Launceston Place

I want to be calamitous about a review every now and then because I think – in my fusspot way – that nothing is ever perfect or altogether up to scratch. Restaurants, like human beings, are meant to fail and disappoint occasionally, then pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and progress forward with a lesson learnt. It’s a struggle however to fail Launceston Place, as when I visited it delivered sublime results and ticked boxes across the board.

The corridor coils around the restaurant and seats diners at white-linen tables with plush, dark grey leather upholstery. There are moody pictures on the walls of winter landscapes and the room buzzes with murmurings from wealthy Chelsea folk and silver-haired executives contemplating the extensive wine list.

The service was impeccable and always on hand with water refills and bread: sourdough or wholemeal? I had an interesting conversation with our Sommelier, who indulged me in my attempt to fool him with my knowledge of New World wines, as I sipped on my fourth glass of Albarino (£37 bottle).

We ordered the set-lunch menu at £20 as there didn’t seem to be much difference between this and the £60 tasting menu. It was agreed that neither of us were in the mood, or had the luxury of time, to spread ourselves across six enduring courses of petite samplings. Both menus consisted of enticing descriptions: ‘Hand dived west coast scallops, wild sorrel and apple; Tamworth suckling pig, radishes and honey emulsion; free range chicken breast, smoked egg, wild girolles; partridge cooked in whisky and heather, oats.’

Poncy parsnip crisps were on every table, sprinkled with paprika. They’re one of those unique staples from a restaurant that you can only ever really experience in a specific setting, and stand them apart from other establishment gimmicks. Maybe they’re a subtle plea to the Michelin imprimatur so they can swiftly raise the prices to more typically Kensingtonian levels.

We were treated to a complimentary appetizer of a little amuse-bouche of carrot velouté with cauliflower foam. It was warm and strong tasting and went down lovely. Next was the potted foie gras and Maldon sea salt which was wonderful in presentation and delivery. Reports on the spider crab risotto with lashings of garlic butter – which arrived warm and soft in its shell – were glowing.

We both chose the very British braised wild hare, pistachio butter, chicory and pear salad, which was so humble in presentation in a small, white serving dish, and tasted so fresh and rich that it was worth taking a moment’s reflection for that fluffy little hare. Our main course wine was a 2006 Barbera D’Alba, Fides, Pio Cesare at £85 a bottle, and was firm, moderately intense and made for a hazy lunchtime thrill.

Tristan Welch, who has switched the menu from the haughty French style to a more warming British approach, is surely on the path to more glittering plaudits. It’s also worth noting that the junior sous chef, Steve Groves, won Masterchef: The Professionals 2009. Michel Roux Jnr said that ‘Steve showed not only great knowledge of classical cooking but also proved that he could master modern techniques.’

The wine list is interminable (expensive too if you don’t pick scrupulously). This place prides itself on its wine just as much as the food. There’s even a 1993 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti for £3,300. Three-thousand and three-hundred pounds! That’s a secondhand BMW, a two-week Mediterranean cruise, eight hundred bottles of Blue Nun!

I had banana sticky toffee pudding with Guinness ice cream for dessert. As these places do, the pudding itself was small and delicate looking with artistic swishes and swirls across the plate. The Guinness ice cream was delicious. From the cheese trolley we picked a mature Cheddar, Stilton and a ripe Stinking Bishop, all served with toast or biscuits.

It’s all very South Ken and was apparently Princess Diana’s local and favourite. It’s not my local, by some mileage, but is defiantly now one of my favourites.

Allthough Mr Walsh was not in the kichen during my visit, his deputised head chef and team
oversaw a wonderfull service on the day The homebaked bread with the herb butter was utterly
delicious, as far as I could see most of the dinners were eating from the set lunch menu which
is incredibly good value considering the quality of the food The onglet of rose veal was drop dead
meltingly gorgeous and I know from comments of other diners I was not the only person to think so,
the sommellier was very attentive and steered me to a perfect wine for the food, even if it was a litlle above my usual budget it had good age weight and depth.
over all a lovely experience with very good service

went to lunch here with 2 friends – its better atmosphere at dinner however lunch was good. The 3 course set lunch is good value, the starters were average , beetroot risotto was in fact not risotto just thinly sliced/chopped beetroot – and the duck egg was not quite right, not cooked. The mains were good and the service was quick and efficient if a little impersonal. Wine list was wide spread and inclusive – desserts were nice (toffee pudding – was good) – 2 bottles of wine and the 3 courses came in at £260 with tip which wasn't bad – would recommend – but if you want a little more variation go for the a la carte menu and maybe save that for dinner!

