The Lavery - Review - Kensington - London - The Infatuation
"Dinner at The Lavery is a very civilised way to round off a day spent impressing out-of-towners with London’s cultural hot spots. And by hot spots, we obviously mean Hope, the blue whale skeleton at the Natural History Museum. The dining room at this South Kensington, European-leaning restaurant looks like somewhere a debutante would be introduced to high society—all stuccoed ceilings, marble fireplaces, and huge gold mirrors. And eating a plate of artichoke ratatouille here will make you feel as smug as your period drama alter ego with a full dance card. photo credit: Henry Bourne photo credit: Henry Bourne In this pristine, lofty room, seasonal plates of things like asparagus and parmesan fonduta are forked at by couples on dates. Small groups celebrate low-key special occasions with loquat and hazelnut tarts; we imagine Tottenham cakes are turned away at the door like poor relations. While the dishes don’t wow (the room handles that side of things), they're dependably tasty and elegant. Food Rundown Asparagus, Fonduta And Parmesan We like vegetables best when they’re sitting in a silky puddle of melted parmesan and rich egg yolks—The Lavery clearly does too. This asparagus—still with a bit of bite, slightly sweet—pairs well with the buttery sauce. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Gnocchi Di Patate, Fresh Peas, Hen Of The Woods And Ricotta Salata Probably some of the lightest, airiest gnocchi we’ve ever had. Food being described as ‘melting in the mouth’ is eye roll-inducing, but warranted here. The fresh peas are lovely and sweet, but the mushrooms are a little bland and forgettable. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Slow Cooked Lamb Neck, Swiss Chard, And Olives This dish is the sort of thing a very competent home cook, who’s read a lot of Delia Smith, would serve at a dinner party. The lamb neck is tender, and the sauce is thick and has some tang from the olives. But we prefer the pork and would order that over this. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Hampshire Duroc Pork Chop, Endive, Dijon And Parsely The sauce that comes with this hefty, juicy pork chop joins that elite category of sauces that ‘completely make a dish’. The dijon adds a subtle wink of heat, there’s the merest suggestion of lemon to balance all the cream, and the texture is velvety smooth. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Pomelo And Passion Fruit ‘Lavery Mess’ A dessert that’s good in the way that cream, sweet swirls of passion fruit, and slightly bitter pomelo will always be good. But it’s not very memorable. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna" - Sinéad Cranna
