Italian Glitz at Kensington’s Grand Caffé Concerto

By Aku Fu

If you’re at the Natural History or V&A museums and can’t be bothered to brave the massive cafeteria queues, then a good option for a quick bite is just down the road.

Having come under new Lebanese ownership, Caffé Concerto, although serving alcohol, now offers a fully Halal menu.

The good thing is that it has several branches – one in Westfield and another in Knightsbridge.

This one in Kensington has a cheesy, glitzy, glamorous almost 1920’s look, making you feel like you’re in a pricey place… which it is!

Although the menu is not very avant-garde, it’s more like your local cafe with a lot of Italian and Continental options, and some good sandwiches.

Although in truth, there’s nothing here you haven’t seen before, it’s just nice to see it all halal for once.

We went for steak and lobster to share, a steak ciabatta, and lamb shank on a bed of mash potato.

Lobster and Beef for Two £41.95

The steak and lobster were both flavourless.

The small steak, although tender, was cold, and seemed cooked from frozen.

And I can’t say the lobster was any different either.

The sauces that came with it only added moisture. Conclusion: waste of 41 quid!

Both the above came with boring chips.

Lamb Shank £14.75

Lemon Juice with Mint £4.35

The lamb shank was more wholesome, and created many a pleasurable comment and gasp.

The thick and hearty mash potato rested in a generous moat of gravy alongside a tender falling-off-the-bone shank.

And yet, having had a hundred of these over the years, it was in the end just another.

If this, however, will be your first ever shank, then you won’t be disappointed, I think.

We also ordered the fresh inhouse lemon juice with mint, which, though very tangy and worth ordering, was not nearly worth the “5 dollar milkshake” it cost.

The ciabatta main was unceremoniously finished and sufficiently filled a hole – nothing more.

In hindsight, although I wish we had gone Italian, it does leave the option of trying for other things in the future.

Steak Ciabatta with Chips £13.50

But, I would say that the menu is too big and so doesn’t allow them to focus on quality over quantity.

The starters and drinks are very lack lustre, and I wasn’t too happy about the price tag either (that includes that annoying 12.5% discretionary service charge).

Staff were friendly though, helping to appease a moany toddler with a couple of on-the-house pristine macaroons which she gobbled up without sharing (and without the change of taking a snap).