The awkward shape of the dining floor makes it hit-and-miss between a good table and an awful table. Service lacks the attention to detail that you would expect for the price bracket. Chef seems to try a little too hard to be creative leaving the end result lacking in balance in some dishes. Wine struck me as over priced. Whilst being a pleasant evening if it is your local haunt, I would prefer more consitancy in table qualtity and service before I would be happy to make an effort to eat here.

Launceston Place has been on my list of restaurants to visit for ages, so when my parents visited from New Zealand I thought this would be the perfect time. They are not used to fine dining but they were made to feel completely at ease the second they walked through the door.

The restaurant has such an elegant feel and perfect for a long lunch. The staff were immediately friendly and curteous. Whilst my parents went for £20 lunch menu (amazing value) I opted for the dinner menu as scallops are my absolute favourite. But before I get to the started, let me say how beautiful the canapes of Devilled Potato Crisps tied with a Launceston Place bow were, and perfect to nibble on whilst discussing the menu, such a huge amount of choice to discuss. Then after ordering, and asking the waitor for his opinion, and he knew the tastes of every dish, we were given an amuse bouche. A lovely little surprise, so full of flavour and gets the taste buds prepared.

My starter was scallops – two of the biggest scallops i have ever seen, perfectly cooked and wonderfully seasoned. My dad opted for Duck egg on toast with Somerset truffle. The egg was just soft enough and the truffle sauce and shavings were so delicious and well match. My mum went for the Isle of Wight cappuccino which is the most inventive soup with a lovely beautiful rich tomato flavour and a herb foam on top.

For main course, again all absolutely perfect and such a lovely speed of service. whilst the restaurant was busy, not once did we feel rushed or that we had been forgotten. We all opted for different dishes again. I went for Denham Castle lamb, my parents went for Cornish mackerel and Duck leg confit. All great sized portions for a lunch and the flavours were extradorinary.

Then another little treat followed after we had ordered our dessert (again i went from the dinner menu – well worth it). A pre-dessert of Pimms and Lemonade Granita, wonderfully British summer.
my parents shared the apple tart with home-made clotted cream. A whole tart to share, served at the table sliced by the waitor. It was all too much for them but the waitors were more than happy to box it up for us to enjoy at home. My dessert, i opted for the Chefs Signature of rice pudding souffle with home made raspberry rippled ice-cream. The waitor helped me by popping the souffle and adding the ice-cream. It was gorgeous, the wonderful end to the meal. Which i thought was over, however, with our coffee they brought over French madelenes with vanilla cream.

I will definitely be returning to Launceston Place, the lunch menu is such wonderful value that i'm sure it won't be too long until i revisit. Although i will make sure i go again in an evening for a special occasion to have the tasting menu with wine pairings – we did not get to have enough input from the Sommelier – although the help that he did give us regarding champagne on arrival (a must) a to pair a glass of wine for the main, was spot on.

Highly recommend.

I visited Launceston Place today for lunch with a close friend, and sadly neither of us came away impressed.

The bread was bland and did not taste particularly fresh, the double cooked crisps served to start with needed a dip of some kind to compliment them, the amuse bouche was essentially frozen yogurt that was sadly uninspired in either taste or concept, the flavour of the truffles added to the duck egg on toast completely overpowered the rest of the dish, the main course of duck confit was swimming in grease and oil; as were the side vegetables, the dark chocolate and raspberry mousse was served warm and the mini raspberry cakes and cream with vanilla served at the end were noticeably lacking in the taste of either raspberry or vanilla.

Lastly many of the serving staff had a permanent smirk on their faces that rather gave the impression that they viewed the diners with total contempt, and our waiter seemed strangely ignorant about the items on the menu; which rather suggests that those who work in the restaurant have never been given the opportunity to try the food that they serve to their customers.

