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Sunday, 26 October 2008

The Kitchen at Parson's Green

Last week, Niamh from Trusted Places invited myself and 10 others (amongst them Tom, Helen, Su Lin, Josh, Melanie, Alex and Chris) to an evening at The Kitchen. Newly opened, this place's concept is popular in the US. All you do is pick which dishes you'd like online, turn up, assemble them there, and take it home to cook it. No chopping, no slicing, no peeling and best of all, minimal washing up. Co-owner and Michelin-starred chef Thierry Laborde and his colleagues are on hand to help (and teach me how to pipe mashed potato...).

The operation ran smoothly. We were given sheets with clear step-by-step instructions on how to assemble our dishes and once assembled, we took them over to a fancy machine which sealed them with a plastic wrap and instructions on how to further cook it once you get home. By the time we got back to our work stations, new ingredients for the next dish were ready waiting.

It's a good concept and perfect for those with busy lifestyles but also concerned about the provenance of their food. All the ingredients are of high quality and sourced from independent traders and not wholesale. I don't think I'm the target market as I will make the time to cook, but I can see the attraction. I would recommend picking a day when Chelsea aren't playing at home though; it was a rather unpleasant sweat-a-thon on the tube on the way there.

I immediately cooked up the salmon teriyaki I had assembled when I got home and it was gorgeous. Melt-in-the-mouth salmon, decent teriyaki sauce and mushroom and pak choi stir-fried in sake. I wish I'd made more.

6 comments:

  1. Oooh yes I'd heard of this in the US, didn't know it had come to the UK. Can you give an idea on prices or are they on their website?

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  2. I went to this a few weeks ago and thought it was fun but it is disappointing that they don't give you the recipes of what you have made so that you could make it yourself in the future.

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  3. Kavey - all the prices are on the website, but they average out at around £5 per portion.

    GC - I agree. But perhaps that's what lures you back...?

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  4. Did you feel it good value, per portion?

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  5. It sounds like it could turn into a food fight...

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  6. I'd say so, Kavey. All really high quality ingredients, and restaurant-style tasty too.

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