Sabrina Goodlife
Absolute top tier experience at Kitchen Table. One of my favourite ever fine dining experiences. The food was precise, beautifully presented, creative, and fundamentally delicious. Probably the best lobster dish I've ever had and supremely tender lamb - we are both fine dining lovers and were so impressed. Atmosphere is of course high end but is relaxed and allows for interacting with the chefs and other diners. Service was excellent: adaptive, friendly, and on point. Some details with service made this an extremely memorable experience. I can't find any faults and at £200 for the tasting this represents remarkable value for a 2 star restaurant. A must visit. I will most definitely return next season.
Tiffany Davey
This place is THE place. Some chef’s create dishes because they look good, are trendy and cater to the people. Chef James creates food from the heart. Each dish embraces the seasons and reaches for local ingredients; which is the best menu to eat from. The whole staff is like a fine tuned orchestra, making the experience not only top tiered but extraordinary! Not one staff member didn’t contribute to making our evening a memorable one (even the guy putting out plates for chef was amazing!) If you are fortunate enough to get a reservation enjoy every moment! Great conversation with Chef and all his right hand people! An amazing bar tender and I could fan girl all day about this place. I wouldn’t hesitate to come again!
Ema Pajic
The food was delicious, and I loved the concept where you get snacks and then go to the dining room for the rest of the meal. The vibe was great as everyone was sitting across one large table, and seeing your food getting prepared was amazing, too.
Karim Amuludun
One of the best restaurants in London and worthy of a show stopper meal to celebrate a special occasion.
From start to end we were well looked after by the whole team. Food was inventive and seasonal with each course introduced by the chefs.
We can’t wait to visit again. If possible, request the seats closest to the grill for the most interaction with the chefs.
Joe Walker
We came here last week having originally visited prior to the Michelin stars and when bubbledogs occupied the front half of the restaurant in early 2018.
The food was immaculate as expected. Really delicious courses throughout and exactly at the level you would expect for 2 Michelin stars.
The sitting in the cocktail bar (where bubbledogs used to be) for the first few courses is really nice and goes well with a pre dinner drink
However, for dessert they do then also move you back to the cocktail bar for the final two dessert plates with the aim of you ordering a post dinner drink. Everyone has their own opinion but for me I didn’t like this, I would far prefer to finish my courses at the main table. Perhaps this is because I’m not really a post dinner drink person but it did feel a bit like trying to get you to order more drinks.
Besides this a great dinner.
Rodrigo Roim
There’s no place like Kitchen Table. They have everything you’d expect from a great restaurant, but the highlight is the experience they provide on top of it. Their staff was the nicest and most genuine I’ve seen anywhere and I can’t wait to be back to London so I can visit again.
Marko Punčikar Opitz
Without any doubt, the best restaurant experience I have ever had. Amazing food, wine and music. Absolutely wonderful to be able to watch such a group of professionals while they do the magic with the food for you, that level of dedication to every detail is amazing.
If you ever get the chance to visit Kitchen table make sure you go there!
Stuart Rhodes
This was a masterclass on how to deliver an exceptional dining experience from start to finish. For anyone wanting to have a very memorable evening with them truly knockout food & drink, I would highly recommend.
Socrates Charisis
A fascinating, 5 hour, tasting experience.
James Knappett, the chef-owner and the team are one of a kind. Highly skilled, energetic, with tons of knowledge.
A place where you get to interact not only with stunning courses but also with the ones who make them.
A warm, friendly and welcoming environment is waiting for you to experience.
Professionals, extremely respectful and knowledgeable people at your service, willing to help with any questions or request.
This is the best 2 Michelin Star restaurant we've been so far.
See you again,
Socrates
Emilie Colgan
INCREDIBLE!! Absolutely delicious food with an incredible staff. The surroundings and the mood of the restaurant was also amazing! 100% recommend and worth the price.
RaphaEspíritoSanto
Amazing place in London. I love the food. can’t wait to come back here again. Congratulations to the staff.
Mishty Kaushik
I went to the Kitchen Table for a lunch date with my friends. This place has really fine a good interiors. This place is really good for dates. It has good view.<br/><br/>The sushi and fish is very delicious.<br/><br/>You guys should definitely visit this outlet.
