Afternoon:
8°c
Fay Maschler's rating
Sweetly served
By
Fay Maschler
12 Sep 2007
Young Robert Classen, who was at school with my son Ben, turns out not to be Scandinavian as I supposed - but has a German father and an Italian mother. This new gastropub in Kensal Rise is a joint venture with Nick Mash, a friend from his university days.
Classen also started The Salusbury gastropub and came up with the concept of PizzaTeca - prime product sold by length - which he hopes to roll out all over the country until you can't step anywhere for tomato sauce and melted mozzarella on a crisp base.
At what was previously a pub called The Banker's Draught, the main course celebrated is steak. Different cuts of Aberdeen Angus beef supplied by Millers of Speyside sit in a glass cabinet on the way into the restaurant section. At lunchtime we were asked to eat in the bar where there are zinc-topped tables and peacock blue walls.
Despite no other customers for food and just one other chap propping up the bar, we were sweetly served and the crispness of the whitebait and the warmth of a globe artichoke which I had thought might be fished out of the fridge bodes well for the presumably more populated evenings. Chopped steak burger with cheese was not thick enough to be served medium rare as requested. Sirloin steak had good flavour. Salad was generously served but with no discernible dressing. The wine list is short on detail including makers and vintages but the New Zealand Pinot Noir at £21.50 was fine.
Kensal Rise is becoming gentrified - I counted three delis on the way to The Chamberlayne - and may even provide enthusiastic takers for the Chateaubriand steak at £39 for two.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (9)
The tables are tiny and you can smell the food of the person next to you so this is not the place for an intimate heart to heart. However, there is something every gastro-pub should learn from The Chamberlayne and that is if you're going to do something, do it well. And if you do it really well, people will come back and be willing to pay more for the experience.
The Chamberlayne does two things extremely well - steaks and wine. This is backed up by excellent service and staff who know what they are talking about.
Steaks are ubiquitous on menus and, theoretically, simple to prepare - source the right quality meat, season and cook to taste. Simples! So few do this, particularly the lower down the restaurant hierarchy you go. The Chamberlayne really does allow the quality of the meat to shine through. The chips are first class. The steak and kidney pie is a passable alternative but not the reason to be there. There is a chicken and some fish on the menu but none really stand out.
For starters - the prawns, scallops, squid and oysters are OK - I would recommend keeping it simple. For puddings, take a larger steak instead!
The wine - exceptional value at the top end. Really superb wines in the £40 to £70 range at not much above retail prices. The mid priced ones suffer by comparison- drink the beer from the bar instead.;
A fillet steak or the chateaubriand for two plus good wine is well above pub prices but nonetheless still good value
- Jeremy, london, 04/03/2010 09:44
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Went there last night. Have to say I thought the food was great - big juicy burger and nice crispy fries - but was really concerned that we were given slat and pepper in little glass bowls that we had to put on by hand. Not a problem in itself, but really didn't like that they got taken straight to another table after we had finished with them. How many people had had the same bowls before they got to our table? In these swine flu times, what's the point of being so careful about my own personal hygiene if I'm sprinkling all sorts of nasties from other people's fingers on to my food every time I add a little pepper?
- Rachel, Cricklewood, 22/10/2009 20:20
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I've meant to write a review !As Kensal Rise has gentrified, it's been great that there are watering hole alternatives to some of the dives in the area. However, this has meant that there is often a high 'too cool for school' factor. The management of this place deserve plaudits for revamping the bar and encouraging new clientele but not alienating locals who just want to have a quiet pint. Something for everyone and, unlike many of its counterparts in the area, very capable staff who are a credit to the bar. Staropramen on draught and one of the best steak and kidney I've had for years...great combination
- Padonis, london, kensal rise, 29/04/2009 10:53
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I did not even get so far as to eat at the chamberlayne... we came in the afternoon and sat at a table looking at the food menu - the bartender looked at us, the waiter looked at us, the one other customer in the place looked at us over their food and no one thought to mention until we got up to the bar to order that they weren't serving food, i just don't think that is very good service and can't imagine with so many other places to eat around here that I would ever go back in there after that...
- April, kensal green, 26/03/2009 18:19
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Good service and good food are a given, and it is not until you have a complaint that you find out what an establishment really thinks about its customers. At the Chamberlayne we were appalled at the blunt refusal of the management to accept that our (overcooked) steaks were poor quality. The manageress was arrogant to the point of being aggressive, and with so many really good places to eat in the area, perhaps she should take better care of her customers.
- Martin, Kensal Green, 18/12/2007 13:27
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I went to the Chamberlayne last night and I have to say that I enjoyed the food- it wasn't 'spectacular' by all means but I had my favourite food which was squid and steak! and it was nice- the salad was fresh and tasty however for being a 'pub' the cost is on the expensive side.
- Joanna, London, 19/10/2007 11:40
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I live in the area and was really looking forward to trying out The Chamberlayne Pub and Steak House. The steaks were good. Unfortunately the side orders and salad where very poor. Once again an overpriced London restaurant serving poor quality of food. I really hope they take heed of the reviews and improve the quality because there are much better restaurants close by to eat in.
- Barb, Kensal Rise, 05/10/2007 20:05
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The Chamberlayne is a welcome adition to the area. It's a nice bar. Unfortunately the food is a let down and I will be returning to The Island which is without doubt the best food in Kensal Green.
- John Devine, Kensal Green, London, 05/10/2007 13:19
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Good service and good food are a given, and it is not until you have a complaint that you find out what an establishment really thinks about its customers. At the Chamberlayne we were appalled at the blunt refusal of the management to accept that our (overcooked) steaks were poor quality. The manageress was arrogant to the point of being aggressive, and with so many really good places to eat in the area, perhaps she should take better care of her customers.
- Hootchie, Kensal Green, 24/09/2007 20:29
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