Jenny Conlon enjoys a romantic evening at Claude’s Kitchen
Although I’ve walked across Parsons Green to the station and back many times, I’d never noticed Claude’s Kitchen peering down at me from above the Champagne bar, Amuse Bouche, right opposite the tube station. Having perfected his craft at Petersham Nurseries and Club Gascon, Claude Compton decided to launch his own venture Claude’s Kitchen in 2013. Tucked away above the bustling main street, it has since been named one of the top three most romantic restaurants in London. The interior is homely, with original Victorian floorboards and high ceilings adorned with beautiful dangling filament bulbs, which create a cosy warm ambience.
We opted for the taster menu, which was paired with a complementing flight of wines. To start we had an Amuse Bouche appetiser, which was a scrumptious fusion of apple and kale juice, a mulled wine foam with a pickled straw accompanied by Earl Grey and herb vermouth. We also shared some warm toasty sourdough bread with marmite butter. Then along came cream of Jerusalem artichokes, foam, cranberries and oyster mushrooms with a glass of Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve NV. We then welcomed the succulent langoustine followed by the delicately tasting
rolled partridge.
The food was impeccably and artistically presented. The clever experimentation and combination of ingredients and flavour heightened with each dish. One of my favourite dishes was the Baked Tunworth, a cheese served with spiced quince jam, potato and rosemary bread. We died and went to heaven at this point. And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, in came the chocolate bar with rhubarb and praline with a Muscat de Rivesaltes, which left us speechless with its crumbly biscuity texture and rich chocolatey taste. In summary this is a special dining experience in the heart of Fulham where the food truly speaks for itself.
