It was to celebrate 4 years of being a couple. Raj surprised me with a spontaneous trip down to London for the weekend and the first stop was for lunch at this delightful rooftop restaurant and bar aptly named Kensington Roof Gardens.
The Roof Gardens restaurant is located at the top of what was originally built as department store in the 1930s. It is a roof terrace covered with full size trees, there is a small stream filled with fish. Plus there are a few resident flamingoes hanging out!
It is utterly surreal. Totally not what one would expect in the middle of the city.
That coupled with the views over London and it makes for a spectacular backdrop for a stunning food-fest.
When we arrived the restaurant was packed. It was a Saturday afternoon and we had naively failed to book. Thankfully, they were incredibly accommodating and managed to fit us in after a short wait in the bar.
The decor is super stylish, understated but elegant in tones of green, gold and cream. We sat on wonderfully comfortable seats right by the window so I could marvel at the gardens and view whilst sampling their delicious menu. There is an outdoor terrace area which looked amazing, but it the heavens had just opened and soaked all the tables. So indoors it was for us.
To start with I chose, what came to be the best starter ever, the duck egg with chorizo salad. It was sublime. The egg was full of dense smoky flavour and perfectly cooked with a runny yolk. This perfectly complemented the crispy chorizo and rocket salad. Seriously, I could eat this dish every day.
For my main I chose the Pork Belly with Crackling over a bed of beans. The pork belly and crackling were delicious, I wish the beans had been seasoned a little more. But otherwise an enjoyable meal.
Raj had the black pudding to start with which he thoroughly enjoyed. He said it was quite meaty and a lovely texture.
For his main he chose the Squid Pasta. It was a really generous portion but he was a little disappointed in the lack of flavour. Again, maybe a little more seasoning at least?
All in all it was an enjoyable lunch. The service was top notch, the atmosphere was buzzing, and thankfully the weather cleared up by the time we finished so we able to check out the gardens.
Kensington Roof Gardens are situated at 99 Kensington High Street. The access itself is down a side road called Derry Street.