As a self-confessed food addict, I keep a list of all the restaurants I want to visit. As you could probably imagine, that list just keeps getting longer and longer. The Keeper’s House, located at the Royal Academy of Arts has been sitting on that list since it first opened its doors back in 2013. Keeper’s House is nestled in the corner of the RA and poised as a new social space for budding artists or art aficionados. This 19th century town house is now home to the restaurant, bar, lounge and hidden garden – perfect for sipping on cold Provence rose during the summer months. Of course (of course) the whole meal started with a cheeky espresso Martini and it was a fantastic example, I now plan many a nights sipping on these here.
We were lucky enough to come to Keepers House just as the new menu was launched. Depending when you dine your faced with two choices. The a la carte or the competitively priced set menu starting at a bargain £19.50, featuring some of the same dishes from the main menu. Bread arrived and was very good, the light and fluffy kind with a really crunchy crust. Starters arrived and they were mainly all good, but had one major problem. Size. Hand dived scallops, cauliflower puree, black pudding and apple sauce. This dish was £14.50 and was a measly portion amount. However it was all very well cooked, beautifully tasting and very well seasoned. The smears perhaps need a little vibrancy but that can easily be ironed out in the kitchen. More vibrancy and larger portions is all that’s needed to make this dish really great.
Our other starter had the similar size problem, in fact it was even smaller – more of a tasting menu size. But its flavour was even more accomplished. Such an incredibly fresh tasting dish of wild seabass carpaccio with basil, coriander, mint and lime. I really struggled to fault this dish as everything was so good – to the point I was salivating. I had to take small mouthfuls to not finish in two bites and sit with an empty plate while everyone around me kept on eating. The Keeper’s House just need to get the portion sizes right – because they’ve already got the cooking spot on.
The wine list could do with a little improving with its range but price point wise it was perfectly reasonable, especially given its location. A main course of Aberdeen Angus rib eye was nicely cooked and well seasoned, the shallot cream was delicious but its colour was dull and lacking a nice glaze to it which would really help make this dish look a lot more appealing. Home-made chunky chips were a solid offering but a little more crispness would have been nice. There’s nothing better than a good bowl of well seasoned sautéed greens too, especially some as nicely done as these.
I always have a thing about picking my favourite dish after a meal and I can safely say we both had a firm favourite here at The Keeper’s House. Stringy and succulent lamb shoulder, bathed in a rich and boldly flavoured ragout sauce, paired with creamy well seasoned polenta (although perhaps a little too much of it) and all topped off with some fresh and vibrant salsa verde. As far as hearty winter warming dishes go, this was spot on. A side of creamy potato gratin was just as good as it looked and just as unhealthy – in fact I could have just eaten this side as my main course – because it was that satisfying.
Desserts certainly didn’t disappoint at The Keeper’s House and in fact were probably their strongest area overall. A rich and very sticky toffee pudding was laced with banana and drenched in lots of toffee sauce – with a side of vanilla custard for pouring. The real show-stopper of the evening was the poached pear with Armagnac cream and toffee brittle. The pear had all the sweetness and the cream had a little punch – I think I died and went to heaven by this point, or perhaps that was just the hallucinations from all that luscious sweet wine I was guzzling. Either way the rush was good.
I’m so glad I finally got to tick The Keeper’s House off my list. This restaurant has been open now since 2013 and since then gone through a whirlwind of critic reviews (good & bad) and from what I could see, some very different menus in place, but now I think it’s finally found its feet. The meal was of course not without fault and improvements are needed, but they’re all very simple ones to rectify such as pricing, portion sizes and vibrancy – the flavour’s already here. If a relaxed, refined meal with good cocktails is what you’re after then the Keeper’s House is one for your list. Why not even pretend to be cultured and visit the Royal Academy?
7/10
