KCR Winter 2025 2026 Mag V3 FINAL - Flipbook - Page 61
The Abingdon
The Dinings
If you’re looking for an authentic, family-run British restaurant drawing
culinary inspiration from the continent, the Abingdon just o昀昀 Ken High
Street could well be your bag, and possibly your doggie bag too. This
place has the feel of a local institution, where regulars return by the
dozen every night of the week. The booths are intimate and spacious but
not so decadent you’re worried about spoiling the velvet.
Discreet and unimposing, Dinings of Walton Street o昀昀ers something
many other Knightsbridge restaurants don’t: a complete lack of ostentation.
Stepping in from Lennox Garden Mews, you’ll 昀椀nd yourself in a bar so
lowkey and stylish it could be a movie set. Here you can sip on a Kaizen
cocktail (made using pantry staples such as sesame oil, yuzu and shiso)
and enjoy otsumami bar snacks while you wait for your date to arrive, or
just go straight down into the restaurant.
The dining space is arranged economically, accommodating dozens
of covers and a photographic portrait of Michael Caine in an area not
much larger than the average West London living room.
If it weren’t for the shell昀椀sh performatively chilling on ice in the openplan gill-to-tail sushi kitchen, you might easily believe you were at a
friend’s supper club.
We were treated to a bespoke tasting menu, beginning with seared A5
wagyu tartar chips. These appetisers are far more delicate than they
sound, combining a taco-like snap with the tenderness of premium
quality beef.
Tuna rice balls followed, with Spanish-sourced 昀椀sh, served alongside
succulent shavings of autumn tru昀툀e which agreed favourably with the
sprig of rosemary standing guard in my orange and ginger mocktail.
Next up, the Cornish Red chicken udon noodles surprised me with their
relatively al dente texture. Tahini broth and optional chilli oil have made
this dish so popular with regular locals that it was recently added to the
à la carte menu.
For me, the steamed bao-bun style mini burgers were even more sumptuous. The smokiness from the grill, combined with sweet teriyaki dates
and spicy sesame, made for the perfect accompaniment to my mandarin
and almond sour, made with 0.0% amaretti, egg white and tonka bean.
Our sashimi omakase selection was comprised of tuna and salmon with
berry wasabi, followed by moreish shrimp tempura sushi roll served
with taramo sauce (or taramasalata, as you might know it).
For dessert, the matcha and jasmine ice cream with Dorayaki pancakes
is absolutely essential, with either matcha velvet tea or a glass of cleansing, house-made, white-port-style umeshu by way of digestif.
And with no corkage on Sundays and Mondays, Dinings is the perfect
place to dust o昀昀 that decade-old magnum under the stairs and just live
a little.
Estella Rua
www.dinings.co.uk
Here at the KCR, when we’re not swanning around fancy restaurants,
we’re pretty partial to a tin of M&S pea and mint soup. For starters, the
Staples’ freshly cooked o昀昀ering was a welcome step up. Boasting an intense colour, achieved by proper petit pois savoir faire, this godly green
dish was served with a healthy drizzle of olive oil and plenty of cracked
black pepper. For the less virtuous among us, deep-fried cod cheek was
the entrée of the day, served with a spicy tartar sauce and plenty enough
to share without feeling hard done by.
For mains, a similarly generous portion of trout with beautifully layered
potato galettes, wild garlic aioli and not-even-slightly-gritty agretti went
down a treat. Manny’s chicken curry was just as impressive, particularly
the vibrantly red lime pickle and peanut chutney for 昀氀atbread-dipping
purposes. Sommelier Amicia Staples knows her wines, having curated
her own list to pair punters with their perfect bottle of plonk. From vegan and organic options through to half bottles of Chianti and Bordeaux,
there’s something for every occasion.
With a fun feel to the cocktail list too, you’d do well to get familiar with
a Smoking Barrel illegal mescal or a Restless Rhubarb to go with your
Armagnac prunes and Yorkshire forced rhubarb. Or why not pair a Lavender Pisco sour with a classic sticky to昀昀ee pud? Sólo se vive una vez.
But the Abingdon experience doesn’t end with co昀昀ee and petits fours.
Suki, the youngest in the Staples family, has extended the invitation
to the Costa Brava, where she runs exclusive gastronomic retreats at a
Catalan farmhouse estate, featuring immersive wine tastings, olive farm
visits, and hands-on cookery workshops led by her husband—a chef
trained at the renowned Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca.
¡Inscríbete ya!
54 Abingdon Road, W8 6AP
www.theabingdon.co.uk
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KENSINGTON & CHELSEA REVIEW