Alicia.item
I’ve been here 3 times and keep wanting to come back for more! Food is always good and watching the food being prepared in front of you is an added bonus. The last time I went the bread was served with bacon butter which was delicious (diet can start never!) 😂
Quiet Eating
Non-descriptive it is. Kind of a mouthful as well. Although, it is better than alternatives I have seen. The Fire Station, Low Slow & Juke and Wing Zone spring to mind. At least the name does not lend itself to abuse as easily as the aforementioned. . The concept at Kitchen Table is simple. You eat what is put in front of you. I applaud the spread of no choice menus throughout London. In my years in Japan, it was actually fairly usual to see ultra specialization in types of cuisine coupled with absolute trust in the chef’s taste. You don’t question the sensei (master) in Japan. That is unless you would rather be subject to a frosty welcome.
Becks Dobson
Hidden behind a curtain at the back of a buzzing hotdog and champagne bar, you'll find Kitchen Table. An open kitchen flanked by just 19 high seats and proud owners of a Michelin star. It's been on my list forever and so I was extremely excited to head down last Wednesday as a sort of pre-birthday adventure (hello 27 this Wednesday!). As early birthdays go, this one was pretty special.<br/><br/>James and the team at Kitchen Table like to do things a little differently. There's no menu to choose from - just a list of 14 or so daily changing dishes chalked onto a wall on one side of the room. No lengthy descriptions here either, just single words of the main ingredient, adding a tangible layer of mystery. There's no waiting staff either - the six or so brilliant chefs who work diligently in front of you serve you the dishes themselves, taking time to explain each element and then checking in later with you to answer any questions you may have. And there's Ben, the restaurant manager, who's happy to dish out extra bread, persuade your dubious boyfriend that the 2013 Chateauneuf du Pape is actually pretty good, and give you a last glass of Kummel at the end.<br/><br/>But first, we cracked open a bottle of champagne. Smooth, light and crisp, it was the perfect accompaniment for the first few of the dishes. Shall we begin?<br/><br/>The opening plate was a hand-dived scallop from Orkney. First shown to us before it was shucked, we then watched as the chefs whirled around each other in a dance of pure fluidity, each knowing exactly what to do and when. (We later asked James how they each knew what to do given the menu changes every day and he said it was a combination of rehearsal and common sense). Diced and raw, it was accompanied by an elderflower and cucumber vinegar, elderflower tea and topped with the elderflowers themselves. Light, fresh and the perfect balance of sharp and sweet.<br/><br/>Next came this delightful little crisp. Potatoes are juiced, dehydrated and the fried. The Scottish salmon is salted and smoked on the Norfolk coast, and then added to the crisp with sour cream, brown sugar and chives. This is one smart little snack and chomped in three or so bites. Eagerly.<br/><br/>The third course was chicken. Crispy chicken skin was lightly spread with rosemary mascarpone and then topped with a rich, flavoursome bacon jam. The saltiness of the main elements was lifted by the creaminess of the cheese and the rosemary brought everything together.<br/><br/>The fourth dish was Parkerhouse. Everyone was clueless until chef Rich explained that it's a type of bread, invented in Boston, made with milk so that the inside is soft and sweet and the crust crispy. It was grilled over charcoal and served with duck liver parfait, drizzled with pickled plum syrup and cherry. P and I took two rolls each, as did the girls next to us. At one point, a Kitchen Table first apparently, our sitting had demolished the entire set.<br/><br/>Then came mackerel. Line caught in Cornwall and whisked to the city that morning, it was diced and served raw, seasoned with oil and salt. It sat on an oyster emulsion and was surrounded by Isle of Wight tomatoes: some dehydrated, some fresh and some as a thin jelly, with oyster basil herbs. The fish, as to be expected, was light and the tomatoes done three ways were an interesting addition. Having never had jellied tomatoes, the clear layer lent an interesting texture to the plate.<br/><br/>At this stage, we moved onto the red wine. Having a boyfriend who loves wine as much as me but is infinitely more knowledgeable can be both a blessing and a curse. We spotted a pretty special Chateauneuf de Pape on the menu but with a 2013 vintage (a year known for bad weather and bad wine in France), and so P was reluctant. Ben, the restaurant manager, insisted it was up to par and that we should try it and so, after some back and forth, we did. And of course, it was divine. Chosen by Sandia Chang, wife of chef James, it was smooth and light and everything we could have asked for for the next set of dishes.