Food reviews

Launceston Place

This place used to be a chinzy haunt for Kensington ladies. They say Diana used to love it. Formerly under Rowley Leigh’s Kensington Place umbrella, it’s now owned by Conran in the guise of D&D London and after a few years in gastro obscurity has just reopened with former Petrus chef Tristan Welch in the kitchen and a new, unchinzy look on the floor.
And it’s so unchinzy that everything is in fact black. The three connecting rooms are spatially a bit confusing with all the darkness, and a severe silence does little to warm them up. Heavy carpets soak up any footsteps and there’s a formal feel to go with the serious food, but atmosphere-wise this place hasn’t really found itself yet. Still, they’ve clearly been working on the food first, because the six course tasting menu was an impressive spread, spanning unusual ingredients and intercut with amuse bouches for even more entertainment. There was a single scallop served, bizarrely, on a warm pebble, duck foie gras with tart rhubarb compote, goats cheese soufflé with mustard ice cream in a tiny copper dish, and a delicious dish of poached carp with leeks, which gave carp’s reputation a serious boost. An eggcup containing a cheesecake,
a cappuccino of cauliflower and truffle soup and a dollop of grey taramasalata were welcome show-offy interludes, and an eager and knowledgeable sommelier matched everything with a suitable wine.
For £45 per head the feast was well-priced as well as entertaining; now they just need to work on the atmosphere.  l PH