From its relaxed cafe-style setting, Penks of Queens Park serves up stylish European influenced food to rival fine-dining – with a wine list to match.

The Venue
Penks sits amongst the onslaught of bistros, cafes and delis that line Queen’s Park’s trendy Salisbury Road. Run by Rod Penk, who trained under Rowley Leigh at Kensington Place, it has a reputation for well cooked, simple food and good, creative wine. Its Mediterranean-influenced simple but sound cooking fits the neighborhood well, but it relies on the quality of this to bring in the punters rather than shouting too loudly about organic, fairtrade and local – which seems to be the technique of most of the establishments in the area.

The Atmosphere
For such a small restaurant, Penks is amazingly spacious. A stripped wooden floor, white walls, good lighting and plenty of mirrors seem to do the trick. There is something very European about the way formal and informal dining is merged. There’s an open cafe feel and a laid back atmosphere and the super-friendly staff are willing to accommodate any special requirements.

The Food
Like its surroundings, the food at Penks mixes upmarket, fine dining dishes with simpler, more laid back options led by ingredients rather than technique. The menus change regularly with a host of daily and weekly specials. Alongside a large a la carte selection, there’s also a fixed price menu offering two courses for £14.50. Soup of the day (£5, as a starter) is a stalwart of all the menus and is invariably hearty. A smoked haddock and sweetcorn chowder-style incarnation is smoky and just the right side of rich with the addition of fresh parsley cutting through the cream.

A main course option of luxury fishcakes (£13) is rustic in style but true to their luxury name the cakes are crammed full of flaky white fish and certainly lacking any all too common stodge. Another main course of red wine beef stew continues in the same vein. A homely stew of (very) slow cooked beef with chunks of root vegetables accompanied by a not particularly buttery, but incredibly smooth, mashed potato has no pretentions but is well executed and nothing short of cosy. The pudding selection can often be a low point but Penks ensure this isn’t the case here. A lemon tart (£6) is suitably citric with a crumbly pastry and a warm chocolate fondant (£6) is delectably dark and gooey.

The Drink
The wine list at Penks is extensive and varied, with prices ranging from the very reasonable to the very luxury, all chosen with care. There’s even a changing house special wine which is offered at a special low price. Many are available by the glass including a crisp Sauvignon Blanc for £4.75 (£18 per bottle) and a very good value spicy Cotes du Rhone Villages 06 for £4.60 (£18 per bottle). Fortified and dessert wines get a good look in too, with a honeyed Moscato at £5 for a 125ml glass and a rich velvety port for £6 for 50ml, both an ideal match for puddings and cheeses. A range of sparkling, sherries and rose are also available and staff will gladly recommend food pairings.

The Last Word
Penks offers stylish fine dining at its most laid back with a top quality wine list to match. Prices are reasonable considering quality, but lunch and mid-week deals make it very good value indeed.

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