by Chrissy Iley
The imperial on the Kings Road is a neighbourly, homely place with internationally inspired dishes; It is cosy but ambitious. I like that.
We wanted to go because the sun was out and we know that meant that they would have re-opened their Provence style garden. We thought nothing could be more gorgeous then a pale rose from the South of France drunk in a Kings Road garden.
Plus the garden produces gorgeous fruit and vegetables for exclusive use in The Imperials kitchen.
This certainly accelerates the phrase ‘from farm to table’. From back garden to plate! Such freshness is great.
And it is a beautiful space. On the night we arrived it was blowing and chilly so we sat inside. It was very welcoming, cosy and we had plenty of opportunity to sample head chef, Jason Lee Cole’s garden cuisine.
We saw plates of brightly coloured vegetables, free range chicken and wild sea bream passing, everything looked clean and colourful.
I went for a Gado-Gado salad starter. It arrived as a rainbow of vivid colours, light and crisp. The texture – beautifully crunchy, the gado dressing had a spicy and creamy kick.
My friend had Confit Duck yolk, hay infused egg white, pickled wild mushrooms, pear barley and chive puree (£8.50). My friend loves all eggs, so she was excited but a little surprised when the egg was served creamy but cold. She could taste the hay and she loved the picked mushrooms.
She had Gado Gado salad as her main, I think it was better as a starter as it is very filling but she liked it as a main and was impressed.
I went for cauliflower spinach and blue cheese risotto, I know cauliflower is the new super food and I am very fond of blue cheese which I am not sure there was enough of; none the less it was a very cosy dish (£15.50).
The Provence wine was immensely drinkable, by which I mean we drunk a lot of it. It was light, dry and delicious – the taste of summer.
We couldn’t resist puddings so we shared peanut butter cheesecake with brittle and cherry jelly and chai sticky toffee pudding, caramelized white chocolate ice cream (£8.25 each). I loved the texture of the peanut butter cheesecake, fluffy yet tangy and offset by the delicate crispness of the brittle. The toffee pudding did have a chai infusion that lifted it and the white chocolate ice cream was heavenly. The cheesecake though, is destination dining.
The Imperial, 577 Kings Road, London, SW6 2EH, 02077366081, www.the-imperial.co.uk.