As someone with a keen interest in gastronomy who lives in London primarily to take advantage of its excellent dining opportunities, I do expect every so often to come across a single course that sadly lets down the rest of the meal. However never before have I encountered a supposedly fine dining restaurant that manages to get absolutely everything wrong at once! Indeed, when one of the staff asked afterwards what I thought of the meal, the most diplomatic comment that I could come up with was that it had been a “remarkable” experience.

In conclusion, I could not in honesty and good conscience recommend the dining experience at Launceston Place to even my worst enemy.

Visiting the chic and elegant Launceston Place is a culinary treat from ex-Petrus chef, Tristan Welch, whose menu presents haute cuisine with a British twist. Both the chef and the restaurant are increasingly rising to prominence in London, therefore expect highly accomplished refined British food. Launceston Place is well located for dinner after the concert at Royal Albert Hall.

We were really looking forward to our meal at this restaurant as we are all fans of Master Chef. It was a work lunch with clients and we are all under the age of 35. There were 5 of us.

The waitress was the most surly, rude waitress we have ever had the misfortune to come across.

We were given the wrong wine, which we had to wait for a considerable time to receive. We got the wrong bill and then that was changed (increased) with no apology. We were charged for 2 courses even though we only chose to have a main dish each as we were up against time.

We were ignored and then when we were served we were made to feel very awkward and all the staff were very cold to us for the whole time we were there.

Our coats were muddled with other diner's coats and again no apology was made for this.

The food was good, but not substantial – but the service really let down these gifted chefs.

Very disappointed and so I cannot recommend this restaurant from our experience sadly.

I was visiting in the UK and had read up on various restaurants. I was excited and intrigued by this restaurant.
My overall impression was that I liked the food well enough, but that there was not that much in realm of excellence for me to return. The first problem for me was the room itself…an oddly shaped part of the restaurant that narrows into a triangle in the back. It was a cramped and not very nice space interrupted in the middle by a door to the kitchen. The wait staff masses at this door to coordinate the servings…so if you sit near it, as we did, you will experience a constant grouping and regrouping of the staff right next to you. Then the table I sat at was permanently angled so that one had the feeling of being off center. This topped by the fact that a very redolent cheese cart sat directly behind me wafting strong smells over to my table.
The waitress and sommelier were very helpful, but the bus person was awkward and seemed to be untrained.
A series of service blips led to a lack of ease all around. There were longer waits for courses than were necessary, and the staff seemed unaware of a note made during an online reservation that one of the party was not able to eat dairy. This resulted in a less than complete menu for that person, and an arbitrary decision to make a fruit plate for desert, a sad culmination to a full meal. When asked to provide olive oil instead of butter, the confused bus person produced grape seed oil. When this was sent back owing to its rather pungent flavor, the staff informed us that the chef didn't like olive oil and didn't have any in the kitchen.

Onto the food. An initial amuse bouche of hot leek soup topped with with cold leek soup was rich, tasty and smooth, The scallops appetizer presented had a tasty sauce but were just ordinary in flavor. The 'deviiled" sardines, described as packing a punch with mustard, etc., were only mildly flavorful and seemed to retain their bones despite my own skillful removal of spines. The mains included a hallibut billed as “smoked.” The waiter explained that the fish was covered with a ceramic pot when it was cooked over a fire, but it didn't taste smoked. The high point was the suckling pig, very tasty and creatively presented. A predesert of lemon sorbet dropped in a raspberry mousse with a crisp freestanding crust liberally sprinkled with black pepper was tasty and inventive. Why couldn't all the dishes have this kind of inventive verve?
The dessert (after some begging the kitchen substituted a lemon sorbet for the fruit plate) was a strange chocolate confection—a semi melted dark chocolate topped with something that looked and tasted like chocolate cookie crumbs and topped with a grated ice cream of almonds and salt. The whole thing placed in a seashell (for no known reason). It wasn't a very elegant dish, and didn't have much to recommend it. The Valhona chocolate was of course excellent—but how many times have we seen Valhona chocolate in this type of restaurant before?
In all, the experience was a bit exasperating from the service perspective (although everyone was personally very nice and helpful) and from the food perspective it was fairly uninspiring with the exception of the suckling pig.

