Kitchen Table

A proper kitchen counter experience

Kitchen Table

I have been to Kitchen Table 3 times now. The first time was in 2013, it had no Michelin star then. The second time, it held 1 Michelin star. And my third and most recent visit, it now has 2 Michelin stars. The tasting menu only kitchen counter experience has changed a lot since my first visit back in 2013. I still recalled the menu cost less than £70 back in the days when it was first launched and now is £150. However, this is in-line with the London fine dining standard these days and the ingredients that chef-owner James used in the menu are special, and it is still one of the most unique and special restaurant concepts in London. The counter dining, 10 plus courses experience in the mood of modern European cuisine is the type of food I really treasured. For my third visit, I opted the menu upgrade, which extended the menu into 14 courses, 4 hours long dinner.

Organic Squash, brown butter, 36 months aged parmesan, pumpkin seed

Crab, gooseberry, crème fraiche, verbena, dill, cucumber, pineapple weed

Quail egg, potato, black garlic, onion, chervil, balsamic

Chicken skin, bacon jam, rosemary, mascarpone

Parkerhouse, lamb fat tomato butter, wild garlic, onion oil

Mussel, meadowsweet honey, rhubarb, rosehip vinegar

Bonito, shiso, ponzu, seaweed, sour cream, grape, apple, radish, nori

Scallop incoming...

Scallop, caviar, scallop roe, smoked cream

Brill, foie gras, thyme, onion flowers, chives, sherry vinegar

The signature chicken skin dish is still on the menu, and it was just as lovely as I recalled. The skin was thin and crispy, and the bold savoury and sweet taste of the bacon jam was the perfect topping for the skin. The raw Scottish hand dive scallop was as good as you can get from a scallop dish, it was so fresh and loaded with so much umami flavours, and it was boasted to another level with the addition of caviar and scallop roe. It was such an impactful shellfish dish that I had nothing but love for it. The fish course of brill had an unusual element of foie gras on top, it worked somehow, it was like seasoning with a lovely contrast of creamy texture. The use of sherry vinegar was a great touch, which offered a fine balance to the whole dish. The main of roasted pigeon was heavenly, a faultless dish. It was cooked to the perfect temperature with the perfect seasoning, the classic garnishes of black garlic and radicchio worked in harmony with the pigeon. 

Sea Trout, girolles, cep, green strawberry

Langoustine, vanilla brown butter, redcurrant, chervil, juniper

Pigeon, greengage, crème fraiche, radicchio, black garlic, cobnut

189 days aged beef, smoked bone marrow, sweetcorn, tarragon, blackcurrant

Beauvale, fig roll, red wine reduction

Blueberry, spruce, sour cream, sorrel

Blackberry, sweetcorn, meringue, custard

Raspberry, beetroot, liquorice, corn flower

Chocolate, truffle, cep , crepe

Nightcap time

To sum it up, every single dish in the evening at Kitchen Table was either good, really good, or extremely good. This is a rarity for such a long, multi-course tasting menu. There wasn't one single average dish on the night, I totally understand why it got its second Michelin star last year. Simply put, if I compared it to my second visit, I noticed a great improvement in the cooking, both from a taste and visual point of view. There were more prime and luxury ingredients too. The service was also outstanding, this dinner was one of my top dining experiences of 2019 easily. Together with The Ledbury, these 2 places are the best fine dining restaurants in London right now for me. 



Food 5/5


Average cost without drinks and services:
£150

70 Charlotte St, Bloomsbury, London W1T 4QG

https://kitchentablelondon.co.uk/

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