IT’S a funny thing that hotel restaurants often conspire to feel somewhat lacking in warmth. A hotel is a temporary home, after all, so shouldn’t your temporary dinner table feel something like comfort, and familiarity? I know London isn’t The Cotswold’s and the chances of hobbit-holey hospitality are beyond slim, but there’s only so many white walls, stainless steel countertops, and strip lights that one can take. When did a roaring fire become so unfashionable?
The White Room Library at Town House
I was fully prepared for another such evening of minor imposter anxiety, sandwiched between a DJ and a table of bankers until I actually stepped inside Town House at The Kensington and was led to my table. The only way I can think of to describe Town House is that it’s Peter Pan-like. Not in the sense that it brought to mind Neverland, fairies or a weird obsession with the colour green, rather I felt like I was in the Darling household, from which Wendy and her brothers are whisked into the night.
Trolley of Perrier-Jouet by the open fire at Town House
It feels Victorian, with large bookshelves on each wall, heavily upholstered chairs, and rugs on top of carpets under each table. It’s dimly lit, and, most importantly, it feels lived in. The books have been read with their corners turned, and the chairs envelop you, sinking as you sit. In short, it’s a really lovely place to have dinner.
Dining at Town House
We started off with Burrata served with basil, salsa fresca, sour crisp & Kalamata olives, and a plate of Tiger prawns in harissa aioli & lime. Having just arrived home from a week in Cape Town complete with daily helpings of Pinotage, blindly ordering a house red and ending up with a bottle of the Stellenbosch signature only enriched the feeling that I was dining at a home away from home.
The pick of our mains was the Rigatoni, prepared with game ragu and walnut pesto. It’s a subversive take on a classic dish, with the game ragu playing second fiddle to the walnut pesto, which is delightfully meaty. Lacking the overwhelming richness that tends to accompany many a ragu, it’s one of those dishes you could really eat all day.
Town House by day
We finished with the Crème Brûlée. All that needs to be said about our desert is that it was the best crème brûlée/Catalan I’ve ever had – this coming from someone with family in Spain and a lifetime of summers spent eating the signature dessert. If accompanied by kids, order the Chocolate and almond doughnut sundae which is worth it for the fantastical optics alone. If it arrived at my table as a ten-year-old my head would have exploded.
by Charlie Navin-Holder
Town House at The Kensington, 109-113 Queen’s Gate, South Kensington, London SW7 5LP
Tel: 020 7589 6300
Town House at The Kensington are delighted to once again be launching their festive menus in order to honour the traditional Thanksgiving celebration, on Thursday, November 28th.