Camden Kitchen – Stunning Food – Soggy Biscuits

I started this blog to help me discover great food right on my own door step and that is what happened when I stumbled in to the Camden Kitchen on a cold late January evening. I always feel sorry for restaurants at this time of year because everybody is broke and eating out is the last thing most people can afford after the excess of Christmas but despite all that the place was packed and it was easy to see why. The menu was packed full of stuff that I wanted but the value of the €23 set menu with delicious dishes could not be ignored. I started with soup which as you can see above came beautifully presented and with absolutely delicious home made bread. The only complaint and it's not a bad thing is because of the way the soup was served it stayed hot forever but that is not the worst thing in the depth of winter. Another starter was the beautifully presented haddock croquettes which were tasty without living up to their presentation.

Next up I went for a belly of pork with black pudding and mustard mash and smoked bacon. Any dish that has three types of pork is always going to be a winner with me and this was winter fare at it's best.The tiny sprig of broccoli on top seemed a little lost with it's big bad unhealthy bedfellows but all in all a super dish.

By this stage the place was buzzing, the food amazing, well priced and the service swift and friendly. And then it all went wrong...I went for a dessert of Madeline biscuits with brandy ice cream and caramel sauce. The biscuits are well known as one of the hardest things to cook well and these ones fell flat on their face. Stodgy. Fatty. Heavy and quick frankly disgusting. The ice cream and sauce were delicious though.

The half empty plates sat on the table for 25 minutes without any next step and we ended up just having to grab somebody for the bill. Most people wouldn't have noticed as they supped the last of their wine and the place buzzed around them but I was drinking a coke and wanting to get some work done so it just annoyed me. It's such a shame that one out of six dishes was a bit of miss and the service took a little long at the end because this was a wonderful food experience in a quite unexpected location. It just goes to show that the margins between brilliant dining experiences and 7.5/10 experiences can be a few heavy biscuits at the end of the meal. I'd strongly suggest you try this place though because the food is outstanding and it has a great non poncy buzz about it. Great value too but just avoid the Madeline biscuits.

Don't Just Take My Word For It

I only eat in the place once and they could just be playing a blinder or having an off night. Here are some more reviews to give you a balanced opinion... Lucinda OSullivan Spotted by Locals Fork and Cork