An Unsurprising Surprise - Launceston Place: Kensington, Sunday August 7th, 2011

Valentines Day does grate on me a bit. Actually, it grates on me a lot. There is much to despise about the day we're supposed to show our appreciation for our loved ones in a highly commercialised way. Not that I'm being miserable: I like to show the other half how much I care, just on my own terms.

An adorable quirk of having a Taiwanese partner is that the pair of us have to endure cherish three Valentines Days. Not only the ridiculous western annoyance, but there is a day specifically for girls and one for boys within the Taiwanese calendar. Due to the nature of eastern calendars shifting around year-by-year, they never fall on the same day, so it's up to her to keep me in check.

It was the boys' day in August and she decided to surprise me by taking me to her favourite restaurant, Launceston Place. It was in no way a selfish act though, since I am very fond of it too. It's becoming the place we love to go together, which is great since it appears to be getting better with age. We walked there on a pleasant afternoon, with me only figuring out where we were going when we got to the neighbourhood. Surprises like this really are fun.

We didn't deviate from what we know and love: we ate ourselves stupid with two helpings of their loveable in-house baked bread with pickled herring and salted butter (left). We both ordered the duck egg with summer truffle because it's one of the best starters I've ever eaten. We both ate beef.

The egg and truffle starter at Launceston Place is fast becoming a cult dish for the two of us. If we were to go there and not eat it, something wouldn't feel right. That really does come down to quality: it's rarely anything other than utterly perfect (right). A smear of the most spicily tangy, ultra-flavoursome truffle purée one could wish for with a perfectly poached egg is visual simplicity but a taste extravaganza. Quite simply unmissable.

The beef was dangerously close to the rib we'd previously enjoyed at the Harwood Arms, but since we hadn't eaten out properly in a month, we weren't too worried. Roast beef for two was the call and by heaven I'm happy we stuck to it. Carved next to the table (similar to Corrigan's Mayfair some time ago), it was given to us rare in two different cuts: thin rump and a juicier middle cut (left).

The Yorkshire puddings were amazing, though not quite touching the Harwood Arms' efforts, with potatoes falling a similar close second. Fresh, al dente broccoli was spot on and some gorgeous soft carrots with a thick butter coating were indulgent and beautiful. It was a great spread and one that we both enjoyed in the most cosy Sunday way you can imagine.

Desserts were an anticlimactic near-accident. Having had two helpings of the bread, a starter which also included bread and a hearty main course which contained potatoes and Yorkshires, we were struggling. I mean really struggling to the point of cramps and slouching. Still, we ordered dessert. Which turned out to be a mistake. The classic pre-dessert lemon posset was lovely but a bit too much by this point (right).

An overdone, almost crunchy treacle tart was another carbohydrate-fest without any charm: utterly joyless (left). It lacked the soft semi-zesty sweetness any decent treacle tart ought to have and was instead a half-burnt, melancholy thing. The gooseberry fool with cobnut financier was an absolute hoot of a name but sadly less of a spectacle in the bowl (below right). Over-sour, muddled and generally unappetising, it was something I couldn't get my head around. Not one for the great Launceston Place dishes scrapbook by any stretch. We didn't manage to finish either dessert.

Despite the lack of a good finisher, I still enjoyed yet another good meal at Launceston Place. I can forgive them the two poor puddings in that the rest of the set was quite wonderful. The right surprise choice for sure, I was happy to be taken there and will be happy to go again any time soon.

Launceston Place