Lake Como is an area of northern Italy, right on the Swiss border. It’s best known for being visually stunning and the biggest compliment I can give Como Garden in Kensington is that if their aim was to capture the ambience and decor of a garden from that area, they succeeded.
The food is classic and clearly authentic Italian cuisine with a tapas twist and I enjoyed a pleasant and very enjoyable meal.
Nevertheless, I wouldn’t say that the food quite lived up to the atmosphere, which was an admittedly high bar for it to clear.
Como Garden is tucked away slightly, just off the main hustle and bustle of High Street Kensington and it manages to feel both cosy and airy.
We took a small table near the window, and nestled on a sofa near the foliage, you could almost imagine being in Italy rather than London.
It helped that I brought an Italian with me.
We ordered a bottle of wine, a pleasant and crisp Sicilian white, and tackled the menu.
Unfortunately, our server wasn’t particularly knowledgeable and wasn’t able to help us navigate it, but bringing someone who had been to Lake Como earlier this year meant we were fine on our own.
I ordered the ‘saltimbocca romana’ (my friend corrected my pronunciation three times but I think I can say it properly now) which was veal escalopes wrapped in prosciutto with some sides while she had the grilled octopus and a buratta.
The food was delicious and we both very much enjoyed it, but I couldn’t help feeling I hadn’t necessarily gotten the most out of the meal.
In hindsight, I perhaps should have ordered a pasta dish, as the ones I saw looked absolutely wonderful.
We then shared two scoops of ice cream – vanilla and pistacchio – which worked alongside the wine as a nice palate cleanser.
Overall, Como Garden in Kensington comes recommended and feels like a delightful corner of Italy in London.
Featured image courtesy of Como Garden
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