Acorn House Restaurant Full Review
Posted: 11 December 2007 by Rikke Bruntse-Dahl
What makes Acorn House amazing is that it not only composts and recycles all its waste, sources locally and seasonally, purifies tap water to minimise glass usage and transport, shuns industrial farming, favours organics and Fairtrade, uses boxes that can be sent back and reused by suppliers, picks up and delivers produce in its biodiesel car, trains the local youth to become eco-aware chefs… but it also manages to do so in an industry associated with f-words, ruthlessness and enormous amounts of waste.
Acorn House Restaurant has proven to everybody that it is more than possible to run an up-market, successful restaurant with respect for the environment and human beings.
Having worked in the industry, we are in awe.
The food is great. When we visited, we had a superb prosciutto, fig and honey starter, and a less interesting 'sustainable prawn' and aubergine fritti (it was too greasy for our liking, and would have been better with some fresh dip or maybe cucumber). For the main course we had a crisp, well-seasoned seabream on a bed of rainbow chard and a perfectly cooked lamb fillet with borlotti beans in a Provence-style sauce, with just the right amount of the right herbs. The dessert was the star turn, though. Poached peaches with white truffle ice-cream -- delicious, and made to Michelin standard.
Being eco-friendly, you might expect Acorn House's clientele to consist mainly of vegan hippies and the décor to be mish-mashed furniture and hemp curtains. It couldn't be further from that. Sustainable designers Waugh Thistleton have given the interior a sleek, minimalist and stylish look using earthy colours mixed with a radiant green. The tables are made from sustainably sourced wood and the chairs come from recycled materials. There are no tablecloths, which avoids the chemical cleaning process employed by most restaurants.
The chefs in the open kitchen entertained us with some friendly banter and the two waitresses gave us the most polite, attentive and friendly service we've had in the UK. Ever. And we've been to a few restaurants in our time.
The only thing we are a bit upset about is that it's too expensive for us to go there as often as we'd like. The portions are incredibly generous, though, and most good London restaurants would charge roughly the same. However, it would be fab if this great restaurant was more accessible to more people.
Essentials: A three-course dinner for two with organic wine will cost about £100. The restaurant is near King's Cross St Pancras Station. 69 Swinton Street, London, WC1X 9NT, England.
Quality
Value
Ethics
Green
