One Last Hurrah - Launceston Place: Kensington, Sunday 3rd February, 2013

And so it comes to pass: my last review of Launceston Place. As with another long-standing favourite of mine, Le Vacherin, this is somewhere the wife and I have enjoyed in every way since I first went there some years ago. To say that visit was a success would be stretching the truth somewhat, since excellent food was nearly ruined by lousy service, but here we are. We seem to eat here several times a year - any further reviews after this one would simply be overdoing it, particularly since the standard very rarely wavers.

This was a special visit, though. My father had been given retirement at the beginning of the year which was great news. He'd been wanting to retire for some time, a stalwart of the education system going as far back as teacher training college before moving into educational development and business management. As such, celebrating was in order. We'd got together as a family on the Friday night but the Sunday was the main event as far as we were concerned. The wife and I treated everyone to lunch in the chef's office at our favourite local place.

The chef's office is a room which comfortably sits 8-10 people adjoining the main kitchen. The booking process was uncomplicated, non-restrictive and generally an organisational joy which made the memories of miscommunication and bad service from years prior a distant one. The service and general attitude of staff at this place is up there with the best.

And your attitude needs to be at its best when you have a just-turned-two boy eating in the chef's office. Our nephew (who was in attendance with his mother) was the star of the show, as adorable toddlers tend to be. But with seven adults and one small boy, one's work is cut out. Our waitress and the support staff were excellent all day. The menu was impeccable as ever, delivering my nephew an expertly-judged roast chicken plate for his main course and some chocolate sorbet for dessert which his whispered "wow" summed up perfectly.

The food, as ever, was near-faultless. It was predictably similar to the menu we'd sampled about six weeks earlier but it didn't diminish the event in any way. I stayed with the winter vegetable salad which had impressed me so in the previous visit, with others around the table suitably wowed (above left). The wife's roast scallops with pork belly were a similar triumph of perfect contrast and complement (above right.)

Given that it was Sunday, the wife and most of the rest of the gang couldn't resist the beef and Yorkshire pudding (left). As solid, classic and refined as ever, this is the sort of Sunday lunch rivalled only in other Michelin-Starred restaurants. The meat is always cooked to a perfect medium-rare turn, the potatoes a crisp, chunky and fluffy thumbs-up, the Yorkshires light and rich.

My father and I agreed fish was the way to go on the day, a choice we were delighted with. And how could we not be? Roasted hake with cauliflower, chicken oysters, pink fir apple potatoes and truffle was as heavenly as it sounds (right). The cauliflower had been charred and pureéd, adding creaminess, saltiness and earthy flavour to the dish. The truffle was subtle and glorious. The sauce and the chicken oysters were judged to a perfectly-balanced note, reminding me of the sheer excellence I had enjoyed at Medlar four months earlier. I was particularly excited to introduce my old man to pink firs. Since he is a huge fan of new potatoes, I'd been banging on about these to him for as long as I could remember and they acted as the perfect base for a perfect dish.

Desserts were academic at this point: we all knew they would be great and they were. Launceston Place's knack for taking simple dairy products and turning them into impressive puddings was again realised with some eye-watering flourishes. The English custard tart was a picture on a plate; rich vanilla custard set with apple slivers, fruit crumble and orange ice cream (left). Imagination grounded in realism leaving a stupendous result.

The chocolate mousse was precisely as excellent as it had been before and was enjoyed as it should be. I went for baked vanilla yoghurt with caramelised rhubarb at the bottom of the bowl, topped with yoghurt ice cream (right). Superb dessert done in a proper way. It was simultaneously sour and sweet, comforting and exciting. The meal was done. We were all satisfied.

Before you ask, I am not on some kind of commission here. I am not a sponsor of Launceston Place. I have no corporate ties with the restaurant and I write everything above, and in the past, based on my own opinion and experience. This may read like some doe-eyed eulogy and if it does; good. It is the last piece I'll write on the restaurant and it deserves all the praise I've given it because, above all else, this is a great restaurant. Happy retirement old boy. Happy sorbet young fella. Happy trails Launceston Place.

Launceston Place