Kitchen W8

Kensington's Michelin starred neighbourhood restaurant, near High Street Kensington and close to the Design Museum, we offer exceptional food and service.

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Kitchen W8 is that rare thing – a genuinely relaxed and friendly Michelin star neighbourhood restaurant.

Our chef since launch has been Mark Kempson whose exceptional cooking along with his team won us our first Michelin star in 2011, an accolade which we have retained each year since then.

When we launched Kitchen W8 in 2009 we intended it to be a home from home, something which we strive to achieve year after year.

http://www.kitchenw8.com

Reviews and related sites

Kitchen W8 - London Restaurant Reviews | Hardens

Review analysis
staff   food   menu  

On a Kensington site that's had a somewhat chequered history of late, a smart but somewhat subdued bistro offering food English dishes of very high quality, under the auspices of Square chef Philip Howard.

Her efforts to make a go of the Kensington site she's also owned for some time - once called Abingdon Road, and more recently Bistrot Eleven - never seem to have been crowned with great success.

Though they are in a street long associated with restaurants (and one that leads into one of the most chichi Kensington backwaters), Abingdon Road has always struck us as rather a forlorn thoroughfare, and the recent establishments on this site have never managed to transcend their location.

Perhaps, though, the cooking here will make it 'third time lucky' for Ms M. It's certainly of a very high quality (and it's already driving the foodie end of the Twitterati to heights of ecstasy).

One very much senses here the inspiration of Arbutus, a seminal West End success of recent times.

Kitchen W8, 11-13 Abingdon Road, London W8 | The Independent

Review analysis
food   staff   location   value   drinks   desserts  

I didn't find anything very French about my date Sarah's chicken and mushroom ravioli – a single, huge raviolo under a liquid shroud of mushroom cream, more velouté than sauce.

It was laid out in a rectangle of orange, white and brown, as pretty as an English watercolour, the eel shaved so wafer-thin it melted on my fork, the tiny bits of fish beautifully grilled.

It was mildly disgusting to think I was eating both the face and dried blood of a pig – but the cheeks were cooked to a densely flavoured succulence, the quartet of puddings offered a sultry counterpoint and a bed of pearl barley, cooked in pork stock with a mirepoix of celery, carrots, onions and bay leaf, was damned good (and damnably masculine).

Kitchen W8 is a joint venture between Philip Howard, star chef at The Square in Mayfair, and Rebecca Mascarenhas, the warm heart behind Sonny's in Barnes.

Tipping policy: "Service charge is 12.5 per cent discretionary, of which 100 per cent goes to the staff; all tips go to the staff" Fine Scottish produce is used in mains such as saddle of roe deer with pumpkin, celeriac, roasted apple and pepper sauce (£32.50).

REVIEW: Kitchen W8, Abingdon Road, Kensington - The Foodaholic

Review analysis
menu   food   ambience  

We started our meal with the veloute of winter leeks and charlotte potatoes with brown shrimps, parsley and a side of cod’s roe on toast.

The brown shrimps worked perfectly and gave it a little saltiness, the small cod’s roe on toast was good, but I didn’t see much point of it with the veloute, it was a little lost.

Parfait of foie gras with a puree of caramelized pink grapefruit, blood orange jelly and toasted sourdough was good solid dish.

The Pollock was cooked to perfection with a lovely crisp top, thinly sliced beetroots were soft, fresh and earthy and the vinaigrette I was expecting not to like, was very zingy, tasty, but a little acidic.

The food at Kitchen W8 is very skilled and the you can definitely see why this restaurant is praised by the locals but unfortunately something didn’t quite work for me to come back, whether it was the lack of atmosphere or the food I’m not sure, I know they were awarded their Michelin star in 2011 but for me I couldn’t see that star coming through on the dishes.

Kitchen W8 - Tiny Urban Kitchen

Review analysis
menu   location   staff   food   ambience  

I finally had a chance to walk through this garden to visit Kitchen W8.

Kitchen W8 is a new, one-Michelin starred restaurant opened in 2009 by Phil Howard, chef-owner of 2-star Michelin restaurant The Square, and restaurantaur Rebecca Mascarenhas.

I had a chance to visit Kitchen W8 with several of my co-workers during one of my business trips.

Parfait of Fois Gras Accompaniments for the fois gras creme – toast, jam, honey  Pan roasted fish with asparagus Octopus appetizer Homemade Beignets with Pineapples Bitter Chocolate Pudding Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee Rhubarb Fool Thoughts I had a wonderful time at Kitchen W8.

Kitchen W8 11-13 Abingdon Road London, UK W8 6

review of London French restaurant Kitchen W8 by Andy Hayler in ...

Review analysis
staff   food   desserts   drinks  

The menu does not venture into experimental territory, so there are plenty of things that most people might actually want to eat rather than it being an assault course of weirdness that is all too often the case these days.

The wine list featured labels such as Guy Allion Domaine du Haut Perron Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2015 at £28 compared to its shop price of £10, Egon Muller Riesling Scharzhof 2014 at £67 for a bottle that retails at £28, and Hubert Lamy St Aubin Close de la Chateniere 2010 at £96 for a wine that will set you back £39 on the high street.

My starter of malt and mustard glazed sweetbreads was good, served with chicken wings, celeriac milk, shiitake mushrooms and wild leek.

Pumpkin gnocchi had good texture, served alongside enoki mushrooms, black cabbage, chanterelles and walnuts.

However at this meal some arguably minor but still troubling inconsistencies were creeping into some of the dishes, which should not really happen to a restaurant with a Michelin star.

Kitchen W8 | Restaurants in Kensington, London

Review analysis
food  

For understated Michelin-starred charm, look no further than Kitchen W8.

Just off the main drag, on an unassuming stretch of street, this dining room exudes refinement with its orderly white table linen and smooth, unstuffy service.

The menu is modern English with a French complexity, its delicate mains featuring the finest seasonal ingredients.

A main of Cornish pollock was a delightfully fresh fillet accompanied by a novel swirl of cocoa bean purée.

The set lunch and dinner menus are one of the better-value ways to enjoy Michelin-starred cuisine in London.

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