Como Garden, High Street Kensington review

Como Garden, a casual Italian restaurant on High Street Kensington, is one I’ve probably walked past countless times without much notice. Tucked away on a side street, its entrance is marked by a bright red awning and a few outdoor tables. This week, we finally had the pleasure of visiting for dinner.

Image courtesy of Como Garden, High Street Kensington.

The interiors are lovely, but from where we were sat, it appeared in need of a refresh. Dining early and seeing the restaurant in the light of day revealed the restaurant needed a lick of paint and some of the furniture looked a little tired. Large, frosted decals cover the windows facing High Street Kensington side of the restaurant preventing passersby from peering in, I couldn’t help but feel some café-style curtains would be more pleasing. By the end of our meal, as the evening light arrived, the restaurant transformed, with candle lit tables and an eclectic mix of glowing fringed ceiling pendant shades. A large olive tree, adorned with twinkling lights, arcs above the booth seating at the centre of the restaurant with twinkling lights.

The Como Garden website describes it as “an Italian tapas restaurant” recommending around three dishes per person. I know of many dinners who are slowly tiring of the small plates concept and sharing dishes with everyone. I do understand where they are coming from. They simply wish to order what they like and eat it. No “sharing is caring’ for that crowd!  I personally prefer a straight up Italian restaurant. If I want to eat tapas I’ll go to a Spanish tapas restaurant. As it turns out one can easily stick with the format of starter, main and dessert.

Image courtesy of Como Garden, High Street Kensington.

The menu is divided into Antipasti, Pizza (the selection of pizza is much larger than what is shown on their website) and Pasta with Meat, and Seafood dishes ranging in size (starter or main), a little confusing but I’m guessing this is done to support the “tapas” concept.

We began with Arancini - a tall cone-shaped version with a perfectly crisp exterior and with just the right amount of cheesiness inside. Their Steak tartare was not available that evening, but the Beef Carpaccio proved a very satisfactory alternative: thin tender slices of beef lightly seared on the edges but beautifully rare at the centre topped with grated parmesan and softened Datterini tomatoes and perfectly toasted crostini - a delicious and well-seasoned dish.

Image courtesy of Como Garden, High Street Kensington.

For mains my dining partner splashed out on the Black Truffle Parmesan wheel. The popularity of tableside pasta preparation in a large parmesan wheel has not waned. Who doesn’t like a bit of theatre and the wafts of melting hot cheese? In this case complete with black truffle grated over the top. I went for the Mushroom Risotto which was faultless. I finished every grain of rice from the very beautiful bowl the risotto was served in. A standout dish was the Goats Cheese Salad with Figs. The shiny figs were glazed with a thin, glassy caramelised sugar, which made the salad especially enjoyable. My dining partner was still talking about it the next day.

Two of the desserts, including the tiramisu (a near crime for an Italian restaurant), were unavailable. Thank goodness I didn’t have my children in tow; it would have been difficult to manage their disappointment. Alas they would have been quite happy with the Warm Focaccia with Nutella and Strawberries. Presented on a stand, it hovers impressively over the table, the size of a pizza with a base of warm chewy focaccia, a wonderfully indulgent dessert which could easily be shared between four. We also tried two scoops of ice cream, vanilla and pistachio, both of which were pleasant but unremarkable.

Warm Focaccia with Nutella and Strawberries. Como Garden, High Street Kensington. Image credit MTotoe.

We tried a couple of cocktails from their beautifully illustrated menu. My mocktail Prima dell’ Alba (blackberry, apple juice, cranberry juice, lime juice) was not chilled enough and was overly sweet and would have benefitted from a few more squeezes of lime. My partner’s Lago Amaranto (gin, limoncello, blackberries, sugar) was left unfinished, the gin used proved not to her liking.  On this basis I would suggest sticking with wine when dining here. The list is predominantly Italian with a few French and Spainis options.

Would Como Garden be worth travelling across town for? Probably not. But for locals, it’s certainly a nice option to have, reasonably priced and is particularly appealing for lunch while shopping along Kensington High Street. Also worth noting is the Pasta Lunch Menu for £14.50 which includes a salad and a choice of six pasta dishes or risotto,  great value for a quick midday meal. By evening, the restaurant transforms into a warm, cosy setting for traditional Italian food—done well.

Location: 37-45 Kensington High St, London W8 5ED. Website:  comogarden.co.uk. Instagram: @como.garden

  Review by Natascha Milsom