Balans, Kensington ? Review
Peter Morrell relaxes in this popular bar / restaurant
Balans is a mini chain of restaurants with branches in Miami and London. They aim at the diner who wants good food and a casual drink in a relaxed atmosphere at any time of the day. I went to the Kensington branch, strategically placed in the High Street, for all those needing a rest after some intensive retail therapy.
Tables outside for an alfresco coffee begin the options which once inside offer a comfortable bar area to enjoy a drink and the main restaurant at the back. The dining space is mix of chairs, banquettes and booths. It has simple decor with a wooden floor, mirrors and paintings on the walls and the room is lit with a conservatory roof which makes it feel light and fresh.
For an aperitif there is a good list of cocktails both classic and frozen and a choice of international beers. The menu has been designed for a range of lifestyles offering an all day breakfast, salads and sandwiches as well as the more traditional starters and main courses.
Taking a look at the menu the good thing about it is that there are a lot of appealing dishes to choose from. For a starter the plate of Greek dips looked?appetising as did the shredded duck spring rolls and the crab cakes. My dining companion chose the fried squid with garlic mayonnaise and I went for the seared scallops and pork belly with an orange sweet soy glaze.
These were both good dishes, the batter on the squid was crisp and my scallops were moist and the pork was very tender and showed a good depth of flavour.
The salads and sandwiches section had something for every taste from a mackerel and beetroot salad to a crayfish club sandwich, these looked like they would make a very satisfying light meal. Nestling in this section was the Balans 10oz burger, which was my choice for the main. A point to note, I had asked for my burger to be cooked rare but Westminster City Council has banned then being cooked like this. It is not the restaurant?s fault but elf ?n? safety gone mad when you can?t choose how you want your food cooked.
My companion mused over her main course selection, the beer battered haddock with mushy peas almost tempted her as did the sea bass with crushed new potatoes and the rib steak. Her final decision was the salmon fishcakes with poached egg.
My burger was a serious size meal loaded with cheddar cheese, streaky bacon in a house baked sesame bun with pickles and salad. Accompanied by some very good hand cut chips it was very satisfying. My companion?s fishcakes had plenty of salmon in them, were well seasoned and had a crispy coating
The wines are well priced from about ?16 to around ?30 with most of them being available by the glass. The selection is drawn from producing countries world-wide and there is something to suit every preference. We drank the non vintage rioja Castillo de Clavijo from Spain. It had strong cherry notes in the bouquet which transformed into vanilla spice on the palate. The fruit, spice and tannin were all well balanced giving it a velvety smoothness and a lingering aftertaste.
The dessert menu offered some interesting options, from the super sticky banoffi sundae made with dulce de leche, banana, amaretti biscuit and vanilla ice cream to the more sedate chocolate macaroon with fresh raspberries.? My companion was full but I had just enough space for the salted caramel ice cream which was good and creamy.
As the evening progressed and the light from the conservatory roof faded candles were lit on the tables making the atmosphere cosier so as the time of the day changes so does the mood of the restaurant.
Balans has a number of branches in the London area including Earls Court and in two of the Westfield centres. The branch you may be the most interested in visiting is in Old Compton Street, Soho. The private booths at the back of the restaurant have become a favourite?the likes of?Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Kelly Rowland. The booths are the perfect place to start or end your night like an A-lister and if you want to make it a late one the full menu is served until 6am.
Whatever the time of day Balans has a food and drink option to match, from a coffee at eleven to a light lunch at one, some post shopping refreshment at four or relaxing evening out. The brassiere style food is well cooked and plentiful, service is brink and efficient, it?s good value for money and the mood reflects the time of day.
Expect to pay around ?45 per head for a three course meal with drinks and service
Balans
187 Kensington High Street
London
W8 6SH
020 7376 0115
balanshsk@balans.co.uk
Review date 14th August 2012
Source: http://www.aboutmygeneration.com/?p=11792
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