Affordable Sunday Lunching at The Town House in Kensington

Admittedly, the classic Sunday lunch has never really been my thing. I’d much prefer a simple juicy steak or a plate of prawns, over the British institution that is the Sunday roast. With London’s ever-changing tastes and trends, restaurants are finally starting to offer some slightly more interesting options – but still including a good hearty plate of meat and gravy. One of those leading the way is The Town House, located inside The Kensington Hotel.

From the outside, this hotel is very understated and looks like every other townhouse in London, but step inside and it’s a whole other story. Glamour, luxury and lots of class. As we walked through the front doors, past the lobby and towards the restaurant – we couldn’t help but gasp at every corner – it really is a beautiful hotel. Before being briefed on our lunch experience we sat down with a refreshing glass of Champagne, complete with a speared raspberry and filling up on far too much homemade bread than we should have.

The most exciting part of this Sunday lunch, is the market table. A stunning spread manned by one of the restaurants chefs who is on hand to advise, explain and most importantly – peel the rock hard shells from the beautiful langoustines. You can fill your plates with as much as you like from the selection of fresh crustaceans and seafood, cured meats, pâtés, chutney, pickles, seasonal vegetables, salads and a selection of freshly baked breads. The oysters were particularly fantastic and those prawns were gorgeous. Trying not to fill ourselves up too early was a hard task – especially when food looks this good.

With a quick breather after devouring almost the entire table, we opted for a main course option of slow cooked & jospered Cornish lamb shoulder, served on a bed of artichoke caponata, salsa verde and rich lamb jus. It was all perfectly cooked and compared to the usual Sunday offering, much lighter and well in tune with the Summer season. Instead of leaving bloated, we left feeling a little lighter to continue the day. There’s also a beautiful slab of beef on the menu, slow roast sea-trout and hearty bowl of asparagus risotto.

While we weren’t bloated after our main, we certainly were after our desserts. A very generous offering served on a sharing platter. Gorgeous shortbread trifles with vanilla custard. A chocolate and passion fruit tart with lemon sherbet – not to mention the stunning baked cheesecake covered in a tart raspberry jelly. Each was incredibly satisfying and constructed with a little love and precision.

We had such a relaxing and decadent afternoon at The Town House in Kensington. Priced at just £29 this really is a bargain and you’ll be hard pushed to get this much quality and this much food at under £30 elsewhere – the gargantuan langoustines alone would have lured me in. If you’re looking for a Sunday lunch with a difference, then The Town House in Kensington is the perfect choice. Just come very, very hungry.

I was invited to review