Park Terrace Restaurant
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Park Terrace Restaurant
Nearest Transport: Kensington High Street / London UndergroundOverlooking Hyde Park, The Park Terrace Bar serves a wide range of beers, wines, spirits and cocktails.
Features: Air Conditioning, Bar, Cocktails, Disabled Access, Pre-Theatre Menu, Vegetarian Dishes, Cuisine: International
Nearest Transport: Kensington High Street / London Underground
The Park Terrace Restaurant is located at lobby level, adjacent to Kensington Palace Gardens and Hyde Park. Open from 6.30am to 10.30pm daily, this is the beating heart of the hotel, catering to all tastes at all times of the day. At lunch and dinner, the restaurant buzzes with locals dropping in for a quick bite, and business people for a longer sojourn. Hotel guests are always welcome, and single diners made to feel comfortable. The ambience is easy-going, friendly and unpretentious. Choose from either the All Day Dining Menu, which features international staples perfectly produced (pastas, salads, burgers, grills, an onion soup or cheesecake) or the British Specialty Menu.
Set in the snazzy Royal Garden Hotel, Park Terrace Restaurant is somewhat camouflaged by Kensington High Street’s plethora of bars, pubs and shops.
Upon arrival you may be disappointed by the lack of elegance surrounding this bar and restaurant, especially for its five-star status. However, their layout is extremely comfortable and lax, especially at their bar. Comfy armchairs and plumped sofas make good conversation, and for those who like to people watch there are few suited and booted to peer at, as well as the odd feather boa wearer and the sophisticated. This is no venue for the unkempt.
At the bar there is a collection of cocktails that are worth a swig, or three, our first being their Sloe Champagne. At £9.95 it is a fruity concoction of sloe gin, almond orgeat syrup and champagne. Lightweights would need to steer clear of the tangy-sweet but very strong Kiwi Collin - a mixture of Kiwi, Plymouth gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup and soda.
Musing over their menu we soon moved to their dining area. Dotted randomly with Greek-statuettes, their layout is intimate but dated. Distracted by their menu we decided to order. For starter we chose the Jerusalem Artichoke Veloute with Cep Cracker and Rosemary and Sherry Marinated Shetland Organic salmon, Cucumber salad and a Colchester Oyster Beignet. Unfortunately the soup which accompanied the miniscule Artichoke Veloute was overbearing and masked the flavour and intent of the dish. However, the salmon was extremely appetising and both starters were coupled with a refreshing red current and vodka sorbet.
Our main course may have been a mouthful to pronounce, but it was certainly not a mouthful to eat. The pan-seared Cornish Skate, Smoked Garlic Mash with Clam and Mussel Chowder and Sautéed Bristol Channel Wild Seabass, Anna Potatoes, Green vegetables and Truffle foam were served in unsatisfying quantity. Disappointingly, the wild seabass course was served sans Anna potatoes and Truffle foam.
Nevertheless, their desserts - Vanilla Buttermilk Pannacotta, Apple Flapjack, Toffee sauce and Chocolate and Baileys Parfait with a warm Cherry Bakewell was fulfilling, as well as their service and presentation. Park Terrace Restaurant is a very inviting diner, but with its location consumed by a variety of eateries and its competitive streak dwindling it can be easily overlooked.
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As a child of the 80’s, I have recently found myself saying “they don’t make ‘em like they used to”parkterrace far more than I think I should. Whether it’s cars (mid-90’s was the pinnacle), cartoons (Transformers beats Power Rangers hands down) or even football (you couldn’t accuse the players of yesteryear of being overpaid divers), evolution isn’t always positive. However, I recently experienced fine dining 1970’s style at the Park Terrace Restaurant and it has definitely made me thankful for the progress made in the restaurant industry.
The restaurant is housed on the ground floor of the Royal Garden Hotel and provides superb views over Kensington Garden during the day. Unfortunately, due to a lack of visibility in the evenings, diners are more likely to be subjected to the 1970’s style décor of the restaurant. So onto dinner. Starters of Pork belly, guinea fowl & foie gras terrine and Lobster ravioli with ginger foam were both excellent and gave great promise to the meal ahead. Then something strange happened and Dr.Dodgy and I were transported back in time. Both mains of Pan roasted halibut and Belly pork were overcooked and came with rich, heavy and overbearing sauces in little pots for us to pour ourselves; avantgarde in the 70’s, a bit naff now. Our desserts fared little better. The Chocolate fondant came with a strange spicy banana ice-cream whilst the bland Crème Brûlee was more like a caramel mousse in a brandy snap.
It’s not all negative though. I can imagine the restaurant being a decent venue for Sunday lunch and apparently they do a very good afternoon tea. Also, the hotel is in the middle of an extensive refurb, so hopefully the Park Terrace will be given a bit of a makeover. However, if you are going to insist on dining at this hotel, visit Min Jiang, the outstanding Chinese restaurant which opened recently on the top floor.
Food: 2.5/5
Venue: 2.5/5
Value: 2.5/5
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