<br/><br/>Dish six was monkfish. Like most people, I was expecting a normal cut but instead we were served the liver. A large organ that grows near the fish's head, it was pan fried and served with white asparagus from the Wye Valley, champagne butter and green strawberries and it was delicious. With a melt in the mouth texture, it's been likened to the foie gras of the sea, all meaty and rich.<br/><br/>Next up was duck. Using the hearts and gizzards of the birds slaughtered that day (whose livers we'd eaten with the Parkerhouse bread), they were roasted in brown butter over charcoal and served with cabbage with pickled Japanese rose petals. For sweetness, there was yoghurt and raspberries. As someone who doesn't eat much duck, I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did. The rounded flavours of each element worked together so seamlessly, I could have eaten whole plates of this.<br/><br/>Then came another duck dish. This time, the breast. Cooked in the pan and roasted over charcoal again with a meaty sauce made from the bones. Drizzled with sesame seed puree - which I'm not usually a fan of but, of course, went hand in hand - and carrots. You know what? I think I'm starting to come around to duck.<br/><br/>It was at this point that we were segueing towards the sweet end of the menu. Eight dishes down, we weren't full but pleasantly sated, thanks to the change in flavours and textures. And so I was ready and waiting for the Gloucester. The cheese was melted into a dish similar to risotto with sprouted greens and barley, pipped with redcurrants for a brilliantly sharp bite. This was delectable comfort food at its best and something I could eat with a large spoon from a large pot for hours on end.<br/><br/>And here's where my photography taking went a little awry. I continued to diligently take notes (always one for documentation) but I seem to have skipped on the photos and dived straight into some of the dishes. Which is why I have no proof of beetroot. It was made into a marmalade, infused with woodruff for a herby, garden flavour and then served on a sour cream ice cream which was just simply divine. The smooth-but-not-sweet was thick but not cloying and a great balancer for the tart beet.<br/><br/>I didn't get a picture of elderflower either which was fried in tempura batter and served with elderflower cordial and sorbet. The perfect palate cleanser, of course, with the added activity of snapping the elderflower into bitesize chunks and feeling the crisp batter flake off in your mouth.<br/><br/>I did get a snap of the strawberry with liquorice yoghurt ice cream. For someone that is definitely not a liquorice fan (too many childhood memories of Bassett's Allsorts), it was never going to be my favourite but I did like it. There was tuile, too, to snap and crumble into the bowl and the granita added icy freshness without being too saccharine. I just wish I could remember quite what was in it.<br/><br/>And then there was caramel. A tiny cup of caramel ice cream, in a chocolate mould with a cookie base. This was sheer childhood indulgence at its best and unfortunately something that we all snaffled far too quickly to photograph.<br/><br/>And finally, came vanilla. Delicious squares of homemade vanilla fudge served on a ubiquitous slate and with a final thank you to and from the chefs. Fourteen wonderful courses now at an end.<br/><br/>This has been a particularly gushing write up, I know, but I honestly feel that Kitchen Table was one of the best dining experiences I've had. From the sheer brilliance of the menu, the great wine, the interaction of the chefs, the whole package is one I'm dying to complete. There was a guy who'd been 30 times - perhaps I could try and beat his record?
Lesley Pittaway
Fun, creative and utterly delicious, Kitchen Table has been one of my favourite London dining experiences to date.<br/><br/>Hidden behind a velvet curtain down the back of Bubbledogs, I was unsure of what to expect. However, the entire evening was a complete pleasure and I did not even mind undergoing the four hour tasting menu alone. This probably came down to the fact that the seating arrangements are counter-style so I was never left to distinctly feel as though I was dining alone. Furthermore, service is fun, friendly and professional, which made me feel completely at ease.<br/><br/>On the evening I attended, we were treated to 17 individual courses (inclusive of optional add-ons). Everything is plated in front of the diners and the chefs serve the guests directly. Dishes strive to showcase quality British ingredients and it was explained that dishes each evening are basically developed off-the-cuff in accordance with what is available and good at the time. <br/><br/>Despite the fact that elements from many of the dishes are carried across from previous service, I was amazed by just how delicious, inspired and well-executed everything was. An absolute highlight was the Perigord truffle course. And the oyster…and the crab…and the scallop…and the rhubarb…don’t make me choose!
