the crispy hen eggs was crispy, yolk still runny.. polenta was creamy, crispy bacon bits adds that pork fatty flavour to it.. but the truffle just blew the whole thing to the next level of luxurious aroma.. delicious dish!

the fillings for the tortellini were just right, and the pear and celery add that sweet crunch texture and the celeriac volute was light, creamy and fragrant

for mains its feather-steak on bed of sweet potatoes with a side of stuffed braised onion with beef and pearl barley

second is pan fried salmon serve on a bed of potatoes, broccoli stem, brown shrimps and seaweed butter….

the steak was amazing, tender, juicy and the jus on top elevates the meat.. cut by herby onion and sweet mash was just balanced and right.. a great dish… on the other hand, the salmon was abit too undercooked and the component didn’t shine, mild and lost but the seaweed butter was nice but the whole dish didn’t come together

for dessert, almond financier with vanilla ice cream, poached pears and toffee sauce…. this sounds heavy but it was light, luxurious and sweet… all went well together.. a great end..

i think high st kensington may not be boring anymore, thanks tokitchenw8… michelin star at £23 for 3-course what more could you ask? a must try..

kitchen w8 opened its doors to the community of kensington & chelsea in october 2009 aiming to become the local, go-to place. two years later in 2011 the restaurant was awarded a michelin star, a great achievement in such a short space of time. the restaurant strives to use only excellent ingredients which are sourced from small, reputable suppliers, how it does this and still serves up set-menus at rock bottom prices amazes me, i couldn’t even do it that cheap at home for this quality.

the decor in the restaurant is very modern, clean and fresh, it looks great but on a quiet lunchtime afternoon it can feel a bit cold and soulless. the food atkitchenw8 is british but with a little bit of french making its way on to the plates, a little je ne sais quoi! we did dine from the set menu at an incredible £19.50 for three courses, for dinner the same menu is £24.50. the bread that was brought to our table must have a mention, it was terrific. incredibly light and airy with a texture similar to a crumpet, quite like nothing i’ve had before, but something i definitely want again.

we started our meal with the veloute of winter leeks and charlotte potatoes with brown shrimps, parsley and a side of cod's roe on toast. the veloute itself was very well executed and incredibly refined, a real depth of flavour and you could taste every ingredient individually. the brown shrimps worked perfectly and gave it a little saltiness, the small cod's roe on toast was good, but i didn’t see much point of it with the veloute, it was a little lost.

parfait of foie gras with a puree of caramelized pink grapefruit, blood orange jelly and toasted sourdough was good solid dish. the parfait was extremely smooth and light and the topping of blood orange jelly was a nice touch but wasn’t that strong. the grapefruit puree was incredible and literally made my mouth water and went very well with the parfait, sour dough was perhaps the best i have ever had and the crust was delicious.

hungry? read more - http://www.londonfoodaholic.co.uk/2013/03/review-kitchen-w8-abingdon-road.html

much has been made ofkitchenw8 being a 'neighbourhood restaurant' though that neighbourhood could only be kensington & chelsea since mains go as high as £28, the venue has a michelin star and if it were transported to say wales, it might possibly be considered the best restaurant in the whole country (sorry wales). pushchair buggies lining the walls suggest mothers or nannies who lunch reinforcing that neighbourhood image, but without mistake, there's some serious cooking going on here and we thoroughly enjoyed it. having recently eaten at the incredibly well regarded medlar also (we're moving west it seems for lunch these days), we thinkkitchenw8 trumps it on execution of dishes, providing more balance and depth in the food. to top it all,kitchenw8 delivered up what instantly became one of our favourite desserts since starting the blog. not a bad lunch then. the menu is well constructed and while offering lots of stuff you know and love, there's usually something extra going on

tucked away in a side street just off high street kensington,kitchenw8 is co-owned by philip howard, who is the head chef at the square with 2 michelin stars. despite ofkitchenw8’s one michelin status, everything about the restaurant has a touch of local, neighbourhood feel. no tasting menu, no extravagant or crazy dishes. instead for simpler food, simple cooking (relatively) and excellent ingredients.  the restaurant i remembered that neighbourhood vibe atkitchenw8 vividly (i also live in the area). tables are easy to book on the day (you can probably just walk in for early dinner), cosy dining room and full of people who looked relaxed in that ‘i just walked into my local restaurant’ way. it reminded me of the nearby launceston place , which is also cosy and quiet with amazing food (also has a michelin star). i highly recommend both restaurants for occasions such as dates, catch up wit

kitchen w8 opened its doors to the community of kensington & chelsea in october 2009 aiming to become the local, go-to place. two years later in 2011 the restaurant was awarded a michelin star, a great achievement in such a short space of time. the restaurant strives to use only excellent ingredients which are sourced from small, reputable suppliers, how it does this and still serves up set-menus at rock bottom prices amazes me, i couldn’t even do it that cheap at home for this quality. the decor in the restaurant is very modern, clean and fresh, it looks great but on a quiet lunchtime afternoon it can feel a bit cold and soulless. the food atkitchenw8 is british but with a little bit of french making its way on to the plates, a little je ne sais quoi! we did dine from the set menu at an incredible £19.50 for three courses, for dinner the same menu is £24.50. the bread that was brought to our table must have a mention, it was terrific. incredibly light and airy with a texture similar

kitchen w8 – sublime and on my doorstep: there are times when i wonder if perhaps i’ve spent the last ten years walking around with my eyes closed.  there is, of course, a certain comfort in the familiar and that’s my excuse for not discoveringkitchenw8 before.  there are other great places to eat around here and quite often if i am eating out, then i’m not in this part of london anyway.  but, it’s still good to find a great new place to dine locally.kitchenw8, on a small side road halfway along kensington high street, has a discrete and rather unmemorable exterior.  when i arrived, as always seems to be the case, there was a large delivery lorry parked outside, so i’ve borrowed a few pictures from my dining companion.  inside, understated chic, with muted colour on the walls, subtle contemporary art and rich velvet banquettes making this feel very much like a kensington living room.  friendly enough to accommodate the odd kensington yummy mummy and pushchair

we were planning to go to new york this easter break so we duly made our way down to the american embassy to get a couple of visas. after a round trip that took up 7.5 hrs of driving, 3 hours of queuing, usd$280 and £112 (14 for courier, 18 for parking, 80 for petrol), the pigpig's visa got approved while mine is on hold as they find it really odd that i'm not a permanent resident in the uk after staying here for 10 years and i also forgot to take my old passports to show my previous uk visas. thankfully we had time to have lunch atkitchenw8 afterwards then as i was feeling decidedly grumpy. conveniently found just off high street kensington, it was also just a short drive from the embassy and although we found a parking within two minutes of spotting the restaurant, i would imagine it a lot harder to get a spot on the weekends. as is seemingly the case with most other michelin starred restaurants in london, the interior ofkitchenw8 had a very clean and polished approach in varian