The brains behind 100 Hoxton have opened a new outpost in the Exhibitionist Hotel, in the heart of Kensington.
The space is small but perfectly formed, packed with a selection of changing artwork. The only piece that has a permanent home is the huge bronze bull that greets you in the entrance. There are two menu options, the á la carte or a five-course tasting menu. Priced at £40 for two people we think this is really good value for the quantity, and importantly quality, of food you get.
For each course you choose one dish from the menu and this is shared between you. At first we weren’t sure whether this was going to be enough food to fill us, but we were definitely proved wrong! For our first two courses, we selected the kimchi arancini and roast plum, quinoa, goat’s cheese cream, pistachio and pomegranate. The arancini were well flavoured and didn’t feel too heavy or greasy, a problem we have encountered before. The roast plum and quinoa was delicious – very fresh and light. All of the elements complemented each other and the goat’s cheese cream wasn’t too strong to overpower the other delicate flavours.
We then opted for the octopus, burnt cauliflower, chorizo and pickled romanesco. This was probably our favourite dish of the evening. The octopus was perfectly cooked, extremely tender and full of flavour, and in our books you can’t go wrong with chorizo! The crunchy pickled romanesco added the needed texture and slightly sharp flavour to contradict the sweetness of the burnt cauliflower.
Next up came tempura cod cheeks, saffron potatoes, kale, pea and pickled carrot. This dish was like a posh fish and chips! The tempura batter was light and fresh around the bite-sized cod cheeks and the saffron potatoes were crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, just how we like them.
To end, we were presented with a selection of desserts – a lime tart, doughnut with salted caramel sauce, and a chocolate ganache with pistachio. All tasted freshly made and the tart, salty and sweet flavours in each balanced out other well so not to leave us feeling too stuffed!
A selection of wines are available, but we’d recommend the 100 Hoxton cocktail, named after their sister restaurant. A mix of ginger, chilli, lychee liqueur, lemon and fizz, it’s a delicious and sophisticated way to begin an evening!