Alexandra C
I took my boyfriend to Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs back in April for his birthday dinner to offer him a dining experience that was a little different. Having toyed around with the idea of pursuing culinary school in my early teens, and watched numerous episodes of Hell's Kitchen, I have always wanted to sit at the chef's table at a restaurant to be able to see where all the magic and drama happens. Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs is the perfect remedy if you're looking for some great food, with a little special twist to it. The restaurant being located behind black curtains inside the Bubbledog restaurant just adds to the surprise element of the whole experience.
Lesley Pittaway
Fun, creative and utterly delicious, Kitchen Table has been one of my favourite London dining experiences to date.<br/><br/>Hidden behind a velvet curtain down the back of Bubbledogs, I was unsure of what to expect. However, the entire evening was a complete pleasure and I did not even mind undergoing the four hour tasting menu alone. This probably came down to the fact that the seating arrangements are counter-style so I was never left to distinctly feel as though I was dining alone. Furthermore, service is fun, friendly and professional, which made me feel completely at ease.<br/><br/>On the evening I attended, we were treated to 17 individual courses (inclusive of optional add-ons). Everything is plated in front of the diners and the chefs serve the guests directly. Dishes strive to showcase quality British ingredients and it was explained that dishes each evening are basically developed off-the-cuff in accordance with what is available and good at the time. <br/><br/>Despite the fact that elements from many of the dishes are carried across from previous service, I was amazed by just how delicious, inspired and well-executed everything was. An absolute highlight was the Perigord truffle course. And the oyster…and the crab…and the scallop…and the rhubarb…don’t make me choose!
Gen.u.ine.ness
Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs has been on my list of restaurants to go to for a very, very long time. It came highly recommended by endoedibles when I met up with him for lunch at the Fat Duck back in 2014. He reckoned that this was the best meal he had during his trip to London up to that point. High praise given that he had been hitting up pretty much every single top restaurant there is in London during his trip. Of course, getting a reservation here would prove to be tricky. Very soon after his tip, the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star making it even more difficult to get a table without booking a fair bit in advance.
Boozy Bunch
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. There’s a great fine dining restaurant hidden behind the popular London restaurant Bubbledogs. Ever wonder why they have that glorious “&” everywhere? It’s for & Kitchen Table. In reality, it’s not that much of a secret. It got a Michelin star in 2015, so it’s been a rising star of the foodie scene for awhile. The chef, James Knappet, and the sommelier, Sandia Chang, are an amazing (married) duo who have worked at some of the top restaurants around the world, and they came to London and opened their own restaurant. I don’t just like this restaurant; it’s probably my favorite fine dining restaurant in London (I’ve been four times), which is why I thought it would be the perfect choice for my first blog post for The Boozy Bunch.
Matt The List
Kitchen Table, the restaurant I wish to recommend this week, has only featured in one restaurant list seen by me, but it stands apart from other eating places not just for the quality of its food but for its theatricality. Chef James Knappett has taken the concept of a chef’s table offered at other top restaurants and has turned his dining room behind Bubbledogs into one big chef’s table where nineteen diners sit round the kitchen on leather high chairs at a horse-shoe bar. <br/><br/>James (late of Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley and Noma) is a most engaging host and is happy to chat to his guests as he and his team prepare twelve to fourteen courses, describing why he has chosen the combinations of flavours and where he has bought, found or foraged the ingredients. On our night, for example, there was foraged wild garlic and a dish of sand eels (not cooked there before) with nettles.<br/><br/>The menu varies daily, and follows the current fashion of describing each course (on a blackboard) with one or two key words. When we visited, one of the most intriguing courses was beetroot and liquorice. This turned out to be a fabulous pudding comprising a warm beetroot cake, sorbet and meringue matched with liquorice ice cream. James explained that this came about because he snacks on liquorice as he cooks and can’t resist trying it out with other ingredients he has to hand. <br/><br/>This is an experience like a great night out at the theatre, with the best seat in the house.
