Karpo, Kings Cross, London – Review

First impressions of Karpo are excellent. Set in Kings Cross the area is energetic and always alive; this is how we found the restaurant to be when we stepped inside. The walls are adorned with splashes of colour and graffiti, yet, there is a charm and warming atmosphere to the place.

Firstly, I would certainly recommend this as a great place to have a cocktail and then move onto a casual, yet fun meal. The food is energetic and innovative, to some extent mirroring the Kings Cross area at present. But there were a couple of faults with breakfast to be found, which would make me a little hesitant to return so quickly.

The menu is fairly concise but actually eclectic in its range of offerings. Fresh, innovative and interesting flavour combinations seem to be the word of the day here. To kick off we went for the hand dived scallop ceviche and complete with a crispy veal shin. The scallops served in a jasmine tea sauce, white soy and black radish, was perfectly balanced and left us wanting more. The texture of the shin also complimented the scallop beautifully – making a brilliant dish.

It should be mentioned that the menu is ever changing with the seasons and dishes regularly change. On our visit we went for the roast venison (perfectly cooked I must add), with salt baked celeriac and a deep chocolate sauce compliment. Personally, the chocolate was slightly too sweet and I found the dish a little rich. However, my partner found the balance just right and loved every mouthful. The jury is out on this dish, but on the whole, I think it was tasty enough to make the over sweetness a minor issue. We also rather enjoyed the belly of pork and scallops – a good alternative to the sweetness of the venison.

We went for a gorgeous bottle of Sauvignon Blanc with this; however, I would also recommend Karpo`s very own beer. It was refreshing and light – just what the doctor ordered for me!
Imagine a carefully stacked and organised plate of chocolate, caramel popcorn, peanut and sea salt, and then you have the makings of the best desert on the menu. A fantastically indulgent and flavoursome offering, the sea salt worked excellently with the sweetness of the caramel and the crunch of the popcorn. Gorgeous.

There is now an exciting new Spring Menu and we implore you to take a look. Our meal that evening was really fun, exciting and relaxed. Overall, the evening meal was of reasonable value in all and we were pleased enough with the flavours to think it was almost bang on with pricing.

Unfortunately, the breakfast experience did not match up to the evening meal and we found it, in all honesty, a little bit disappointing in comparison. If you are staying at the Megaro hotel (see our sister piece), this is where your breakfast is served and although the staff are equally as welcoming, the food just didn`t take off for us. With under cooked, watery pancakes this was a bit of a blot on the restaurant we had previously loved the night before.

Being in a rush, there was little time to have this replaced or recooked and we simply had to take it as it came. On the plus side, the fresh juices on offer were a particularly vibrant and zingy start to the day. But on the whole, breakfast simply didn`t fit the bill here.

For more information, please visit http://karpo.co.uk/