The Jones Family Kitchen… an oasis of cool and calm
Summer may well have been delayed, but that’s okay by me.
A red-hot late summer evening called for an oasis of cool and calm. A bustling city-centre restaurant was not what was needed.
Have you heard of that little village, Belgravia? Home to multimillionaires, it’s high-end nature can be a little off putting but I quite like it.
Belgravia provides choices, away from the chains, albeit the posher ones, of Victoria Street.
Eccleston Yards is almost a village, within Belgravia, that seems to have it all.
You can do a work out, buy an outfit and perhaps a gift for a friend, all before sitting down for something to eat. This is my kind of place.
The Jones Family Kitchen conjures up images of at least two generations of a family working side by side.
This was the only disappointment of the night.
There is no meaningful history attached to the name, the owners’ surnames were not used.
The restaurant was empty as diners filled the terrace.
My friend and I were lucky enough to secure a table. It was happy hour, and Frozen Margaritas were ordered to combat the heat.
Twenty minutes later, and still reeling from the warm air, we ordered two more, and a jug of water.
Jones is renowned as a steak house but given the pescatarian company I was keeping, we decided to dine tapas style and mostly plant based.
Crispy Courgette – courgette fritti – served with Sriracha mayonnaise – was a great idea but we couldn’t finish it.
Spicy Fried Squid was delicious but not spicy. Crispy, fried rings, easy to dip into cayenne pepper, paprika and lime mayonnaise, was gone in minutes.
Garden Plate was a last minute choice because Tuna Tartare was unavailable but turned out to be the dish of the night.
Aubergine tartare, seasonal vegetables, Jerusalem artichoke, lentils, pumpkin seeds and Taggiasche olives created the most magnificent flavour combination.
Artichoke is severely underrated, as a vegetable, so maybe it was this, or the balsamic vinegar glaze with lentils.
We couldn’t quite decide but the overall impact was positive.
In cooler weather, I would more than likely have indulged in Our Potato Menu – taking the diner through the gamut of options from new, to fried, mashed and onward to Bearnaise Dauphinoise.
The jury remains out on the latter. Does a classic dish need to be tinkered with?
THE JONES FAMILY KITCHEN
7-8 Eccleston Yards, SW1W 9AZ
https://www.jonesfamilykitchen.co.uk/
Picture: Refreshing cocktails Picture: Sara Montalbano
The experts of pressed juice have now listened to all the thirsty people out there and are transporting them to the tropics, with the launch of limited edition flavour, sparkling Pineapple & Grapefruit.
Enjoy a taste of the Caribbean in a can, one sip of the sparkling Pineapple & Grapefruit and you’ll be in a tropical oasis wonderland.
Specially pressed for the public, the new flavour is made the Cawston way with simple, clean and honest ingredients.
Each can is made with pressed fruits containing no added sugar or sweeteners, and not from concentrate.
Cawston Press calls this No Jiggery Pokery – straight-talking, no nonsense and no fruit fakery.
Aligning with recent recommendations from The World Health Organization, all Cawston Press products strictly avoid high-intensity sweeteners such as aspartame.
At only 92 calories per drink, meet your new favourite ice cold can for summer sipping.
Available for a limited time only while stocks last, the new flavour is available to purchase now at www.amazon.co.uk and www.cawstonpress.com.
Picture: Cawston Press