I took my family to Launceston Place for my Grandmothers Birthday and whilst it was not quite what I expected (as I did the booking in a rush) it turned out to be one of the finest experiences in London I have had.

The food was very good indeed. In particular the Freshwater Fish Pie was fantastic…the sauce was rich, tasty and a delight. Desserts were also mini works of art, packed with mouthwatering flavours.

What makes this restaurant so special however is the service, both front of house and within the restaurant.

The staff at Launceston Place are quite simply fantastic. Attentive, helpful and trying to go the extra mile. In particular, without asking them they overheard us toasting my grandmother and at the end of the meal a small cake with a candle arrived! She was thrilled.

They also coped with all requests very well. A person at the dinner wasnt feeling well so didnt want all three courses. No problem at all, would you like a small green salad?

At the end, could we have the icecream without the remainder of the dessert (my Grandmother is a little fussy but at her age we'll forgive her) again, no problem at all.

Seriously, if you want a place to have a special occassion I can see no better place in London to have it. These guys will make sure it is a gastronomic experience and will ensure everyone feels like a VIP.

They also have Nytember and parking isnt too bad near the restaurant. What more can you ask!

We booked a celebratory meal at Launceston Place after being impressed by Tristan Welch on the Great British Menu and were not disappointed. As we had a 6.30pm booking, we were able to take advantage of the £30 3-course set menu. Although we had been quite prepared to branch out onto the a la carte menu, we were suitably impressed with the set menu options not to need to do so.
We were presented with hand-cooked devilled crisps as a pre-appetiser, followed by bread and then a complimentary cauliflower & truffle veloute which was absolutely delicious – I was left wanting more! For starters my husband had the devilled shrimp dish seen on GBM which he raved about, though he was obviously slightly jealous of my hollowed-out goose egg filled with truffle and goose-egg risotto with soldiers. Although the £10 supplement may seem excessive, as we would have paid at least £42 per head for the basic a la carte 3 courses if we had booked half an hour later, so it seemed rude not to have it! And they were very generous with the truffle shavings!
We both chose the suckling pig for main course; the meat and accompaniments were all excellent. We are both fans of fatty meat (it's where it gets the flavour after all) but this is probably not a dish for those picky about such things. The crackling was amazing – just how I like it with a lovely layer of crispy fat underneath.
Main courses were followed by another complimentary intermediatary course of a light and fluffy banoffee pie. My husband then had the rice pudding dish with the raspberry ripple ice cream, which he very much enjoyed, and I had the lavender panacotta with violet, which was both refreshing and different.
Unfortunately as I am pregnant I was not able to test the wine list, but my husband had a couple of glasses recommended by the excellent sommelier and both were very good and (we thought) incredible value at only £6.50 and £8.50 per glass.
We loved the dark and classy decor and service throughout the meal was first class. I had a peak in the chef's office and watched the plasma TV in the kitchen for a while (no sign of Tristan!), I think dinner in there would be a great experience. We were extremely impressed by the extra little touches, such as the little box of chocolates I was given as we departed, as well as the wonderful extra courses. Despite the 5 courses, neither of us left feeling ‘over full’, with the portion sizes it was just right. All in all for £100 for 2, we thought it was fantastic value for money for Kensington and for such a high quality meal and overall experience. We will definitely be back!

After delighting in watching Tristan Welch beat his former teacher/ mentor Mark Sergeant on Great British Menu I knew that this was for sure a place to try, and was by no means disappointed that I did.

We opted for the tasting menu, which started extremely well, a cauliflower foam with a truffle oil drizzled on top. The menu also featured the devilled crab, potted shrimp with wild herbs alla the TV show; what were the judges thinking not voting for that one, the sea side on a plate for sure. Not normally a salmon fan, but the champagne poached salmon was cooked perfectly and the infused champagne taste made for another perfect dish. Opting for the suckling pig for the main course, whilst on the whole excellent, it was a bit of a let down that crackling of the belly pork wasn’t crisp. My other gripes would be a couple of occasional blips in service where we had to wait a little too long and the hot chocolate drink that was served with coffee instead of petit fours, which didn’t sit right, as in a hot drink to compliment another hot drink.

