Tartufo: Resturant Review

Set deep in the bowels of number 11 Cadagon Gardens, this restaurant is a pleasant respite from the hustle and bustle of neighbouring Kings Road and Kensington High Street.

Head chef Alexis Gauthier creates a refreshingly simple menu featuring a host of dishes packed with flavour but using a select few ingredients, relying more on the power of flavour than a confusion of food groups.

Number 11 Cadagon Gardens is actually a rather pretty boutique hotel. On first glance it is hard to spot the small A4 menu attached to the railings, the only real signal from the outside that the restaurant lays within. The hotel concierge was very friendly and personally guided me downstairs to the Tartufo restaurant, which at 7pm the Thursday I attended, was still empty, but by the time I left some three hours later was packed to the rafters by a mixture of both regulars and foodie tourists alike.

I had the herb marinated cured salmon with sweet mustard and honey dressing to start, followed by pot roaster black leg chicken, glazed onions, pommes noisettes, carrots and peppered jus. The salmon serving was spot on and beautifully prepared. The chicken main was equally satisfying and so pretty on the plate. I need to learn how to make the tiny glazed onions as they were a brilliant accompaniment to the meat.

I would honestly travel back to Tartufo purely on the back of the dessert, which was a sweet, delicious, flavoursome thin apple tart with caramel jus and bourbon vanilla ice cream. It was the kind of pudding that made everyone around the table fall into silence and let out little sighs of joy. Brilliantly balanced flavours, it was both comfortingly sweet yet ‘grown up’ thanks to the addition of the ice cream.

Tartufo is a gem of a restaurant, which whilst in one of the most popular areas of London, is very reasonably priced. The staff were extremely pleasant as was the overall ambience. Whether you’re looking for the perfect way to end a day of retail therapy in London or a perfect beginning to a weekend break in a London hotel, I would recommend you try Tartufo out for size.

By Tin