The Guardian
Grace Dent both enjoyed and suffered an “unforgettable” evening at this new King’s Road hangout from restaurateurs George Bukhov-Weinstein and Ilya Demichev along with chef Chris Denney, formerly of Fiend and 108 Garage in Notting Hill.
Everything on Grace’s plate was “delicious”: “Denney is again reaping his trademark culinary whirlwind. He’s never boring”, while his kitchen team “show flair for flavour in everything they touch”. And the prices are “wholly in keeping with fancy London norms right now, so factor for about £100-plus a head, before booze and service”.
But there’s a lot that Grace found wrong with the place, starting with a menu that is “borderline chaotic on a global level”, flitting across Europe from Ireland to Greece with detours to Japan to Mexico. This chaos is augmented by the “many servers, sommeliers, managers, deputy managers and even the owners, all milling about on the floor and barely two yards from your plate. I’ve seen calmer hokey cokeys”.
Add in an open kitchen on one side of the room and a cocktail bar on the other, along with relentlessly loud music – “tribal house, or thereabouts, in case you’re wondering” – and Grace was left reeling by a “wholly unrelaxing dining experience”.
Grace Dent - 2024-11-17
