The Jam Cupboard: Kensington, Monday 28th January, 2013

South Kensington is a strange area when it comes to eating out. On the main roads, your choices are limited to anonymous hotel ventures and gaudy, tourist-y places. On the side streets, the prices rocket, leaving one with little choice other than to wait for a special occasion.

This was no special occasion (and no side street restaurant) but some colleagues were in town so the wife and I joined two of them for a spot of dinner one dreary Monday evening. We were examining possibilities in the South Kensington area (where they were staying) and happened to notice a place called The Jam Cupboard on Toptable, which was running a 50% off deal. When I first started eating out frequently, 50% off food via Toptable was just about the only way I'd book a restaurant. Times have changed, often thanks to decent restaurants not being able to afford this luxury any more, but also with Toptable having been bought by the US site Opentable, which was a shame since Toptable was a much better site.

The Jam Cupboard is part of the Rydges Hotel in Kensington, on Gloucester Road. It's one of those places which seems so ineffectually part of the area you'd never think to check it out. But 50% off speaks loudly and suddenly a fun name in an unknown Kensington hotel became a lot more appealing.

The four of us tried an assortment of dishes and the general feeling for the evening was the place had done a good job. Nothing was bad, unpleasant or poorly-judged. It was, in just about every way, as good as one could hope for from a semi-modern, mostly empty unknown hotel restaurant in Kensington. I'm not one for atmosphere trumping the food wherever I eat, but this really was a muted evening. With poor food it would've been a washout.

Starters were an interesting acid test for the place, since they were all of a simple enough construct to make any mistakes stand out unforgivably. They had a pumpkin risotto on the specials so I had to go for it. Happily, there was nothing to complain about here (left). The rice was cooked with just enough bite, the salad was better than just a garnish and the whole dish was a pleasant introduction to a hearty winter meal.

The wife ordered the tagliatelle with plum tomatoes, basil and parmesan which was something of a strange one to me. It sounded like an attempt to deconstruct a pomodoro sauce; something which should never be attempted anywhere. In the event, it was properly-cooked pasta with soft tomato and a bold basil flavour (right). The most impressive facet of the dish was how fresh they had managed to make it. It wasn't fancy or elaborate but it worked. For that alone, I was impressed.

Main courses showed more of an effort to move away from standards done in strange ways and started reading like a serious restaurant. One of the party doesn't eat meat but does eat fish so a special of the day worked well: salmon with beans & salad (above left). Such a simple description may not do it justice but the fish was nicely cooked with some moisture and softness and the salad was a decent contrast to the soft beans underneath. Another in the party is absolutely a meat eater, so braised beef cheeks with garlic mash & broccoli was a great choice (above right). Another standard kind of idea but the execution is what counts and this was right on.

The wife couldn't resist the sound of twice-cooked pork belly with apple sauce and a bean salad (left). Whilst the crackling on the belly wasn't quite to her liking, the meat certainly was. Delicious, soft and fatty as well-cooked belly pork should be, this was demolished unceremoniously along with the salad, which was where I felt she might have struggled. As well as good flavours, this dish showed an understanding of portion control and a necessary contrast between light and heavy.

I pushed the boat out with a sirloin steak and chips (right). Dishes like this are standard fare on most hotel menus and why not? It's the kind of convenience comfort food business people, tourists and serious eaters alike want to try and it is another case of just how well a restaurant is doing if they can get it right. In this case it was a happily enjoyable English standard, cooked fairly well, with crispy chips and watercress acting as standard yet tasty sides.

The wife and I were in the mood for dessert (I'm not sure there's ever been a time we haven't) so we ordered the two puddings which made most sense to us having read the menu. I was feeling full after my two courses so I ordered the chocolate mousse with vanilla whipped cream and berry confit (left). It was all a bit smooth and soft - textural variation was missing, no doubt - but the mousse was rich, thick and it fit the bill impressively.

The wife went for another English classic in sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream (right). Again, there was no fussing here and nothing was left uneaten. Puddings such as these are rarely astronomical; they either work or they don't. This one did and it was a fine way to cap what had been a surprisingly pleasant evening

Suddenly we had finished. A short walk round the corner saw my colleagues back to their hotel and the wife and I were left to reflect on an evening's work we hardly thought would have stuck in the memory at first. The ever-present question when eating half-off meals is would it have been worth the full price? I have to say I think it would have. It was not spectacular but for a hotel in Kensington, the prices were just about right. At 50% off food it was a steal.

I don't know if I'll be rushing back to the Jam Cupboard. I like the name, the location and the food (three things you wouldn't usually say about a Kensington hotel restaurant) but it isn't so spectacular as to detract from some of its local competition (notably Launceston Place and L'Etranger). Throw 50% off food into the mix now and again and I'll be sure to go back some time, but in a part of London so forgotten of food and overwhelmed by grandeur, the Jam Cupboard is precisely what's needed: a small voice saying "eat here".

The Jam Cupboard