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Chapter One (Kent)

12th May 2015 by Richard Bagnold Leave a Comment

Established South London restaurant that has been in and out of Michelin starred status but with the same, pleasant dining room befitting casual lunches as well as special evening occasions equally

  • 12th May 2015
  • 31st March 2012

This is my second visit to Chapter One and remains a serene and stylish restaurant with its own convenient car park and situated immediately off the A21.  Unfortunately the restaurant lost its Michelin star in late 2014 and the food on this visit did not seem very different at all to my last visit in 2012 (when it held a Michelin star) so I am unsure why this has been removed.  On this visit the food was just as stylish with some very nice moments including the chicken dish being sumptuous and the olive oil mash puree being absolutely wonderful, however the mash was every so slightly too salty and the poached egg in the starter was over cooked resulting in only half being able to mix with the pea velouté.  Service remained very welcoming but quite inconsistent in terms of expediency.  Still a very nice venue if one wishes style and can forgive a lack of polish here and there.

Food Grade: 67%

Poached egg in pea velouté
Salad and black pudding
Garlic risotto
Salmon
Chicken anglaise
Olive oil mash puree
Peanut butter and chocolate
Petits fours
The lunch bill for 3

One Michelin starred at time of this review.  A lovely restaurant with a comfortable and stylish design and handy bespoke car park for diners.  After waiting a while at the door until we were greeted, the cooking was clean and unquestionably skilled but just somehow fell shy of being special.  The cooking was inoffensive in any way, yet I couldn’t help think that there was more to offer.  I left with the feeling of having a pleasant experience but nothing to sing about.  Another visit is merited to give it another go.

Food Grade: 61%

Interior
Fish
Veloute
Pork
Beef
Creamed Mash
Chocolate Cheesecake
White Chocolate
Petits Fours

Location

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  • Food Rating - 64%
    64

Summary

Stylish food.
Stylish Interior.
Suits a casual lunch as well as a special dinner perfectly.

Some technical misses.
Service.

Restaurant Details

Michelin Stars: N/A

Cuisine: Modern

Address: Farnborough Common, Orpington, Kent BR6 8NF

Website: Chapter One

Wine List: Click Here

Telephone: +44 1689 854848

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About Me

meMy hobby-turned-passion began to evolve during my assignments to London where I was fortunate enough to be able to explore all the Michelin starred restaurants in my spare time and as a result, I gradually built up a catalogue of all these venues.

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