Kitchen Table (Fitzrovia)

• From the moment it was announced that husband and wife team Sandia Chang and James Knappett
• When it was further announced that their first collaboration was to be a small bar in Fitzrovia specialising in hot dogs and champagne
• It was still very much is a serious cocktail bar that cleverly matches what
• The story went the best was yet to come
• Behind thick leather curtains at the back of Bubbledogs was to be Kitchen Table chef James' pride and joy
• Where lucky diners would watch in awe as a 13 course tasting menu was prepared in front of their eyes
• As accomplished as you might expect from a chef with Knappett's pedigree and as good an advertisement for London's place at the top of the food tree as you could possibly imagine
• My memories of that evening aren't as golden as I was hoping they'd be
• Horseradish and mint was very like something you might be presented at the start of a Ledbury tasting menu fantastic fresh seafood
• Largely raw piece of fish with a skin that had been blowtorched over 'wood coal'
• As far as I can gather is a state of being somewhere between wood and coal
• The smell as these things were being prepared was amazing
• Though the texture was unexpected chewy rather than flaky the extra bite just meant the flavours lasted longer in the mouth
• That on top by the way is fennel marmalade a masterful accompaniment
• The next course was chicken skin
• Just as the second glass of bubbly was having its desired effect and it looked like this was shaping up to be one of the most enjoyable evenings in a long time
• Not with the food that continued in a similar stellar vein but with the atmosphere in the room
• The reaction from all around him was immediate the waiters racing around wide eyed
• They hadn't people were chatting and enjoying their meals in much the same way as before
• Your first reaction is to pretend nothing's happening and hope it blows over
• Never mind one in which everyone is taking part in the same interactive dinner
• In a few minutes Knappett had gathered himself together enough to introduce the next course but by then the damage was done and I can't say I really found my appetite again
• Front of house staff as good as those at Kitchen Table deserve to not have their efforts overshadowed by a head chef with a short temper
• Smoky veg and a wonderful sharp homemade romesco sauce studded with toasted almonds
• Sous vide mallard with blood orange and chard wasn't my companion's favourite dish but I am yet to not enjoy wild duck and thought the orange and olive combination
• Was just about the best bit of bambi I've ever eaten so full of flavour despite (we were told) not being hung at all
• A cheese course was a blob of unpasteurised Stichelton with some dainty curls of champagne compressed apple
• They were careful to point out) and yoghurt ice cream was like a posh Solero (in a good way)
• Perhaps much of my discomfort is a personal thing
• Even if you are the kind of person who can happily sit through the sight of a chef/owner striking the fear of God into all around him
• Even if this was a complete one off
• Normally Knappett is as level headed and composed as Mahatma Gandhi on a spa break
• There is still the unavoidable fact that the food is some of the best you can find in town
• Too much reality is rarely a good thing
• Kitchen Table does away with the three pronged dining approach and instead offers a daily changing
• Their food is damn near perfect
• S delicious that the Henriettas of this world are subsidising Knappett&rsquo
• Mascarpone bacon jam (which was the naughtiest
• The chefs break that with the tone of a surgeon conveying bad news
• Kitchen Table is the &ldquo
• The revolutionary place to pair hotdogs with champagne&hellip
• Whats different of Kitchen Table is the cuisine and the direction of where its heading
• This gives an impression for me that every dish is like a surprise
• You only know what to eat when there and only the key ingredient was mention rather than the full dish description
• To start were prawn with barley crisp and cured mackerel with quince jam and grated horse radish
• The mackerel however was abit too strong and pungent for me due to the curing process which I feel quite similar to the japanese dish
• The menu continues with crisp chicken skin with bacon jam and rosemary mascarpone and monkfish liver tempura with radish and yuzu mayo
• The chicken skin was super crisp and savoury and the bacon jam had a hint of sweetness that balance it well while the mascarpone creates that perfume the dish
• The monkfish liver was crisp and buttery
• Similar to foie gras which was surprising and the sharp fragrant yuzu helps to cut that richness
• Then follows oyster with dashi stock and plaice with pickled cucumber and prawn bisque
• The dashi stock was light and fragrant and the vegetables add that sweetness and texture that compliments it well
• Another good dish only the downside is the oyster which is something I couldn&rsquo
• The plaice was fresh but lacked the oomph
• It was to delicate and was missing the punch of flavours
• Then comes the butternut mini ravioli with aged parmesan cheese and walnut with £
• 10 optional black truffle from Tuscany and rump tartare with croutons and burnt butter with kale
• The tartare was super good
• Amazingly the beef was tender and that crouton added that nice contrast of texture and flavours and the smoked butter goes amazingly well
• Grilled hearts with clementine puré
• Savoury and fragrant from the use of various herbs that was stuffed in the pigeon during the cooking process
• A cheese course is served before heading to desserts with brie de meaux with toasted house made brioche
• Only the texture was there but the aroma was lost
• Desserts begin with charred pineapple with mint
• This really is refreshing as it is cool and sharp&hellip
• Continue into pear tart with liquorice ice cream
• The prunes alcohol was abit too strong but the custard on top and mousse were light
• The chocolate however was abit too bitter and the caramel was overly salted for me&hellip
• Kitchen Table in Fitzrovia is an amazing experience from the food to the service
• Kitchen Table was launched shortly after the opening of Bubbledogs in 2012 by husband and wife team James Knappett (the chef) and Sandia Chang (restaurant manager/sommelier)
• S a much closer interaction with the chefs and a less formal atmosphere
• We were escorted pass the busy tables when we arrived Bubbledogs to the much more quiet backroom were half of the table was seated already waiting for the meal to start
