Mon–Thu midday–2.30pm, 6.30pm–10.30pm; Fri midday–2.30pm, 6.30pm–11pm; Sat midday–4pm, 6.30pm–11pm; Sun midday–9pm; bar food is served Mon–Sat 2.30pm–10.30pm
Paradise by Way of Kensal Green opened late 2007, but by the size of the clientele it seems to be catering for a host of local needs. There’s a bar, dance floor and smoking area upstairs and a more pubby space downstairs, but it was to the restaurant at the back that we were heading. The decoration theme that runs throughout the whole building is eclectic; decaying glamour with a hint of country house charm. In the dining room Venetian glass chandeliers fight for attention among hanging bird cages and haunted house-esque portraits. I’m sure that several pairs of eyes were following me around the room.
The new chef, Maxime Le Van, has a name that inspires images of burlesque artists rather than top-notch chefs. His record, at only 25 years old, is impressive, with previous posts at Club Gascon and a stint at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. The change of location has not affected his skills in the kitchen. The menu is interesting and imaginative without the usual range of clichéd dishes and those that look slightly overworked on the page are triumphs on the plate. The half dozen organic Poole Harbour oysters served three ways: Bloody Mary, Guinness and Japanese (£9.50) was a daring choice by my oyster-loving dinner guest, but one well worth taking. The Guinness oyster was served with a Guinness jelly, which tasted just like the real thing, the Japanese ones had rather too much wasabi and ginger, but the Bloody Marys were the best, with a subtle hint of tomato and Tabasco. My starter was divine; spiced baby squid, pickled sultanas, grilled fennel and mini herb salad’ (£7) fused sweet raisins, sharp fennel and soft squid in a perfectly spiced sauce. Apart from arriving after our starters, the wine – a glass of Pinot Grigio (£4.30) and a Sauvingnon Blanc (£4.80) – were a nice compliment to the food and at the reasonable end of a wine list.
The mains, as is often the way, did not live up to the starters’ standard. My char-grilled ribeye steak, triple-cooked hand-cut chips, Madeira and shallot sauce (£16.75) was not a disappointment, but neither worth returning for. The apparently thrice-cooked chips were virtually albino and were so big they looked like they’d been hand-cut by a troll. The butter-glazed cod, crushed Jerusalem artichokes and seaweed, broccoli and watercress sauce (£14.50) would have benefited from a good squeeze of lemon to bring out the all too-subtle flavours, but the sides of mixed greens (£2.95) and mixed salad (£3.95) were amazingly worth the inflated price.
The puddings were a return to previous form: prune cheesecake, blueberry with earl grey jelly (£5.50) consisted of a delicious blueberry compote hiding inside a smooth, vanilla cheesecake and Champagne rhubarb crumble and custard (£5.50) only just escaped being overly sweet, but was delicious all the same. We finished with a glass of Sauterne pudding wine (£4.75), a perfect was to round off a splendid evening.
Even on a Tuesday evening the place was full of groups of friends enjoying a meal out, so it looks as if there are others who agree with me on the food. It’s just a shame that the mains weren’t quite as good as the rest of the meal. I’ll leave that for Maxime to work on and be back soon to check on his progress.
Dinner for two, around £70, including wine.
