It says a remarkable amount about any restaurant, in this climate, that it not only survives but thrives over the past decade and a half. And if you’re a neighbourhood restaurant – even one that possesses a Michelin star, and has been in solid possession of such an accolade for most of the time that it’s been in existence – then the struggle is undoubtedly real.
However, in the case of Kitchen W8, co-owned by restaurateurs supreme Rebecca Mascarenhas and Phil Howard, it has simply gone from strength to strength over its existence, establishing itself as one of the best restaurants in London – not just a neighbourhood spot, but a destination in its own right.
Still, it has to be doing something decidedly correct to earn these accolades, and it’s the presence of award-winning chef Mark Kempson at the stove that has merited these awards, and then some. On a lunchtime visit midweek, the clientele are equally divided between those regulars popping in for the excellent-value set lunch (£40 for three courses, a bargain for cooking of this calibre) or the hardier types looking for something more robust.
There is a five-course game menu (a Kempson speciality) which sounds magnificent, a riot of partridge and pheasant and venison, but it is also far too robust for a lunchtime; even the endlessly charming and chatty South African maitre’d tacitly advises against it, saying “it’s exceptional, but you really won’t be able to do very much afterwards”.
For those of us who have things that they need to do – articles to write, books to research, new worlds to conquer – the a la carte is an altogether safer option, after a couple of refreshing glasses of Billecart-Salmon have been taken. I kick off with a lighter nod to Kempson’s special skills, a minestrone of duck that comes complete with a selection of mini-amuse bouches of sorts, including a very fine duck spring roll that brings to mind the equally excellent one at Tom Kerridge’s restaurant at the Corinthia. My companion, a less hardy or hearty sort, opts for the scorched mackerel, which lives up to the billing, and, with a couple of glasses of fine Chenin Blanc to accompany it, it’s exceptionally pleasant.
Now for the mains, and there was no doubt in my mind that I’d be having venison. Kempson is famous for his ways with deer, and it more than lived up to its billing. Not only was it an exceptionally fine piece of meat, but the accompaniments of smoked potato and Jerusalem artichoke were handled just so; it was robust and delicious without being overwhelming. I was, naturally, sharing my mains with my fellow diner, and their choice of barbecued Cornish monkfish was, in its own way, every bit as superb.
A couple of glasses of light Valipolicella were an excellent suggestion – heavy enough for the venison, but without overwhelming the monkfish – and if one wanted a decadent extra (obviously), the Périgord truffle creamed potato is every bit as good as the Joel Robuchon variety, possibly with added naughtiness.
There was still just about room for a couple of desserts, and if the chocolate pavé with salted caramel ice cream was an exemplary spin on an old favourite, then a plum, ginger and lemon fool was something fresh and new, a genuinely innovative pudding that even those without a sweet tooth would do well to savour and relish.
And then we were done, bar a couple of digestifs of Calvados. Kempson, an amicable but fiercely focused presence, popped out of the kitchen to ask how we’d enjoyed the meal, and it was only too easy to praise it, and him, to the skies. If you had to ask whether Kitchen W8 will still be going in 15 years, and beyond, only a (plum, ginger and lemon) fool would suggest anything else.
Kitchen W8, 11-13 Abingdon Road, London W8 6AH. For more information, including details of the Valentine’s Tasting Menu, and for bookings, please visit www.kitchenw8.com.
