Bloomsbury Street Kitchen is an aesthetic small-plate dining restaurant in the heart of London serving exquisite Japanese and Mediterranean dishes and a wide range of flavours of wines, sake, and signature cocktails. The restaurant's location is perfect for enjoying a relaxed dining experience with a partner, friend, or family because it is only moments away from some of London's most famous theaters, museums, and shops.
We noticed Mediterranean gardens and Japan's minimalist style influenced the restaurant's design as we entered the place. Herbs and plant life, such as Mediterranean olive trees and Japanese sago palms, provide a dynamic and dramatic atmosphere both inside and outside. At the same time, Italian-glazed porcelain tiles are used with exposed brickwork. However, I want to point out that the restaurant's entrance is inside the Bloomsbury Hotel. It was hard for us to find it, and we had to walk all around the hotel to find the door. As we got inside the restaurant, the anxiousness of not finding the door replaced the stunning and beautiful interior design inspired by the fusion of Japanese and Mediterranean styles. Additionally, the table and booths are arranged beautifully and aesthetically.
As for the food, overall we were satisfied. The menu has a delectable selection of contemporary Mediterranean and Japanese cuisine. We first ordered spicy chicken gyros served with chilli fries and tzatziki to start our meal. The food was absolutely delicious. The kofta, which tasted like an elevated kofta, is not one that you'd really find on the streets. The bread was fresh, unique bread. Although one wouldn't expect the price to be as high as it was just for the kofta alone, it felt justified since the kofta was really toothsome.
We were actually surprised to find the kofta on the menu in a Japanese fusion place, but it was interesting to have that option. However, it probably would have been better to have been guided towards more traditional dishes. Because they are a fine dining restaurant and do have fine dining dishes, having that kofta as an option is quite attractive to somebody coming in to buy because it looks very familiar compared to other more adventurous dishes. They tasted delicious, but they’d require more adventurousness from the customers and thus more explanation from the servers.
Next, we got to try their seared beef tataki with truffle ponzu under the contemporary Japanese menu. The beef tataki was beautiful, delicate, and very thin meat that just kind of melted into your mouth. Really delicious, high-quality dish. The seasonings added to it, the parmesan, and the squeeze of lemon put into it made it really quite nice.
Lastly, Pomme et Poire was perfect to end the meal. It is pear and apple tarte Tatin topped with Tahitian vanilla ice cream. The tarte was also absolutely delicious; the vanilla bean ice cream was nice, the actual tarte itself was light, and the sweetness and savouriness between the desserts were perfect.
Although the dishes are commendable, the service really needs to work out. When we went in there, the service was very slow and inattentive. For instance, they actually forgot one of our dishes; we'd ordered the Halloumi Kofta as well, but they completely forgot about it. The management was very responsive when we notified them of what happened. Also, although the restaurant's ambience is lovely, they need not forget the smaller party and make sure to be as attentive to them as they are for larger parties. They seemed a little overwhelmed when they had large parties, and the servers blamed the kitchen, so they did not seem to be coordinated. Overall, the service needs to be improved. They definitely need to work on the coordination between the servers and the kitchen.
All in all, I would certainly recommend the Bloomsbury Kitchen to anyone to give it a try. The food was delicious, and that's absolutely the reason to go back again.