Drifting Epicure
Hidden behind the heavy curtains at the back of Bubbledogs it’s either by chance or word of mouth that you might stumble upon Kitchen Table, a 19 seat and 13 course dining experience in Fitzrovia. Part of the same restaurant, the two dining concepts can’t be more different but it works out quite well judging the queue for Bubbledogs and the number of fully booked days in the Kitchen Table online booking system.<br/><br/>Kitchen Table was launched shortly after the opening of Bubbledogs in 2012 by husband-and-wife team James Knappett (the chef) and Sandia Chang (restaurant manager/sommelier). Both have experience from respectable restaurants in London and outside of London like Per Se in New York and Noma in Copenhagen. The 19 diners, arriving in two waves (18.00 and 19.30) sit around the open kitchen where all dishes are prepared. I like the idea of watching your food being prepared. It kind of demystifies part of the magic that goes on in the kitchen, at least I would like to think so. Also there’s a much closer interaction with the chefs and a less formal atmosphere. Sitting by a bar-like table might not be the most comfortable way to dine but the heavy-weight thick leather bar stools definitely helped me forget the lack of leg room.<br/><br/>We were escorted pass the busy tables when we arrived Bubbledogs to the much more quiet backroom were half of the table was seated already waiting for the meal to start. Moments after sitting down Sandia came over to offer us drinks and wine before we embarked the tasting menu.<br/><br/>The whole meal had a good flow in both pace and flavours. Many ingredients were sourced from UK, especially from Cornwall and the freshness did come out in the dishes as I’ve mentioned above. Some combinations were daring and made me discover new angles. At the same time there was the beef bone marrow where I felt the ingredients were more on their own than together.<br/><br/>The open kitchen operated in near silence like a clockwork. It was like watching a well-rehearsed play. This night James Knappett was absent but his young team did an excellent job in delivering what I believe is one of the more exciting dining experiences I’ve experienced in London so far. In case you still have space after the 13 courses there is always the option to order a hotdog at Bubbledogs on the way out!<br/><br/>For full review and photos visit http://driftingepicure.com/2013/07/30/kitchen-table-at-bubbledogs-2/
Munch My Way
Kitchen Table is the “&” of Bubbledogs, the revolutionary place to pair hotdogs with champagne… Whats different of Kitchen Table is the cuisine and the direction of where its heading. The restaurant offers the Kitchen Table experience of the food being prepared right in front you and while enjoying the food, you get to talk to the man behind it. According to the culinary mind behind this establishment, the menu evolves around whats available at the market that day… This gives an impression for me that every dish is like a surprise, you only know what to eat when there and only the key ingredient was mention rather than the full dish description.. The place offers tasting menu of 12 to 14 courses at £78 per person… so then to day let see what how it is<br/><br/>To start were prawn with barley crisp and cured mackerel with quince jam and grated horse radish. The prawn was delicious.. Sweet and succulent and the crisp barley add that crunchy texture while the dallop of butter that I couldn’t remember adds a nutty and rich feel to the dish.. very good… The mackerel however was abit too strong and pungent for me due to the curing process which I feel quite similar to the japanese dish..<br/><br/>After the first two, the menu continues with crisp chicken skin with bacon jam and rosemary mascarpone and monkfish liver tempura with radish and yuzu mayo. Both were delicious, the chicken skin was super crisp and savoury and the bacon jam had a hint of sweetness that balance it well while the mascarpone creates that perfume the dish.. The monkfish liver was crisp and buttery, similar to foie gras which was surprising and the sharp fragrant yuzu helps to cut that richness.. A great dish. Then follows oyster with dashi stock and plaice with pickled cucumber and prawn bisque.<br/><br/>The dashi stock was light and fragrant and the vegetables add that sweetness and texture that compliments it well.. Another good dish only the downside is the oyster which is something I couldn’t feel to love.. The plaice was fresh but lacked the oomph, it was to delicate and was missing the punch of flavours..