Kensington Place has been serving West London gourmets since November 1987, when it made headlines by offering up high class food in a brasserie-style atmosphere for non-astronomical prices. With June 2007’s inclusion in the D&D group, it’s quite comfortably standing the test of time.

The Venue
Decorated in a sort of Art Deco cruise ship theme with a circular motif (cut out of walls and the backs of chairs and appearing in several shades of white and blue, the circles are inescapable), the long, squat room benefits from high ceilings and large windows. Along the far wall is a large mural of a first person view of a lake scene, with serene lily pads floating amongst a toy ball and boat. While the decor is certainly on the quirky side of conventional, the mural is the only real eye-catching piece and everything else blends into the background nicely.

The Atmosphere
There’s no doubt that the clientele here is a well-off, older crowd – think 40s and up, with the occasional well-behaved teenager tagging along at a family dinner. Perhaps because of the crowd, the dress code is on the formal side as well, with a predominant khaki-and-suit-jacket style for men and skirts and dresses for women. Although the decor is pristine and everyone’s made an attempt to look their best, the atmosphere is still friendly, with helpful service and the contented sounds of groups chattering away. It does get a bit loud, but it’s easily manageable provided you’re not intent on having a whispered conversation.

The Food
The daily changing menu is an interesting read, a lot of classic and seasonal dishes with creative touches. Whilst certainly not cheap, prices are reasonable for a restaurant with this kind of long-standing reputation - £7.50 - £13 for starters and £14.50 - £28.50 for mains. A separate set menu is available at £19.50 for two courses and £24.50 for three.

The food sounds great and looks even better. Line caught mackerel has a beautifully crisp silvery-blue skin and soft meat, served with a plump trio of caramelised shallots. Lobster salad is a pretty mix of pale yellow and green leaves, thin slivers of green apple and pink lobster (a large portion consisting of a claw and part of the body). The meat is succulent and perfectly tender, with the sharpness of the apples contrasting nicely with the lobster. Spring lamb is cooked a bit more well than medium, but is still juicy, whether it’s in the form of thin slices or little herby breaded cubes. The mixture of flageolet and broad beans on the side are fresh and springy green, with a good texture and a light, savoury brown sauce. The peppery side salad has the surprising, albeit tasty, addition of chunks of roast beef. Soft, flaky cod is presented on a bed of light fennel slivers and topped with piperade, a tart mix of sliced roasted peppers. Also on the plate are pieces of squid, but whilst they look pretty – curled and lightly scored – they taste tough and are hard to cut.

Desserts are all £6.50 and a good choice is the apple tart fine, a thick but flaky pancake packed with chunks of soft, tangy apple. The chocolate fondant has a perfect texture, thick, cakey and slightly crisp on the outside and hot and gooey in the middle, with a strong bitter chocolate taste. This comes served with a thin disc of almond tuile, subtle vanilla ice cream and a stripe of vanilla-flavoured milk puree to decorate the plate.

The Drink
With a wine list so large that it has its own table of contents, wine connoisseurs at Kensington Place are spoilt for choice with about 13 pages to pick from. The wines are arranged by region, mostly French but some sprinklings of new world New Zealand and South African bottles as well. Wines by the glass start at £4.50, whilst bottles start at £16.50 and hover in a reasonable price range before skyrocketing to £1,500 for a bottle of 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. The 2004 Beaujolais Villages, Domaine de la Chapelle de Vatre is a solid choice for £25, light but with a strong cherry fragrance.

The Last Word
Whilst it may not be as ground-breaking today as it was in its heyday, Kensington Place has clearly made its mark on the dining scene. Restaurants serving good, seasonal food at reasonable prices are now a dime a dozen in the capital, but sometimes you just can’t beat a classic.

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