Paradise by Way of Kensal Green, Kilburn: 1st of June, 2009

I love a good misnomer. Or, rather, a massive exaggeration. The problem with naming anywhere ‘Paradise’ is that you’re almost on a hiding to nothing before you start. Said gastropub/restaurant/eatery (I can’t decide which it is yet) in northwest London may’ve hexed itself by being a bit of everything with a name that promises everything. That said, there’s something undeniably charming about the restaurant area in the back of the building. Maybe that was the stunning first day of summer weather, actually… Either way, it was a gorgeous evening to be out and dining.

The main problem I had with Paradise is that they ruined two potentially great dishes for our main courses. (The third, a piece of tuna, was just average altogether.) A beautiful piece of duck had been pelted with orange zest and bits of Satsuma until the flavour of the meat itself had been replaced with an acidic sweetness that belongs more with a fruit cake than a piece of duck. When I’d managed to scrape off as much of this needless pulp as I could, I was doubly annoyed that the duck (even though they hadn’t asked how we’d like it cooked) was excellent: moderately rare, juicy and tangy. They also added a slab of chicory and some carrot puree to the dish, which became irrelevant after all that sauce. It was a similar story with the lobster. Coated in butter and decorated with leaves, they’d thoughtfully cut the shell open and separated it all for us. It was really good apart from the strange green herb sauce that lay on the bottom of the shell. (Think potent English pesto – I have no idea what was in it.) One bite was magic; the next was tongue-stiffening. And so it went…

Starters and desserts were pretty good. Standard oysters to begin, but potted rabbit was genuinely delicious. A Knickerbocker Glory for dessert was pretty nice – they had broken the fruit down from a barrage of pips and chewy mulch to a smoother, more pleasing component of the dish. Very good sticky toffee pudding, but it could’ve used some cream-like accompaniment. A well-presented meringue sandwich with raspberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream was an unexpected highlight. I didn’t go for the strawberries on the side, but it was very summery and refreshing.

I didn’t dislike my meal here, but I was quite upset with it. Two almost great dishes ruined by bad sauces, and bits of the rest were good, at times great. I’d also heard some good things about this place, so it may’ve been cursed by my expectations too. The service was also a strange mix of informal chattiness (“Stop talking now, the food’s here”) and the somewhat more standard practice of quiet politeness. Again; when it was good, it was very good… Paradise by Way of Kensal Green is not a bad gastropub/restaurant/eatery, but if you do go there, please tell me which of the three you think it is. And approach the main course menu with caution.