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London,
David Sexton's rating
Reader rating
Phone: 020 7727 8142
Open: Open Mon-Sat noon-11pm, Sun noon-10.30pm.
Enomatic for the people: Sommelier Nobuko Okamura dispenses a glass
Once upon a time, wine bars were just the ticket for a civilised drink and a modest meal. For a decade or so, there was one on every corner. Not any more. As wine became democratised, with pubs selling rocket-fuel chardonnay by the bucketful, all but a few wine bars shut up shop.
A few years ago, Kensington Church Street boasted one called Jimmy’s, a bit of a dive in a dark cellar, but still an alternative to pubs and hotels. Since it closed, there has been nowhere to drink wine in the vicinity, unless you fancy the rustic, ladylike tone of Le Pain Quotidien in Young Street, strong on quiches and leaves, not so hot on the carte des vins, selon moi.
Now, on the site of the unlamented Mediterranean Kitchen, there has just opened this hi-tech revision of what a wine bar can be. The enterprising owner, Thor Gudmunsson, is Icelandic. As a business student at INSEAD near Paris he developed a plan with a fellow student for launching micro-brewery English pubs in France as a class exercise. Then, in 1993, they decided to do it for real.
Frogpubs (motto: honi soit qui peu y boit) started in Paris, where there are now four branches, with more in Bordeaux and Toulouse. Gudmundsson sold out, opportunely, three years ago and, evidently, didn’t put all his money in Icelandic banks.
The Kensington Wine Rooms, created with his business partner Richard Okroj, is Gudmundsson’s first British venture. Its USP is its array of Enomatic wine machines, previously seen in only a few bars and shops — partly because they cost £8,000 each — rather more than the average corkscrew. The Wine Rooms has five, allowing 40 wines to be served in perfect condition by the glass — and you can if you want buy a cash card that allows you to self-dispense them. The wines begin at modest prices, with a very appetising, green and fruity Trebbiano Garganega, Ponte Pietro 2008 white at £2.75 for 125ml or £3.75 for 175ml, or £14.95 a bottle.
There is plenty to explore. We particularly liked a refined St Nicolas de Bourgeuil, Frederic Mabileau 2007 (£5.25 for the smaller glass). You can certainly have a high old time here, tasting and discussing.
So that’s the delightful drinking sorted. All the wines can also be bought by the bottle and for takeaway — but this isn’t a place to hurry away from. The rooms are thoroughly pleasant: spacious in feel, all dark wood, leather, reddish damask banquettes, good light and no excessive decoration.
The big surprise here is that the food is good value too. The lunch specials — £12.50 for two courses, £14.50 for three — change daily and are a complete bargain, although the à la carte menu is fairly priced too (starters £5.25-£7.50, mains £11-£19.50).
Over two lunches, everything we tried was good, starting with a generous serving of bread, both sourdough and walnut, with lots of deep-green and aromatic olive oil, for just £1.50. Tap water is brought unasked in a pleasing carafe as well.
Two big Portobello mushrooms made a substantial and satisfying starter, baked with lots of tangy goat’s cheese, pine-nuts, spinach, breadcrumbs and diced red onion — completely straightforward, just what you’d want to enhance a good glass.
The cooking here has a fresh, Mediterranean approach. When we asked our exceedingly French waiter, Baptiste from Versailles, who the chef was, he replied that he was from Bulgaria — almost, as it might be, from Barcelona. More strength to his Bulgarian elbow, I say.
From the mains, a deconstructed salade Niçoise was highly enjoyable too — with a large, thin fresh tuna steak, pleasingly pink inside, briney anchovy fillets and a halved soft-boiled egg, all nicely arranged with an enjoyable salad. Slow-cooked shoulder of lamb was served off the bone, in a timbale shape and not at all fatty, accompanied by a generous plateful of char-grilled, balsamic-dressed vegetables. Eating well here feels like eating healthily.
It’s hard to find a fault. The Kensington Wine Rooms re-invents the wine bar just about ideally, I’d say. So thoughtful of them to open so near the Evening Standard, too.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
I disagree with Tony's comment, the Kensington Wine Rooms offers good value for money in my opinion. Value for money is not the same as cheap. They have great, well chosen wines at very competitive prices and the machines allow me to taste wines I would not normally buy by the bottle. I live around the corner and I've always enjoyed the food, some of it is great and some of it just complements the wine nicely. I liked the bavette,but it's a meat lover's cut which is why they've now replaced it with an easier rump steak.
- Magnus, London, UK
My wife and I went for dinner at the Kensington Wine Rooms last night (27 June 09). We were encouraged by your upbeat review.
This place is not good value for money. We paid over £80 for 4 glasses of white wine (5.20 each) and a bottle of their cheapest red (a very drinkable, cab from Chile at under £15) plus 2 course dinner. We were not offered water or bread.
Christine started with the goats cheese salad, which was good. I chose the tomato basil soup - also good.
On the basis of the server's assurance that it was lean, for my main dish I selected the bavette steak. The meat was inedible, so bad in fact that I felt in danger of choking on the first mouthful; so I sent it back. Instead I chose what Christine had chosen the shoulder of veal, which was very good.
We had no dessert but were offered coffees on the house to make up for the tough steak. We passed, but it was a nice gesture.
The service was very friendly if a bit inattentive at times. They automatically add a 12.5% service charge to your bill.
Although a bit cramped, it is a bright, modern restaurant in a charming location with views of quaint, olde worlde shops. I can see why they devote a good half of the premises to the wine bar operation. This is where the swish wine dispensing machines reside and they were busy throughout the evening with customers self-dispensing wine using their pre-paid, Oyster-like cards. It's an expensive way to buy wine and you can quickly run up a very big bill!
- Tony, London, UK
Some lovely wines. I like the wine card idea but was pleased to see they offer table service too. Weve been crying out for a nice wine bar around Nottin Hill for ages.
- Londonpie, London UK