The sommelier is worth a mention, as he was quite entertaining as he enthused and described each wine that accompanied each dish,

At £52 per head for the tasting menu the place is remarkably cheap, even with aperitifs, prestige tasting menu wine match, coffees and service added on, it came to less than £700 for four of us. Whilst obviously expensive it was defiantly very good value for money for the quality of food, wine and service.

I certainly recommend this place and no doubt Tristan’s Michelin Star is already in the post.

This review is all about value or more specifically the £18 set lunch meal that is available here. Set amongst the leafy wilds behind Ken High Street this is a lovely restaurant space. Calm and warming yet not too dark, it was a perfect place for a lunch on a pretty summer's day. This set lunch here has to be one of the best deals in any place in London.

If you “maxed” your meal at Ronald's home or jumped into one of the Colonel's bigger buckets you could almost spend what the lunch cost here.

Three courses – eggs with truffle on toast, their ironic but good take on fish fingers and a fantastic tarte tatin for £18. You couldn't cook it at home for that. Add in a “free” amuse bouche and a pre desert of the chef's failed great Brit menu entry and you are more than happy with your lot in life.

We had a couple of bottles of water, two glasses of crisp Riesling and an additional plate of cheese to share and the total for three was under £100. Go, relax and applaud a place that gets it right at every level.

Booked on a whim after watching the Great British Menu and being close to my girlfriend's office , we embarked to Lauceston Place. I booked a table via the web (very efficient) and got a text giving me a booking reference – which was very helpful.

We arrived a little early but were shown to our seats by the very polite waiting staff. Nibbles were provided (posh crisps – think Kettle chips, but thinner and freshly cooked!) and drinks ordered. We decided on the £42, 3 course menu.

Before our starters we had the amuse bouche – Cauliflower Soup, with a foam and truffle oil which was excellent. Our starters of scallops and the truffle risotto were also top notch (even if we paid a premium for the risotto) and presented beautifully (as were all the courses).

For the main course the Suckling Pig and Lamb were chosen, with the girlfriend able to choose which cut of the lamb she would like (a nice touch!) – again both were extremely tasty, and the staff flexible enough to offer “extra” side dishes to my somewhat fussy companion!

Pre desert “extra” was the rhubarb crumble ice cream as seen on GBM, quite light, creamy and fresh – with an added dash of blood orange juice to add a touch of sharpness at the end. The main deserts to follow were the rice pudding souffle with raspberry ripple ice cream, and the chocolate fondant. The chocolate dish was VERY rich, but was devoured nonetheless, and the rice pudding souffle was fluffy perfection.

Without a doubt it was an excellent dining experience, and we would (will) return at some point – once we've saved up! It wasn't cheap (>120 pounds, and neither of us drink) but given the quality of the food, the attentive staff and the “extras” I think it was worth it.

Went for lunch in May 2009. Fabulous!!! I went for a set lunch menu (although I was also offered a la carte and a special tasting menu). The scallops were deliciously tender with full flavour, and served beautifully in the shell which rested on a pile of tiny shells and pebbles. Butter on a large flat pebble was a lovely touch. Amuse-bouche of cauliflower soup was amazing. Beef chop for the main course was lovely cooked and so tender you can eat it without the knife, like a pudding. Eton Mess was great. Service was impeccable, and they also did a nice show-around as I asked for more info on the venue. Will definitely be back. Highly recommended.

Congratulations to the whole team at Launceston Place. They were fantastic and turned an ordinary Thursday evening into a spectacular one. Service and food were exceptional with a great atmosphere – my only regrets were that I did not order the Suckling Pig and had to watch it be devoured by my companion and that I could not eat/ order more- we will be going back. A real gem.

Gem Warning!
Launceston place is an intimate, warm, cosy place to enjoy a very refined quality meal.
Some dishes are worth going accross London for, like this home-smoked salmon coming in it's glass bell filled with…the smoke! Every plate is humble but refined in appearance and close to perfect in cooking execution. Adding to this that the staff is very efficient, discreet and absolutely charming, and you will conclude like me that Launceston place definitely has its place in the Michelin foodies' red bible! Come on bibendum, roll down there and award stars!