Kitchen W8

A real gem… a nice looking restaurant (if decored a little like wallpaper showroom) coupled with welcoming service and really top notch cooking…

The star of the show for us was their BYO offering – a real gem of an offer (for a £15 corkage fee). We enjoyed a lovely bottle of Krug I was given not long ago which somehow felt too nice to open at home. This shouldn't detract from the wine list – which itself had some cracking choices on it – all fairly priced.

Rather amusing & quirky crowd of locals too (though not sure they'd see themselves as that).

Can't wait to go again.

What a delightful surprise. A very popular establishment with locals, we were very keen to try it and we took the plunge with a couple of our foodie friends from NY. The dining room is smartly decorated and the atmosphere lively although a bit loud. The service was relaxed and to the point. Our your waitress was very competent and made very good suggestions for the wine. The focus is really on the food. The chicken raviolo was a real revelation: moist, tasty filling wrapped in lovely light pasta. All my companions had the foie gras and rated it highly. My main of Rump of veal, caramelised cauliflower, roast salsify and parmesan was bordering on exquisite. I am partial to salsify and it matched beautifully the milky sweetness of the veal. A quick taste of
the fried sea bream and of the pork belly and cheek made me realize that I want to go back before these to dishes go off the menu. The deserts were equally compelling. The creme catalan with vanilla doughnuts and seville orange marmalade was a triumph of bold flavours. The bill was accetable for a restaurant of this caliber. There is some real passion for food in this place. They just got a star, it is completely deserved and we will be keeping watch of how the progress to the next one.

W8 is refreshingly kitted out with a tad more interest than the formulaically bland décor of high end gastro-destinations. However, the hope was that the food would still do the talking. The attraction is the influence of high pedigree craftsman Phil Howard, but how would his recent protégé’ interpret cuisine on this appealing menu?

A simple looking plate of partridge ravioli with ceps served on melted onions was a well accomplished, delicious opener and I’d have happily eaten this as a main. My better half didn’t consume with quite such gusto, although his plate was void of remains. Rich, dark ox cheek perfectly soft was served with contrasting flat iron (my knowledge of meat cuts didn’t extend to this terminology, so somewhere around the shoulder was indicated). This was presented pink, properly rested and thinly sliced without a trace of blood, being essential as it rested beneath a superb quenelle of horseradish cream. Separately came the most comforting gravy like sauce to accompany the cheek which sat upon cabbage. Grouse, described as “slightly gamey” was somewhat more powerful, and this factor combined with the acidity of choucroute, meant that the dish required a carb’ other than the beetroot puree which was an inadequate counterbalance. (We obviously had the French perspective of slightly gamey as later another waiter used the adjective “very”, illustrating the dichotomy in staff opinions.) My partner didn’t grumble at all as I reneged on the deal of a swop half-way. Exchanging again after only a few mouthfuls, I was so pleased to be reunited with my gently yielding pieces of ox and…..that sauce.

Dry wit from our waitress who was polite and knowledgeable was more than one could ask for. The sommelier recommended a sensibly priced Lombardy wine which delivered exactly as described and worked well with our choices. I can almost forgive them for not completely removing strings from the runner beans as the thin chips were spot on texturally and properly seasoned, but a mark has to be deducted for the inaccurate grouse description.

Skipping dessert, my eyes jumped to “Share of the Crop” on the back of the menu which was a novel touch. 24 hours’ notice normally required for ordering, but we asked if any mushrooms could be spared and delightedly came away with 200g of chanterelles plus some pleasurable food memories. Native lobster and lamb rump were also amongst the five or so options to take away. A smart performance which registered a big score on my taste senses means that I have to go back to sample belly of veal with polenta or one of the fish choices. The menu was seasonal with wild mushrooms featuring in many dishes – exactly why I like this time of year.