
REVIEW: Scoff & Banter, Kensington
WHAT? Scoff & Banter offers classic British dishes done to perfection – think soul food and Sunday lunches, made with the best seasonal British ingredients and served in a breathtaking setting.
Could anything feel more British than beginning a meal with mini Yorkshire puddings? Filled with roast beef, horseradish creamed potato and red wine sauce, they aren’t to be missed, setting the tone for a meal centred around the best our little island has to offer.
Lighter starters include London gin-and-lime-cured salmon with cucumber and juniper dressing, or Cornish crab cakes with chilli lime sauce, but we’d highly recommend sticking to the former option – light and fluffy, they immediately reminded us of home.
A selection of soups and salads will cater to anyone visiting on a diet (a special mention going to the wood-fired smoked salmon with a light cucumber and pomegranate salad – delicious) but really, star dishes are to be found on the gloriously indulgent A La Carte menu.
There’s beer-battered fish and chips with tartar sauce and mushy peas, a delightfully creamy fish pie with salmon, cod and prawns in white wine sauce (highly recommended), and mustard-marinated rump steak with a fried hen’s egg and hand-cut chips. Sides are anything but an afterthought, Maris Piper truffled mash and crispy roast potatoes scattered with rosemary sea salt calling for loosened belt buckles.
WHERE? Set within the beautiful old Vanderbilt family mansion, we visited the branch nearest South Kensington tube station – though there are restaurants in Bloomsbury, Oxford Street and Canary Wharf.
ANYTHING ELSE? Sunday roasts are £19 each, with a choice of 28-day aged rib of beef, roasted corn-fed chicken or veggie sausages. Pick the right day and you might catch some live jazz.
DETAILS: 68-86 Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BT / Tel: + 44 (020) 7666 1891 / kensington@scoffandbanter.com / Scoffandbanter.com
Amy was a guest of Scoff & Banter