Food reviews

The Tenth, Royal Garden Hotel

Above: The Tenth

Popping in to The Royal Garden Hotel after a friend recommended the newly refurbished Bertie’s Bar, we managed to justify a bottle of champagne because it is half price before 7pm. One bottle later and we were convinced by the tempting menu to have dinner upstairs in the Tenth restaurant, feeling like something a little more substantial than the tapas menu (although varied) available in the bar.

Tenth floor is a not only a venue that serves wonderful food, but it also has one of the best views of the city anywhere in London. We arrived upstairs after dark and the floor to ceiling windows showed us a mass of twinkling lights and a 180-degree view stretching from Kensington Palace as far as Battersea Power Station.

I opted for twice-baked haddock soufflé while my friend ordered garden pea soup with roasted hand-dived scallops. The starters were almost too beautiful to eat and absolutely delicious. The soufflé was light and the accompanying lemon crème fraiche complemented the haddock perfectly. Half way through I was delighted to find a tiny quail egg buried in the middle of the soufflé that still had a runny yolk. Switching from glasses of Chablis to Chateau Reynier for the main courses, we moved to the bar on the side of the restaurant to admire and work out landmarks from another angle. The Cornish new season lamb that I had for a main was perfectly cooked and came on a bed of baby seasonal vegetables and a stuffed zucchini flower. Very full, we shared a strawberry panacotta and went back downstairs to the warmth and colour of Bertie's for coffee. A wonderful evening and I look forward to my return.
Alexandra Hunter

Place:
The Tenth, Royal Garden Hotel,
2-24 Kensington High Street W8
020 7361 1910
Feels like:
High and mighty
Tastes like:
Well-selected ingredients; beautifully cooked dishes
Costs:
Starters from £7.50; mains from £18.50