Konstam at the Prince Albert Review
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Who would have thought it'd be possible to run a restaurant using at least 85 per cent local ingredients when the 'hood is central London and local means staying within the area covered by London Underground?
Well, Oliver Rowe -- the 'urban chef' -- has done just that. And with great success too, if you ask us.
The menu at Konstam changes daily depending on availability, which we find quite exciting. When we went, we had seared Amersham pigeon breast and a herb salad with braised chicory and poached egg. Both were yummy -- the pigeon breast was succulent and much meatier than any pigeon breast we've tasted.
If anything, there was too much parsley going around, but 'tis the season for parsley after all. The incredibly engaging chef and manager told us they had calculated the combined food miles of the pigeon breast to be eight miles, which translates to a carbon footprint of 3.34 kg.
Our main courses didn't disappoint, either. The charcoal-grilled Mersea seabass could have been more crisp, but flavour- and texture-wise it was perfect, and went well with the complicated flavours of the Russian salad that came along, making the whole portion rather gigantic.
The other main course, a slow-roasted shoulder of Amersham lamb with barley, was just as big and a very typical British winter dish. The meat was smooth and the seasoning delicate.
Another chit-chat with the chef revealed that the lamb came from a farmer who's friends with the hunter who shot the pigeon we had for a starter -- hence the Amersham connection. While not essential knowledge, little bits of info like this made us appreciate the food even more.
We normally would treat ourselves to a pudding too, but were so stuffed, we could only manage a scoop of mulled cider sorbet, which was delicious as well.
The wine list at Konstam is pretty good, featuring both French and English wines. It was clear that the manager, who served us, knew his stuff and recommended that we try a brilliant English Soil Association-certified red wine.
There's no doubt that Konstam's local sourcing policy puts it in our top three sustainable restaurants in London, but there was not much talk about organics and we did wonder whether the coffee and sugar were Fairtrade.
We're in a strange dilemma -- while we'd like more information about the sourcing of specific ingredients, what's organic and what's not, how many food miles are behind each plate and so on, we also liked the relaxed we-take-sustainable-eating-for-granted attitude.
At the bottom of the menu, where other restaurants write in small print, "A 12.5 per cent (or whatever) discretionary service charge will be added to your bill," Konstam merely writes: "Konstam at the Prince Albert sources over 85 per cent of its produce from in and around Greater London."
That pretty much sums up what Konstam is all about.
[box]Essentials: A three course dinner for two at Konstam will cost approximately £60, and a bottle of wine costs from £15.50. The restaurant is close to King's Cross St Pancras Station. 2 Acton Street, London, WC1X 9NA, England.[/box]
Quality
Value
Ethics
Green