• Many ingredients were sourced from UK
• Some combinations were daring and made me discover new angles
• At the same time there was the beef bone marrow where I felt the ingredients were more on their own than together
• This night James Knappett was absent but his young team did an excellent job in delivering what I believe is one of the more exciting dining experiences I&rsquo
• In case you still have space after the 13 courses there is always the option to order a hotdog at Bubbledogs on the way out
• James (late of Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley and Noma) is a most engaging host and is happy to chat to his guests as he and his team prepare twelve to fourteen courses
• Follows the current fashion of describing each course (on a blackboard) with one or two key words
• One of the most intriguing courses was beetroot and liquorice
• Sorbet and meringue matched with liquorice ice cream
• T resist trying it out with other ingredients he has to hand
• This review is from December 2013 New one to come this December
• I did go on the wait list in case and had an email a few days before what was our planned night out
• To keep up with tradition it was not your normal Christmas party
• This year it was time to get down to The Kitchen Table
• What was probably the best Christmas party ever (Mr Smith Style)&hellip
• It came highly recommended by endoedibles when I met up with him for lunch at the Fat Duck back in 2014
• He reckoned that this was the best meal he had during his trip to London up to that point
• High praise given that he had been hitting up pretty much every single top restaurant there is in London during his trip
• The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star making it even more difficult to get a table without booking a fair bit in advance
• The entire evening was a complete pleasure and I did not even mind undergoing the four hour tasting menu alone
• This probably came down to the fact that the seating arrangements are counter style so I was never left to distinctly feel as though I was dining alone
• Everything is plated in front of the diners and the chefs serve the guests directly
• Dishes strive to showcase quality British ingredients and it was explained that dishes each evening are basically developed off the cuff in accordance with what is available and good at the time
• Despite the fact that elements from many of the dishes are carried across from previous service
• An absolute highlight was the Perigord truffle course
• I took my boyfriend to Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs back in April for his birthday dinner to offer him a dining experience that was a little different
• Having toyed around with the idea of pursuing culinary school in my early teens
• Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs is the perfect remedy if you're looking for some great food
• It's been on my list forever and so I was extremely excited to head down last Wednesday as a sort of pre birthday adventure (hello 27 this Wednesday
• Taking time to explain each element and then checking in later with you to answer any questions you may have
• Persuade your dubious boyfriend that the 2013 Chateauneuf du Pape is actually pretty good
• The opening plate was a hand dived scallop from Orkney
• (We later asked James how they each knew what to do given the menu changes every day and he said it was a combination of rehearsal and common sense)
• Elderflower tea and topped with the elderflowers themselves
• The Scottish salmon is salted and smoked on the Norfolk coast
• Then added to the crisp with sour cream
• Crispy chicken skin was lightly spread with rosemary mascarpone and then topped with a rich
• The saltiness of the main elements was lifted by the creaminess of the cheese and the rosemary brought everything together
• The fourth dish was Parkerhouse
• Made with milk so that the inside is soft and sweet and the crust crispy
• It was grilled over charcoal and served with duck liver parfait
• It sat on an oyster emulsion and was surrounded by Isle of Wight tomatoes
• Was light and the tomatoes done three ways were an interesting addition
• Having a boyfriend who loves wine as much as me but is infinitely more knowledgeable can be both a blessing and a curse
• We spotted a pretty special Chateauneuf de Pape on the menu but with a 2013 vintage (a year known for bad weather and bad wine in France)
• Insisted it was up to par and that we should try it and so
• I was expecting a normal cut but instead we were served the liver
• It was pan fried and served with white asparagus from the Wye Valley
• Using the hearts and gizzards of the birds slaughtered that day (whose livers we'd eaten with the Parkerhouse bread)
• They were roasted in brown butter over charcoal and served with cabbage with pickled Japanese rose petals
• Cooked in the pan and roasted over charcoal again with a meaty sauce made from the bones
• It was at this point that we were segueing towards the sweet end of the menu
• The cheese was melted into a dish similar to risotto with sprouted greens and barley
• This was delectable comfort food at its best and something I could eat with a large spoon from a large pot for hours on end
• Garden flavour and then served on a sour cream ice cream which was just simply divine
• The smooth but not sweet was thick but not cloying and a great balancer for the tart beet
• I didn't get a picture of elderflower either which was fried in tempura batter and served with elderflower cordial and sorbet
• I did get a snap of the strawberry with liquorice yoghurt ice cream
• Someone that is definitely not a liquorice fan (too many childhood memories of Bassett's Allsorts)
• In a chocolate mould with a cookie base
• This was sheer childhood indulgence at its best and unfortunately something that we all snaffled far too quickly to photograph
• Delicious squares of homemade vanilla fudge served on a ubiquitous slate and with a final thank you to and from the chefs
• I honestly feel that Kitchen Table was one of the best dining experiences I've had
• The whole package is one I'm dying to complete
• You eat what is put in front of you
• It was actually fairly usual to see ultra specialization in types of cuisine coupled with absolute trust in the chef&rsquo
• Food is always good and watching the food being prepared in front of you is an added bonus
• The last time I went the bread was served with bacon butter which was delicious (diet can start never

Read More