<br/><br/>Then comes the butternut mini ravioli with aged parmesan cheese and walnut with £10 optional black truffle from Tuscany and rump tartare with croutons and burnt butter with kale. The ravioli was divine, rich, creamy and luscious.. Amazing.. Hit the spot! The tartare was super good.. Amazingly the beef was tender and that crouton added that nice contrast of texture and flavours and the smoked butter goes amazingly well! Fellow by pigeon…. Braised legs, roasted breast, grilled hearts with clementine purée … This is another delicious dish.. Super tender pigeon, savoury and fragrant from the use of various herbs that was stuffed in the pigeon during the cooking process.. The clementine puree adds that fresh citrus cut that really cleanse your palate..<br/><br/>A cheese course is served before heading to desserts with brie de meaux with toasted house made brioche, honey and supplement £10 shaved white truffle… The brie was overpowering as that you kinda lost the hint of honey, the fragrant truffles.. Only the texture was there but the aroma was lost..<br/><br/>Desserts begin with charred pineapple with mint, yoghurt sorbet and grilled pineapple skin granita.. This really is refreshing as it is cool and sharp… The charred add a very simple touch that really elevates the pineapple characteristics. Continue into pear tart with liquorice ice cream, prune in armondyac and custard and salted caramel chocolate..The pear tart was delicious.. The dough was buttery and fragrant and the pears sharp note cuts it well and the liquorice pair amazingly well.. But the prunes alcohol was abit too strong but the custard on top and mousse were light, sweet and delicious.. The chocolate however was abit too bitter and the caramel was overly salted for me…<br/><br/>Kitchen Table in Fitzrovia is an amazing experience from the food to the service, there are some high and lows in terms of food but the positive outweighs the negative.. A unique experience that you should maybe treat yourself for a special occasion as you will be surprise on what you will unexpectedly get when you dine there… Good food, good service.. Give it a go!
Edgeandspoon
When was the last time a plate of food really smacked you in the face and yelled “eat me, eat me”? How about two plates? How about fourteen? Kitchen Table does away with the three-pronged dining approach and instead offers a daily-changing, multi-course gastronomic extravaganza. Alright, a tasting menu (£78). Husband-and-wife team James Knappett (chef) and Sandia Chang (front of house) have more experience than you can shake a wooden spoon at (Per Se, Noma, The Berkeley, The Ledbury, Roganic), and it shows: their food is damn near perfect.<br/><br/>Bubbledogs, a natty champagne bar fronts the building, with the 19-seat counter of Kitchen Table toward the rear. With its exposed brick and industrial pipes, it has all the atmosphere of LaserQuest for the over 40s. “Henrietta in PR would love it here! It’s just soooo NYC”. By which she meant scandalously expensive (how much for a hotdog?!). But it’s delicious that the Henriettas of this world are subsidising Knappett’s plaything at the back.<br/><br/>Smack! Raw oyster. Smack! Chicken skin, mascarpone bacon jam (which was the naughtiest, most finger-lickin’ mouthful I’ve had all year). Smack! Raw scallop, mayonnaise, grated scallop roe. “Eat me, eat me!” Hang on, I was just getting into tha- Smack! And so it goes. Each dish hurls you down a culinary path never thought possible, and then you emerge from the other side, plate scraped clean, presented with the next. Knappett might be having fun, the diners could be too – hell, people have even turned up on their own – but you wouldn’t know it. They sit in near silence, perhaps in shock at the prices on the wine list – there’s very little under £45/bottle – or in disbelief that they’d managed to bag a seat. The chefs break that with the tone of a surgeon conveying bad news: “I’m sorry, there’s nothing more we can do. . . this is Strawberry, brioche, vanilla ice cream”. Tish and pish.<br/><br/>Away with such Victorian nonsense. If you can be seen you should bloody well be heard. Food with character deserves exuberant showmen and an appreciative crowd. We tried to applaud from our stools, to demand that bacon jam recipe, to parade the chef on our shoulders down Charlotte Street, but there was to be none of that. It’s just soooo not NYC. It’s stale, gentrified, and oh too polite. Yet, you should go – with 18 friends.<br/><br/>£320 for two (with service and enough wine to stun a mule)
Cheese And Biscuits
