It is a difficult task to find a nice restaurant that opens on a Sunday. Our anniversary this year fell on a Sunday. My search for another Michelin restaurant for our sixth celebration was more of a challenge this time. I had initially earmarked Chez Bruce in Wandsworth but because of hesitancy, all the available spots got booked. Then I came across Kitchen W8. Initially, I was unsure because of the location. A Michelin restaurant in West London? Who could blame me for imagining a bill that would bust my budget for food I can hardly pronounce. Contrary to all my preconceived ideas, this restaurant was just a home a way from home and then some.

Situated just off Kensington High Street is this quaint and modest looking eatery. This simple and relaxed ambiance was free of background music. You can overhear voices deep in conversation interspersed by occasional laughter and the clanging of cutlery against the plates. The staff are quiet pleasant and helpful from the moment we walked in until the moment we left. You could easily spend three hours here and not know so much time had gone by. They presented us with a cute card with anniversary greetings.

Unlike most fancy, high priced Michelin restaurants, there wasn’t the usual bells and whistles. Looking at the menu, you could almost be mistaken for dining at home. The meals all sound like dishes you would make at home for a special occasion. That is where all the similarity ends. The food is of exceptional quality with an extremely refined taste. To start, the humble broccoli was elevated with curry and roasting, served with Swiss chard, peppered goats curd, capers, raisins and lime. The combination of flavours hits every taste receptor on your taste palate. Every bite was as satisfying as the one before. If only it did not finish so quickly. This was the perfect starter.

When a child comes into the mix, one has to be even more particular about choosing restaurants. Many fine dining places do not cater for children. The menu can be a bit of issue as you may want to alter a dish so it would be suitable for a child. Not all restaurants will accommodate alterations. This was not the case with Kitchen W8, our waitress helped us select and amend the meal for our son. It’s the little things that sometimes makes the grandest impression. They served up a fillet of Sea bream on a bed broccoli stems with the smoothest creamiest mash you could imagine.

My wife decided to go for the fillet of Sea Bream with truffled cauliflower, yellow leg chanterelles and glazed winter root vegetables. Who would go to a Michelin restaurant and order sea bream? It’s the subtle flavours, delicately balanced that make ordinary food become truly extraordinary. The flavour profile is a strong indicator of the chef’s understanding of the complexity of unique flavours and how to pair them.

I ordered the glazed ox cheek. Friends, let me tell you, this was the best piece of cattle meat I have had in all my life. When oxtail is done well, true Jamaican style. there isn’t much to compare it with. A 28 day aged Angus rib eye steak served garlic butter is in class by itself. But this glazed oxtail was the type of dish you close your eyes and eat. The meat melts in you mouth with the perfect concentration of sweetness and finely balanced umami in the red wine jus. I was teleported to food heaven in this food haven. Here again they have taken one of the most inexpensive piece of meats and made it an absolutely delectable dish.

Having already been wowed by the starters and the main courses, there was every chance that the desserts would be equally superb. The new season Yorkshire rhubarb blended with blood orange fool and candied pistachio had us wanting more. The sweetness of the rhubarb cut through by the acidity of the blood orange, all on top of the crunchy nuts was a definite hit. We also had the Valrhona chocolate pave served with salted caramel, peanut praline and lime. I am not a fan of salted caramel, but this dessert made me a convert. I would have this again and again.

I love the concept of a neighbourhood restaurant that gives you that homely feeling. We definitely left “feeling better than when we arrived.”