The Terrace - restaurant review

The Terrace has got the balance between polish and relaxation pretty much right says David Sexton
22 August 2013

Sometimes luxury means keeping it simple. Kensington property values are now so stratospheric that it makes the concept of an unpretentious neighbourhood restaurant a little problematic. Residents of this pretty backwater between Kensington High Street and Kensington Church Street can be assumed to be so well-heeled that their expectations of even a modest local are going to be demanding.

The Terrace has got the balance between polish and relaxation pretty much right. Opened a few months ago by Sara Adams, who also created Kensington Square Kitchen, it’s tiny — just one room with the kitchen behind, plus the open terrace — but pretty, painted in grey-blue tones with soft lighting, comfortable chairs and classically laid tables with good linen, and handsome cutlery, crockery and glassware: all very soigné, then. Soigné is the word here.

The menu is concise, offering five choices for each course, or just two choices for the good-value set lunch.

Each component of the meal has a little extra twist. Excellent warm soda bread had been made with a dash of molasses and was served with super-creamy butter topped off with crunchy crystals of sea salt; tap water in a jug had been flavoured with cucumber, possibly an acquired taste. A thick pea and mint soup, served warm, came not only with a splash of goat’s curd but had on the side a crunchy little croquette of soft, crushed broad beans. A pleasing little serving of mildly devilled shrimps on toast concealed a little tangy sauce underneath.

“Cider-battered sea bass, crushed minted peas, tartare sauce” (the latter in a little Kilner jar) was a very swish take on fish ’n’ chips — although this was good fish precisely cooked, it seemed odd to find sea bass thus served, as opposed to the usual suspects, even with the batter tasting quite distinctly appley. A pleasant but slightly bland serving of “herb- roasted chicken”, taken off the bone, was livened up by some interesting kohlrabi and golden beetroot slaw and given some crunch with a hazelnut vinaigrette.

A sumptuous vegetarian main course from the carte, an intensely flavoured little pastry tart containing girolle mushrooms, broad beans, ruby chard and a little cheese, served with parsley-and-garlic cream and a scattering of herb salad (£16.50) showed the ambitions of the 28-year-old chef, James Kelly, more dramatically. From the puddings, a buttermilk pannacotta was soft and rich, enhanced by a scoop of cherry sorbet with extra fruit. Although portions are sensibly modest — this is never going to be a haunt of the starving — the meal ended up feeling quite rich in every sense, maybe a little fussy too.

The short wine list has been equally carefully assembled, opening at £19.50 a bottle, with a good Picpoul de Pinet at £24 or a petit château claret at £26. Everything about The Terrace has been so considered, it feels a touch precious. But that’s Kensington these days.

33c Holland Street, W8 (theterraceonhollandstreet.co.uk, 020 7937 9252). Open Tues-Sat noon-11pm. About £100 for two; weekday set lunch £17.50 for two courses, £20 for three.

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