The name couldn’t be more appropriate as the walk from Kensal Green tube station brings you slap in the midst of suburbia.
Just when you think there couldn’t be a bar and restaurant for yonks, yoinks, there it is!
They say:
Time Out: “The bar’s got more than its share of well groomed and unreasonably tanned bright young things and the dining room just doesn’t feel like London at all. This could be Auckland, or Cape Town or somewhere else a very very long way from NW10.”
The Guide: “The light, bright lower ground floor, plastered with matchbox art and padding for the ceiling’s lower parts, is the place to drink. Potent cocktails come alongside a handful of ciders.”
We say:
The two floor joint almost has an air of casual abandon about it to the extent that the bar’s laid back service at times felt it was practically non existent. But hey, this isn’t the highly pressurised, hedonistic environment of the capital’s West End. They are more friendly and chilled here.
Pity then that the choice of drinks just doesn’t match the expectations. Yes, there’s no denying that the cocktails are punchy and well made, but what lets the side down is that that there isn’t enough variety.
A list of five or six – including pretty respectable mojitos and long island iced tea – and three ciders for sure, but damn it, we wanted more!
The grub, both in the bar and the upper level restaurant is well up to par albeit far from adventurous. Asparagus and cream tart for instance, has a gorgeously homemade feel about it with a thin, almost pizza-like crust sitting under a creamy layer of cheese and asparagus with rocket leaves to boot.
Mains are substantial – grilled monkfish with chicory and polenta or hake with baby fennel, are well worth a try and sides of hand cut chips and roast tomato and onion salad spot on.
Unpretentious and airy surroundings aided by some old time film posters and soft lighting wonderfully capture that summery sort of a moment, but bear in mind that this is very much a local haunt and no more.
ADDRESS
123 College Rd
Kensal Green
London
NW10
tel, 020 8960 0693
POSTED...
Wed 21 Jun 2006 at 11:47pm
