Launceston Place

This is tucked away down a pretty side street, not sure if you would stumble across it if you didn't know it was here. We have been here before when it was quite dark and corporate but now they have added a skylight and the whole places is much lighter and brighter. I will say that our meal was a stunner from start to finish, from the inventive amuse bouches of steamed mushroom buns dusted with matcha powder to the playful petit fours of "lollipops" of arctic roll. The service was the right level of attentive without being intrusive. I especially like the fact that although the menu descriptions are terse, what actually arrives are complete plates of food (my pet hate is getting a piece of meat/ fish and then being forced to order sides). My perfectly cooked duck was accompanied by unheralded (on the menu) fabulously crispy millefeuille potatoes, exactly what that sounds like, potatoes cut into thin sheaves to get super crispy but somehow miraculously holding together. In the immortal words of Mr Schwarzenegger I will be back #SMDinerReview

Launceston Place appears to be the perfect canvas for Ben Murphy's exquisite cooking. Showing style, flair and invention, the dishes at Launceston Place are a treat for any gourmand. The tasting menu showed the aptitude of a Michelin starred chef and I am sure that the restaurant is well on its way to reclaim the star that it lost from the 2017 Michelin guide. The "regular" wine pairing had some exceptionally daring choices that made us think that we would love to come back again after the menu has changed and try the premium pairing. Already looking forward to my next visit.

Our first visit today at a reasonably busy lunchtime. Its very pleasantly situated in perhaps the most "villagey" part of Kensington and the pleasant walk from Ken High Street or from Gloucester Road will raise you expectations. And indeed everything we ate today was nicely cooked, carefully presented, and the variety of tastes and textures from individual ingredients was clearly perceptible. So good quality cooking here, and if the food doesn't quite have the sheer intensity of what I might expect at Gordon Ramsay's flagship, or Marcus Wareing, or Pollen Street Social, well maybe its appropriate to recall that It isn't rated or priced quite so highly either. And you get good bread ( very good actually), a tasty canapé, an interesting Amuse Bouche, and a few petits fours with the coffee. We chose from the lunch menu, as many around us seemed to do . Pleasingly we got food that I'm sure represented what this restaurant was capable of, and sadly that isn't always the case in London's restaurant at the moment where there sometimes seems to be a touch of "made down to a price" about the lunch menu that din't seem to happen so much a few years ago. But as I say not here and we left after three decent courses each ( and the bits) quite unable to consider even a coffee for the next couple of hours. A word about the service though- we were booked in for 1pm, and though we were a minute or two early it still seemed to be a half hour before we got menus. In fact we'd ordered and started our bottle of wine before we'd seen a menu. We found this odd. Unless of course the front of house's job is to give the kitchen an easy life by controlling the pace of orders hitting the kitchen? If so I think that's bizarre, and a kitchen working to give each diner an appropriately paced experience seems more the right way round to me. That aside the service from all the fairly numerous people who came to our table was pleasant and very competent.. We were there for 21/4 hours for three courses and coffee which is longer than I'd expect though it caused no problems. Our bill for 3 course set lunches, coffee, a bottle of a pleasant Languedoc which was certainly, at £30 , from the lower end of their list, and coffee/service came to a fraction under £130. I had intended to comment on this though my wife reminds me that we more usually eat two courses for lunch. She's quite right, and of course we have the numerous "extras" , so I'm ending up with a view that value seems about right. Will we go again? Well maybe albeit that this is quite a well-populated segment , with some good quality from Murano, Chez Bruce, Kitchen W8, Chiswick's La Trompette and so on that will give Launceston Place a run for its money on flavours and value.

Slight note of caution – on a good day you will have a fantastic dinner at this lovely restaurant tucked away in Kensington. On a bad day service and kitchen can be overwhelmed and you'll have to wait. However, food quality is outstanding and atmosphere great. Also great for a romantic evening out

Had a very pleasant evening with a client. Discreet, elegant, but still with some vitality. Like the skylight ceiling, too

Our visit to Launceston Place in March 2012 was a memorable one. The food was excellent and the service was unobtrusive but attentive. The decor is really classy but not over the top meaning we felt really comfotable from the start. Unfortunately the taster menu was not available nor was the pigeon (or there would have been more 10's) but the fried hen's egg and the scallops were lovely, the beef cut like butter and lemon sole with shrimps was the best we have tasted. It is pricey but worth it (just!) We will return.

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.