Returning to Balans Kensington restaurant was like visiting an old friend who had had a complete image change in the intervening years. My colleagues and I used to come here for a post-work glass of wine of two, sitting squashed into the tall velvet banquettes which lined one wall and made the narrow restaurant look even narrower. Now the banquettes are gone, a skylight has been opened up in the roof making the space a lot lighter and airier, and oh yes, there’s a tree growing out of one of the tables.
The new-look Balans Kensington. And there’s the tree – look closer and you’ll see it’s hung with little keys, the symbol of its members’ club
[Note: my review of Balans Kensington was first published in 2016 so some details might now be out of date]
Having been a Kensington fixture for 15 years, which must be something of a record, Balans has rebranded, refurbed and is keen to attract the new generation of local drinkers. The cocktail list has been totally revamped, so as well as high-end classics such as Death in the Afternoon (Hemingway’s favourite – absinthe and champagne) and the Porn Star martini, there is also a whole range of sours, plus home creations with names such as Slap on the Rum and The Society Teddy Bear (served in a honey bear bottle).
Gone are the old velvet banquettes – the restaurant is now lighter and less cluttered than before
We had the refreshing but powerful gin-based Apples & Pears and Elderflower Collins, and later had a couple of glasses of wine – practically abstemious compared to the old days.
However it was the food we had mainly come to try – it was a working lunch after all – and we weren’t disappointed; the scallops (£9) looked pretty and tasted good and the calamari (£7) was given the thumbs up too.
Cornish scallops with artichoke puree, crisp black pudding and pancetta
The table next to us had all ordered the Infamous Balans Burger (the restaurant’s description, not mine) at £13 and it certainly lived up to its name, all four dishes arriving stabbed straight down the middle with knives so large they were practically machetes – it looked like there had been a burger massacre.
The Infamous Balans Burger… death by machete
We ventured further down the menu instead: my dining companion Jeff chose the red curry (£13.50) which turned out to be a lot more interesting than its simple two word description on the menu, and I went for the tuna (£18) with jasmine rice, garlic, ginger, bok choi and soy. In spite of the dish being called Sesame Tuna I wasn’t expecting to be entirely enveloped in the seeds but it was surprisingly delicious, very juicy, very tender and very fresh.
Red curry with prawns and jasmine rice
Sesame tuna with jasmine rice, garlic, ginger, bok choi and soy
We optimistically thought we could squeeze in a small dessert but when it arrived it turned out to be the biggest slice of banofee pie we’d ever seen. Other options were, like the banoffee pie, all rather dense and sugar: trifle, sticky toffee pudding, warm doughnuts and chocolate tart – something lighter or fruitier might have been nice.
The gargantuan banoffee pie
The service was very friendly and efficient without being pushy and while the restaurant was fairly quiet of a Tuesday lunchtime I can imagine it really takes off in the evenings and at weekends. The brunch menu looked particularly inviting with the ultra-indulgent High Society Eggs Benedict – fresh lobster, avocado and bacon – and the frankly terrifying-sounding hangover cure The Morning After, which contains gin, vermouth, absinthe and the ‘house recovery syrup’. One for my next visit to Balans Kensington maybe..
Fresh lobster, avocado and bacon make up the High Society Eggs Benedict
Balans Kensington, 187 Kensington High Street, W8 6SH
Open daily 8am-12am
020 7376 1115
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