The dining room at Maria G's - you can just see the open kitchen at the back and the garden tables outside.
What can you tell us about Maria G's?
This is the latest opening from Robin Gill, who you'll know from The Dairy (now the relocated and renamed Bermondsey Grill), Darby's and Sorella. This time he's gone west, opening Maria G's in Kensington. Here he's teamed up with Aaron Potter (ex Trinity and The Dairy), a chef who he's known for some time but this is the first chance they've had to work together. The menu is specifically inspired by seasonal Italian cuisine (the name itself refers to a place that Gill loved eating at, while working in Southern Italy).
Where is it?
The restaurant takes up the ground floor (and part of the garden) of a smart new-build apartment building in Kensington. It's a short 10-minute walk from Earl's Court tube. If you're coming from there, you'll find signs to the restaurant just after you pass by the Marriott (we got a little turned around trying to find the way in ourselves). It's quite near Olympia, so if you're going there for any event, this will be a very handy place to grab a good meal.
Kicking things off at the bar with some cicchetti - marinated olives (£3.50), sage and anchovy fritti (£4.50, breakfast radish with some amazing bagna cauda (£4) and most importantly...
...don't miss out on these fantastic aged parmesan fries (£5)
Where should we go for a drink first?
There's nothing in the immediate area that springs to mind, so we'd definitely recommend heading to the rather smart bar here and prop yourself up by the counter (maybe ordering a few of their excellent snacks to start with).
And what about the restaurant, where should we sit?
If the weather is decent, then eating in the private garden would be the best recommendation by far; the tables there are in their own little Kensington oasis, well away from the main road.
Otherwise, there are plenty of booths in the main dining room for both small and larger groups, so if you're inside we'd recommend heading for those. If you're coming in a larger group on a decently warm day, then the alfresco chef's table, surrounded by a herb garden is the place to be. It's easily one of the best alfresco private tables we've seen.
Tucked inside the herb garden, you'll find this alfresco chef's table.
Onto the food - what's on the menu?
As mentioned, it's all focused around seasonal Italian cuisine, which means they'll focus on Southern Italy during the spring and summer months and Northern Italy during the autumn and winter. It's a short-ish menu, which we think is actually a strength, and throughout the year, you'll also see the menu adapt over time within each season.
When we visited, here's a look at what was on:
Hand-dived scallop tartare, sunsweet melon, chilli, basil (£16) - the sweetness of the scallop marrying beautifully with that ripe mango.
La Latteria stracciatella, stone fruit, soft herbs, ollve oil (£15) - another dish making the most of the fruit in season right now
Ivy House ricotta agnolotti, purple artichokes, Datterini tomatoes, basil (£15)
Rump of Launceston Farm lamb, goat's curt, broad beans, chilli, mint (£26) - one of the best lamb dishes we've had in a while - just perfectly balanced.
Tonka bean panna cotta, English strawberries (£6.50)
And finishing things off with a very crunchy chocolate and pistachio cannoli (£6)
How is it for vegetarians?
Every section of the menu has a vegetarian dish and, as you can see above, the snacks are all mainly vegetarian too. In addition to the above, another dish was the fresh borlotti bean stew, grilled summer vegetables and salsa verde (£20)
What about drink?
It was early days on the drinks list on our visit with just seven wines (starting at £32 a bottle) and five cocktails (£9.50 - £11, including a grapefruit negroni). The plans are to expand this considerably in the coming weeks, though.
Overall thoughts
While the food on show on our visit was uniformly excellent, its ever-so-slightly hidden-away location means that it's probably not a restaurant to cross town for. If you do make the trek, you'll find a lovely looking restaurant with an enviable garden space and a quite brilliant Italian menu, using truly great produce. And if you're local, then all we can say is lucky LUCKY you having this arrive on your doorstep.
More about Maria Gs
Where is it? Coe House, 1-4 Warwick Lane, London W14 8FN
Find out more: Visit their website and follow them on Instagram @mariagsrestaurant.
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Maria G's. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
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