www.parlourkensal.com
@ParlourUK
5 Regent Street, London, NW10 5LG
020 8969 2184
“Make it Fun, Make it Memorable, Make it Parlour!”
This is one of the VERY few occasions where I went to a restaurant before doing any prior research or even looking it up on the trusted Twitter. I was invited to a birthday lunch and I figured, if it is the birthday girl’s restaurant of choice, I shall not question.
And so I ventured up north-ish to an area less traveled (by me) – Kensal Rise.
Tucked away in a side street, the Parlour has a very understated exterior. The magic lies within…
First impression – it is warm, quirky, homely and welcoming. Families, kids, dogs, the clientele looked local. We were taken further into the restaurant and seated in a partitioned part of the room, at a table right outside the kitchen. That is where the Chef’s table experience begun…
The Parlour, Kensal Rise
Jesse Dunford – owner / head chef of Parlour, certainly left a lasting impression. I can only describe him as entertaining, personable, a great host with the talent for preparing great food. Instead of telling you in great detail about this memorable experience, I will simply summarise and leave the pictures to tell the story.
Jesse Dunford, the great host
From one foodie to another, I urge you to experience Parlour. It will be worth your while!
Summary:
Food: Very good food. Both freshness of ingredients and the flavour combos are exactly to my taste. Rich, deep flavours with some clever play on texture. Good size portion for a hearty weekend meal.
Pub portion size with top restaurant quality food
Some of the highlights:
- Pork croquette
- Duck liver pate,
- The soda bread (REALLY GOOD)
- Cow pie
- Chicken Kyiv
- Pulled pork + crackling
Price – Very fair prices. The 3.5 hours long Chef’s table experience costed about £60 per person (excl. drinks).
Ambience – Welcoming and warm, with a touch of quirk.
Now feast your eyes on this…
THE STARTERS
Stilton custard and hazelnut praline crunch
McTuckey’s Chicken Popcorn Nugget
Pork croquette
Leg of duck
Starter – Chestnut hummus
One of the many starters – Duck Liver Pate
Chicken lollies and mini fried eggs
Vegetarian ravioli (with goat’s cheese mousse )
THE MAINS
Everyone gets a different “Personality-matched” main (can’t remember what this is, but it was tasty)
One of the many mains – the fish dish
The famous Cow Pie
Chicken Kyiv
One of the many mains – pulled pork + crackling
THE DESSERTS
The Finale: dessert feast
The “whole-table-long” dessert platter
For more pictures of The Parlour, visit my Flickr account.
