The Blurb
EVE is the latest restaurant to join the culinary delights of Kensington and Chelsea, located in the Ember Locke Hotel, on Cromwell Road.
Executive Chef, Talia Prince, whose impressive experience includes Le Gavroche, The Fat Duck, and her own Chef Residency at Soho House White City, has created an all-day menu which takes inspiration from the diverse flavours of the Eastern and Southern Mediterranean. Think warm flatbreads, colourful dips and sauces, and grilled meats and seafood.
During the day it’s a cafe and workspace – it even has a garden – and come night, a restaurant and cocktail bar. On Fridays, there’s live music, too!
The Style
EVE is super chic, following the same elegance and glamour of the Ember Locke Hotel. The creative collaboration is the work of interior design studios Atelier Ochre and House of Dré.
It’s a blend of bohemian and Art Deco style with contrasting colours and textures, retro patterns, and lots of plants.
The lighting is dim and moody during the evening but large windows in the cafe and bar allow the natural light to stream in during the day.
The Crowd
I believe I was among the first to visit EVE, so word hadn’t got out yet about this new, fab location. This meant we almost had the restaurant to ourselves. I wasn’t mad about it.
The Food
We began with cocktails at the bar, a Negroni for me and a fresh G&T for my partner (although it wasn’t gin, they used some fancy spirit I hadn’t heard of before called Mentzendorff Kummel, and topped it with pomegranate and basil soda).
We then moved to the restaurant, swiftly ordering some fresh flatbreads and homemade hummus (made with almonds for a twist, which I am now hooked on), and Baba Ganoush, whilst we browsed the rest of the menu and ordered some wine. We settled on a bottle of Albariño, from Spain, which had vibrant acidity and notes of stone fruits, a great match to the bold flavours of the meal.
Next, we tucked into giant red grilled prawns, smothered in smoked garlic, Baharat, lime & chilli butter, which had just the right amount of heat. We also had the iconic ZFC chicken coated in a thick breadcrumb, deep fried and served with a bright green Zhoug mayo. KFC eat your heart out.
Mains included a selection of plates: Zhoug stone bass, with smoked tomato chickpeas; meltingly soft ras el hanout lamb with baba ganoush, and two sides of fried potatoes with fresh harissa and another vibrant green sauce, and Fattoush, which was a fresh, crunchy raw salad of radishes, sweet tomatoes, cucumber, fresh parsley, and croutons. These dishes were definitely my favourite; cooked perfectly with tonnes of flavour.
For dessert, we shared the pistachio polenta cake, with fig leaf syrup and sour cream. I’m not a huge dessert eater but this was absolutely wonderful. Surprisingly light, and not too sweet.
In a Nutshell
EVE has so much to offer. Not only is the food delicious, but it also has a beautiful bar, cafe, and large breakout area. Whether you need a spot to take a client for a meeting, a catch up with friends or celebrate a special occasion, EVE’s the place to go.
The Details
www.evekensington.com
Ember Locke
202-220 Cromwell Road
Kensington, London
SW5 0SW
