Rebecca Mascarenhas and Phil Howard’s restaurant Kitchen W8 in Kensington, London, marks its 10th anniversary this autumn, having been launched in 2009 by the co-owners.
The 70 seat restaurant, which has held a Michelin star since 2011 and retained again for 2020, has gained a reputation for professional consistency and flair with both its menus and service, making it a firm favourite in the neighbourhood as well as to a wider gastronomic clientele.
The menu from Head Chef Mark Kempson showcases British cooking with French soul.
Born in Reading, Berkshire, Kempson’s first job in 1997 was as Chef de Partie at the Lamb Hotel in Hartley Whitney, before moving to The Mill House in Odiham (1997-99). He then joined Pennyhill Park Hotel in Surrey (2001-4), before moving to The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury, as Demi and then Sous Chef (2004-7). In 2007, Kempson began working at two Michelin-starred The Square, in Mayfair, under Chef Phil Howard. In 2009, he moved from The Square to open Kitchen W8 as Head Chef.
In late 2018, Kitchen W8 underwent a significant refurbishment ahead of its 10th anniversary year. Featuring a pale palette of grey, cream and muted green, the fresh new look has added a lightness to the entire restaurant. Artwork spans contemporary and modern paintings and sculpture from both Rebecca and Phil’s own private collections.
The re-design also includes the introduction of a new private dining room at the front of the restaurant, accommodating up to 14 guests, with Crittall partitions providing clever division of the space from the main part of the restaurant.
To mark the Kitchen W8’s 10th birthday, Mark Kempson has compiled a special seven-course tasting menu to be available from Monday 14 October to Sunday 27 October. It will showcase some of the most popular dishes from the past decade. The menu will be £75pp (£120pp with paired wines). Some of these signature dishes will also be available on the à la carte menu during that week.
