Kettner’s owes its name to Auguste Kettner, who as chef to Napoleon III, opened up a restaurant 1867. A ‘Soho institution’ that has seen the likes of Agatha Christie and Oscar Wilde passing through its doors, the restaurant has been through several reincarnations including that of a pizza parlour. The latest transformation took place in 2008 when it was extensively refurbished in its current guise as a restaurant and champagne bar.

Interior designer Ilse Crawford has created a rococo-style décor which has been softened with muted lighting to maximise the allure of the various objets d’art that graces the grand dining room and champagne bar. Large windows allow a bird’s eye view of all the Soho street activity.

The food is French/European, and we started with a grilled quail with orange and pomegranate salad (£7). The quail was nicely cooked, leaving the flesh moist, but the skin had been charred to the point where it was slightly burnt. It was also very peppery, which left a heavy pepper aftertaste. The salad was fresh, but it was overwhelmed by too much orange dressing.

Grilled quail, orange & pomegranate salad

Another starter of pork & rabbit terrine with homemade piccadilli (£9) was pleasant but unremarkable.

Pork & rabbit terrine, homemade piccalilli

A main of roast venison (£17) was tender and succulent. It was accompanied by a port and quince sauce that had a delicate sweetness. However the consistency of the sauce was too runny and further reduction would have served to intensify its flavour.

Roast venison, port & quince casserole

A roast cod (£14.50) was delightfully moist and flaky. However, the accompanying grain mustard sauce let the dish down as the strong use of mustard overpowered the delicacy of the cod. A side of potato and apple gratin was decent, although you couldn’t detect the taste of apple in it.

Roast cod, apple & potato gratin, grain mustard sauce

To finish, a steam ginger pudding with ginger anglaise (£6) had a delightful zingy ginger flavour. The anglaise was deliciously light and creamy, although the texture of the pudding was very dense and heavy.

Ginger pudding with ginger anglaise

A dessert listed as champagne granite (£7) on the dessert menu unexpectedly turned out to be a fruit salad that had been topped with champagne granite, rather than a whole serving of granite. The dessert was refreshing, but being fruit salad, it was, well, fruit salad.

Champagne granita

Service was friendly and pleasant.

Overall, this was a rather average meal. There were some aspects of the cooking which demonstrated good skills, but no one plate gelled to produce a complete dish that was fully satisfying. As a one off it was fine to try, but Kettner’s isn’t a place I would choose to frequent again. The champagne bar looks gorgeous though, so it might be a nice place just for a drink.

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Summary information

Food rating: [xrr rating=2.5/5]
Service rating: [xrr rating=3/5]

Price range: Three courses – £23 to £38. Excludes drinks and service.
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Website: http://www.kettners.com/