Como Garden, an Italian tapas restaurant from the team behind Zuaya London, occupies a prime spot at the tip of High Street Kensington; a stone’s throw from Kensington Palace and Gardens. Stepping inside, you may wonder whether you’ve wandered into an actual garden: there is a superabundance of frondescence and shrubbery emanating from every surface. Inspired by the picturesque and sensational scenery of the magical Lake Como in Northern Italy, Como Garden’s interiors feature eye-catching foliage displays, hanging baskets fo plants and Italian Renaissance style statues. Reminiscent of the impressive botanical gardens in Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo, Como Garden is a romantic enclave with a show-stopping olive tree at the heart of the dining room, providing the perfect backdrop to a date or a leisurely lunch or dinner with friends and family.
The menu celebrates classics from across all of Italy’s major regions, with the dishes designed to be shared. All of the dishes employ the best and freshest produce, sourced directly from Italy. The star of show is undoubtedly the pasta, which is handmade on the premises, and which tastes as fresh as if you were eating it on a piazza in Italy. The menu features a wide variety of meat, fish, and vegetarian options, with a strong focus on seasonal flavours.
I visited one wet and windy night at the start of January with my best friend, T. In direct contrast to the dismal weather, the cozy environment at Como Garden was instantly welcoming, and we were shown to our own comfy banquette booth, located under the boughs of the central olive tree. The interior design is seriously impressive, and for the three hours we were there, we might as well have been on the banks of Lake Como.
We both began with classic Italian antipasti: arancini with parmesan and fontina cheese for T, and caponata for me. We enjoyed our starters immensely: the caponata was rich with a umami tanginess, and the roasted pine nuts added a nice element of textural contrast. The arancini were delightfully crisp and chewy.
Next up: fish dishes for both of us. We heeded the advice of the friendly maitre d’, who recommended the king prawn and datterino tomato spaghetti and seabass all mugnaia. The seabass was flaky and outstandingly fresh, and the king prawns were declared a triumph by T (I have never known T not to order prawns when they are on the menu, so I trust her judgment on the subject).
We perused the pudding menu. The options were too good to resist, so I went for the torte di mandorle, which was served with an unctuous scoop of homemade pistachio gelato (utterly moreish and worth every calorie), and T had the Como signature meringue torta, which looked and tasted exquisite.
All told, we had a great evening, and what was particularly remarkable was the buzz in the restaurant: it was busy from the moment we arrived at 7pm until we left several hours later. For a midweek on a bleary evening at the start of January, that is quite an achievement. Given the inimitable decor, warm ambience, excellent food and stellar service, however, it makes perfect sense. For a little slice of Lake Como in the heart of Kensington, look no further.
Como Garden, 37-45 Kensington High St, London W8 5ED
Phone: 020 7937 7287