From the moment it was announced that husband and wife team Sandia Chang and James Knappett, ex of Per Se, the Ledbury, Roganic and you-name-it of world-class restaurants here and abroad, were opening their own place, the buzz was deafening. When it was further announced that their first collaboration was to be a small bar in Fitzrovia specialising in hot dogs and champagne, well, some anticipation turned to chuckles. <br/><br/>I loved Bubbledogs. It was - still very much is - a serious cocktail bar that cleverly matches what, for the want of a better description, I'll call "gourmet fast food" with a brilliant selection of grower champagnes and a smart front of house team that never put a foot wrong. It was ludicrously busy from the day it opened in the way these places often are, but there are very few people who ever braved the queues and got a table that would have cause to complain. Tasty food, great atmosphere, and friendly service; a perfect neighbourhood bar. <br/><br/>Ah, but - the story went - the best was yet to come. Behind thick leather curtains at the back of Bubbledogs was to be Kitchen Table - chef James' pride and joy, a gleaming Rolls-Royce of an open kitchen surrounded by just 19 seats, where lucky diners would watch in awe as a 13-course tasting menu was prepared in front of their eyes, each dish presented by the chef who designed, sourced the ingredients and cooked it. A foodie and chef-groupie utopia, a personal chef "experience" that laid raw the creative process of cooking and represented the very pinnacle of achievement in modern British cooking. I was certain I'd love every minute of it. <br/><br/>And don't get me wrong, the food was frequently astonishing, as accomplished as you might expect from a chef with Knappett's pedigree and as good an advertisement for London's place at the top of the food tree as you could possibly imagine. And if it wasn't for a few bizarre minutes halfway through the evening, I would have skipped out of Kitchen Table singing its praises as much as every other Tom, Dick and Marina that's set foot there. But I'm afraid, in the end, my memories of that evening aren't as golden as I was hoping they'd be. <br/><br/>We can start in happier times, though. First course of raw razor clams, cucumber, horseradish and mint was very like something you might be presented at the start of a Ledbury tasting menu - fantastic fresh seafood, lifted by just the right mix of aromatic herbs but still tasting unapologetically of the main ingredient. Loved the presentation, loved the showmanship - a great start. <br/><br/>Sea bass was a cured, largely raw piece of fish with a skin that had been blowtorched over 'wood coal', which as far as I can gather is a state of being somewhere between wood and coal. The smell as these things were being prepared was amazing, like a log fire in a fisherman's cottage, and though the texture was unexpected - chewy rather than flaky - the extra bite just meant the flavours lasted longer in the mouth. That on top by the way is fennel marmalade - a masterful accompaniment. <br/><br/>The next course was chicken skin, rosemary mascarpone and bacon jam. Do you think anyone in the history of the world has never not enjoyed chicken skin, mascarpone and bacon jam? No. I wasn't about to be the first. <br/><br/>"Kale" was a clever thing, a parmesan-soaked sponge of raw kale, topped with flakes of pickled radish. When you bit into a particularly spongy bit of kale the sauce burst out like a kind of inside-out Caesar salad, smooth and salty and fresh.<br/><br/>Perhaps my favourite course of all, "Cod" contained the most perfect gyoza-like gnocchi dressed in cod's roe, topped with fresh shaved chestnuts. There wasn't much more to it than that, but it was crunchy, salty, rich and umami in all the right places and an absolute delight. <br/><br/>Then, just as the second glass of bubbly was having its desired effect and it looked like this was shaping up to be one of the most enjoyable evenings in a long time, it all went a bit wrong. Not with the food - that continued in a similar stellar vein - but with the atmosphere in the room. Halfway through my cod course I looked up and saw Knappett's face twisted into something halfway between anger and agony. I have no idea what had happened - as I say you wouldn't have known anything was amiss from what was presented to us to eat - but from the obscenities shot at his sous chefs to the way he was suddenly throwing plates and pans around, he was clearly not a happy man. In fact, he looked furious, the kind of rage I'd only previously seen from a man dressed in chef's whites on TV in a programme involving Gordon Ramsay, and the reaction from all around him was immediate - the waiters racing around wide-eyed, the juniors in whites chopping and slicing and prepping in an even more terrified and frantic fashion. <br/><br/>I looked around in astonishment to see if anyone else had noticed what was going on. On the face of it, they hadn't - people were chatting and enjoying their meals in much the same way as before, but then actually very soon, so was I - in the face of such an abrupt change of attitude, your first reaction is to pretend nothing's happening and hope it blows over, in case acknowledgement of the issue makes things worse. Even when one poor member of serving staff got called a "lazy c**t" (I don't think I'm paraphrasing) over the shoulder of a bemused Australian diner, nobody reacted. Could this