The Townhouse Restaurant at The Kensington, 109 Queenstown Gate
Discreet, elegant and tasty
Mine was not a romantic date on a Friday afternoon but had it been, I couldn’t have chosen better.
The Townhouse at the Kensington Hotel has its own entrance and looks like a private dining room. I chose a corner sofa table for my lunch with a special VIP guest and we loved every minute of our three and a half hour stay here. To begin with, the right mixture of solicitude and discretion is done to perfection there – just as is the food of which more further down. My guest being eminently recognisable, the maitre d’ found the spot-on balance between acknowledgement and minimal intrusion to allow us some privacy of conversation.
We had just one course each and both were superb:
My guest opted for simplicity and was delighted with the whole sea bass with samphire and lemon dressing, accompanied by steamed kale. I chose the roast pheasant with chestnut stuffing, bacon and cherry sauce, presented in the shape of a neatly sliced roll filled with finely chopped flesh of the bird, succulent and robustly flavoured with a rich cherry sauce providing a nice balance.
A glass of Sancerre rather than a more conventional red rounded the course for me perfectly.
Although sorely tempted by the Valrhona dark chocolate fondant vanilla ice cream or Warm apple pie cinnamon ice cream with crème Anglaise, we both decided to be virtuous on this occasion and shared instead a platter of chocolate truffles and pate de fruits.
There are a number of intriguing dishes on the a la carte menu that I am determined to try out on my next visit.
The Crispy pig’s cheeks mustard crème fraîche with apple & raisin chutney as a starter and the Fish & chips pea purée, tartare sauce from the mains, as well as the house Kensington burger.
The menu is reassuringly small and clearly based on fresh seasonal produce, including truffle at this time of the year.
All in all, a perfect find for a relaxing and at the same time stylish lunch, tea or dinner, with most excellent service and atmosphere.
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