Sonny's Kitchen

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http://www.sonnyskitchen.co.uk

Sonny's Kitchen - London | Restaurant Review | The Arbuturian

Gone was the rather staid and formal atmosphere of yore; now, the room had a coolly sophisticated vibe that owed something to Howard’s The Square and Kitchen W8 in Kensington, his other restaurant with Mascarenhas, but was still entirely its own beast.

The bookworm claimed a hearty starter of mallard and grouse terrine was the sort of thing that he wanted to have for lunch every day from now on (he looked a bit like a mallard, I reflected as he pontificated), and then treated me to some blessed quiet while he made inroads into a short rib of braised beef with an innovation I hadn’t encountered before, smoked mash.

All good things had to come to an end, and eventually the bookworm and I make our farewells and head out into the cold night.

As we leave, the bookworm makes an unfamiliar, semi-snuffling noise.

Vain thoughts, maybe, but an evening at Sonny’s Kitchen is liable to do that to a man.

Sonny's Kitchen restaurant review 2012 July London | British ...

Salad Nicoise varied things by having grilled mackerel rather than the usual (costlier) tuna, and the salad elements were all pleasant enough: nicely cooked beans, potato, anchovy, boiled egg and decent tomato, let down by soggy croutons (13/20).

Sea bream was glazed with pesto (for no obvious reason) but was cooked very well and had excellent flavour, served with piperade, tender borlotti beans and semi-dried tomatoes that had quite good flavour (15/20).

Cherry and almond tart had decent pastry though limited cherry flavour (good 13/20), served with capable cherry ripple ice cream.

Desserts were not to the same level tonight, a simple slab of passion fruit parfait that had reasonable texture but limited passion fruit taste (12/20) and pannacotta with orange that again lacked any depth of vanilla flavor (12/20).

The waitress we had was fairly grumpy, but dishes were served correctly and at quite a pace, though there was no table turning The wine list is on two pages and has a good range oif new world wines in particular, with Bonny Doon Big House Red and Guigal Cotes du Rhone as pleasing mid-range choices.

Kitchen W8: Home

Kitchen W8 is that rare thing – a genuinely relaxed and friendly Michelin star neighbourhood restaurant.

Our chef since launch has been Mark Kempson whose exceptional cooking along with his team won us our first Michelin star in 2011, an accolade which we have retained each year since then.

When we launched Kitchen W8 in 2009 we intended it to be a home from home, something which we strive to achieve year after year.

Restaurant of the week: Sonny's Kitchen | London Evening Standard

Char-grilled spiced spatchcocked quail (£10) had been nicely cooked and neatly laid out on a bed of couscous studded with pomegranate seeds and sultanas, laced with a few leaves and a little creamy drizzle.

From the mains, the orecchiette with peas, broad beans, mint and parmesan (£13.50) was dull and dry, the sauce reduced to a green paste; the little thumb-shaped pasta really needs lashings of olive oil, garlic, chilli flakes and cima di rape — the way they serve it in Puglia — to come to life.

The Wigmore cheese, a lovely oozingly soft ewe’s milk cheese from Berkshire (£7.50), was only two small slices, albeit served with lots of different biscuits and a little mound of unwelcomely spiced carrot salad.

Lemon posset (£7) was at once very sweet and very sharp, as it should be, topped with a raspberry coulis, and served with yet more beignets, little creamily filled crispy doughnuts.

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Sonny's Kitchen, London SW13, restaurant review - Telegraph

In summary, an undesirable texture, at the heart of a dish whose flavour was so light that texture was its main point.

Having missed out on a lot of BBQ refamiliarisation this year owing to the poor weather, I'd forgotten how delicious is the principle of a short rib, its bone-to-flesh ratio assuring a stunning depth of flavour, as well as that lovely, melting mouth-feel.

I had the kid ravioli (£12.50), mainly for its idiosyncratic name (the menu is very straight, especially in the main courses – steak, burger, chop, cod, sea bream).

There's Welsh rarebit for brunch (£6.20) and halloumi salad with strawberries and peppers at lunchtime (£7.50) Drive across the pristine golf course to this handsome manor house, where the relaxed restaurant features plenty of Anglesey ingredients on its menu.

Try the local black pudding with a roasted-apple and lardon salad (£6.25) Visit this 18th-century hotel for top-notch Scottish game and fish, such as smoked haddock and leek-and-potato crumble made with cheddar from the Isle of Mull (£36 for three courses).

Sonny's Kitchen | Restaurants in Barnes, London

Sonny’s should get some kind of medal for longevity of service; it’s been sating the appetites of Barnes’ residents since 1986.

After a few years of slightly under-par performance, decor and menu (and name) had a revamp in 2012, courtesy of restaurateur Rebecca Mascarenhas and chef Philip Howard (of the Square); both live nearby.

The succinct menu offers a half-dozen or so choices each for starters, mains and desserts plus a trio of grilled meat dishes (baby back ribs, burger, ribeye) and another of pizzas – we’re not convinced by the overall balance, but it’s still a popular spot for many occasions, from low-key suppers to family celebrations.

Next door, Sonny’s deli deals in upmarket packaged (and some fresh) foodstuffs.