be the kind of thing people were expecting? <br/><br/>Well, I wasn't, and I didn't like it. Call me a big old softie but I shrink when people lose their temper in any situation, never mind one in which everyone is taking part in the same interactive dinner, and I found the whole thing excruciatingly embarrassing. In a few minutes Knappett had gathered himself together enough to introduce the next course but by then the damage was done and I can't say I really found my appetite again. Which is a shame - for everyone - because food as good as this deserves an atmosphere suitable to enjoy it in, and front of house staff as good as those at Kitchen Table deserve to not have their efforts overshadowed by a head chef with a short temper. <br/><br/>So, in a thin semblance of normality, the evening continued. The calcots and cod dish, seemingly the cause of a kitchen meltdown, was wonderful - flaky cod fillet, smoky veg and a wonderful sharp homemade romesco sauce studded with toasted almonds. <br/><br/>Sous-vide mallard with blood orange and chard wasn't my companion's favourite dish but I am yet to not enjoy wild duck and thought the orange and olive combination, while definitely experimental, not wholly unpleasant. <br/><br/>Roebuck venison, served with roast cauliflower and damson yoghurt, was just about the best bit of bambi I've ever eaten - so full of flavour despite (we were told) not being hung at all, tender and fresh rather than gamey and bitter. <br/><br/>More venison came in the form of ragu under house pasta and smoked egg yolk, topped with panko breadcrumbs and tarragon. Again, lovely. <br/><br/>And a cheese course was a blob of unpasteurised Stichelton with some dainty curls of champagne-compressed apple. <br/><br/>Desserts, if not as wildly successful as those that had come before, still spoke of real skill. Alphonso mango purée (frozen when they were in season, they were careful to point out) and yoghurt ice cream was like a posh Solero (in a good way), lemon and cream cheese curd even survived the addition of beetroot ice cream (something I'd previously vowed to hate forever more) and finally a rhubarb "Tunnock's tea cake" was a clever and powerfully-flavoured last bite that contained a great mix of soft and crisp textures. <br/><br/>But what to make of it all? Perhaps much of my discomfort is a personal thing, and the more emotionally grounded amongst you could have shrugged off the Incident as just one of those things that must happen from time to time in any professional kitchen. It would be naive to think they don't happen, in fact, in restaurants all over the world every hour of service. But my point is, I'm not that naive. I know these things happen. I just don't want to see it. And even if you are the kind of person who can happily sit through the sight of a chef/owner striking the fear of God into all around him, only a real sadist would enjoy watching sous chefs and sommeliers desperately trying to do their job and pretend all's well while all hell breaks loose behind them. <br/><br/>And even if this was a complete one-off, and normally Knappett is as level-headed and composed as Mahatma Gandhi on a spa break, the Incident still made me question the whole logic of having the process of preparing food so nakedly on display. Is not some of the joy of eating stunning fine-dining like this the mystique of not knowing exactly how the magic happens? <br/><br/>There's a fine tradition of open kitchen bars in Japan, for sushi and yakitori amongst many others, but these are much different beasts - the sushi master will just press a piece of raw fish around some warm rice and it's done, or place some skewers of marinaded chicken over charcoal as needed - actions calculated to be part of the presentation rather than part of the preparation. Watching a poor junior chef, towards the end of a 12-hour day, desperately shaving as much raw chestnut into a bowl as possible without slicing his fingers off is not fun, or educational. It's just cruel. And had I been shielded from all that, the tantrums and the terror and the toil, I would have enjoyed my dinner infinitely more. <br/><br/>But here we are. And though I didn't enjoy my evening at Kitchen Table as much as I'd hoped, there is still the unavoidable fact that the food is some of the best you can find in town. If I'm the only person to ever catch them on a bad night, then consider the above nothing more than an anomaly, an excuse to pontificate grandly on the whole logic of open kitchens and, all said and done, a report of what I had for dinner one day. By all means, go, eat and drink and be merry, you'll probably love it. But I think I may just lean towards an "ignorance is bliss" perspective from now on - when it comes to eating out, too much reality is rarely a good thing. <br/><br/>6/10<br/>
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