Home to the UK’s most expensive streets, Europe’s priciest flats and many of the world’s most elite boutiques and eateries, it’s good to know you don’t need to be one of life’s super-rich or a member of the Made In Chelsea cast to eat out in Kensington. With museums, Harrods and Hyde Park on your doorstep, it’s just a matter of telling the top runners from the tourist traps. Flavour knows the places that give some bang for your buck...
South Kensington
The heart of the borough’s dining scene, South Kensington is the gateway to a world of cuisines. Head across the road from the tube and sample the Scandi lifestyle at Madsen (www.madsenrestaurant.com), the restaurant which flew the Nordic flag way before Noma made it notoriously trendy. Norwegian style meatballs and a bottle of Danish craft ale is as hearty as it gets, whilst gravlax on rye bread is far more virtuous. Add a shot of fiery akavit or two if you feel like channeling your inner Viking.
If Scandinavia leaves you feeling cold, there’s no shortage of Spanish sunshine down the street, with fine dining Cambio de Tercio, tapas bar Tendido Cero and sherry bar Capote Y Toros taking proud ownership of Old Brompton Road (www.cambiodetercio.co.uk). Whilst the first is a local institution and you can expect to queue for a table most nights, the latter is even more of a star, serving no fewer than one hundred different sherries alongside some of the best ham you’ll find this side of the Med.
Head back past the area appropriate Lambourghini shop for another slice of Europe in the form of laid back brasserie Racine (www.racine-restaurant.com), where chef-patron Henry Harris has built up an indisputable reputation for some of the best cooked, most reliably brilliant and good value food in the capital. Très bon.
