REVIEW: The Diner, Gloucester Road, Kensington

The Diner is a new edition to Kensington, but is part of a chain with other restaurants across london. This is not, by any means to be confused with the horrendous Ed’s Diner, which always seems to thrive. I went recently, and i wouldn’t recommend it. Unless you enjoy cheap burgers and soggy onion rings. Inside the Diner (Kensington) looks like your classic american eatery. Very modern, black tiled walls, booths and a couple of tables out front.

We started with a milkshake, which was served in the american style shakers. Strawberry and banana arrived, both of which were very good. Thick, full of scoops of creamy ice cream and a strong flavour of fruit. Quite sweet, and maybe could have been toned down slightly, as it almost came across slightly artificial. The banana was the better option. One portion was enough for two healthy sized glasses each.

The menu consists of what you would expect from this sort of place. Burgers and sandwiches, hot dogs, all day breakfasts and blue plates, which are mainly all southern inspired. We started with a couple of the Diner baskets, which go great with a drink or as a starter. First out was the shrimp with creole tartar. Meaty pieces of shrimp encased in well browned, crispy breadcrumbs. The shrimp itself was good, very large and well cooked but unfortunately the tartar sauce wasn’t great. Still, for the size and price of my basket, it was a bargain.

Crispy lamp slammers with root beer sauce were very delectable. The lamb was extremely tasty and had loads of flavour. The meat is torn, like pulled pork and covered in the same crumb as the shrimp, but here it is cooked a little longer and is more of a hard casing. The root beer sauce should be bottled as it was very good and had a lovely smokiness. Again, very good value.

We were already starting to get full after the huge shakes and small baskets. Baby back ribs, twice cooked best end st louis ribs with skin on fries and a side of coleslaw. The dish was much better than i had anticipated, sweet and smoky sauce smothered the meaty ribs. The meat literally fell off the bone, my only complaint would be they were a little burnt on the outside. Skin on fries were good and well seasoned with the option of cajun spice on top. The slaw was the real let down, fresh tasting but very basic indeed.

I was trying my hardest to order something other than a burger, because that is always what i do, but to my defense the waitress did recommend it to me, so i felt a little obliged. I opted for the DCB (dirty chicken burger), buttermilk fried chicken breast, topped with bacon, blue cheese, coleslaw and pickles. The chicken burger was full of flavour, juicy and wrapped in golden breadcrumbs. The bacon was crispy, coleslaw again was very plain and the cheese sauce was delicious, but it was so strong and the burger was completely drenched in it, i had to remove a lot with my tissue. If it wasn’t for the smothering of cheese, it could’ve been excellent.

For the amount of food i eat these days, you’d had thought i’d be getting used to the sheer quantities, but in fact i seem to be going the complete opposite and struggle to order a dessert. And after the sizes the Diner had to offer, i had no room. The dessert menu did look very good though, with dishes such as banana split, apple pie, New York style cheesecake and chocolate brownie. All American classics.

I really enjoyed my meal here at The Diner, it’s a great new addition to the area, and one which i can see being very busy. The burgers are good, ribs are better and with breakfast which look pretty damn tasty, i don’t have many complaint. The pricing is spot on too, which makes it great for repeat journeys. My only gripe would be the service, it was friendly, but unfortunately there wasn’t much of it.

7/10