Looking into the front room (and open kitchen) of Kudu
What do we need to know about Kudu?
If you're a South Londoner, you might already be well aware of Kudu. Over eight years, the couple behind it - Amy Corbin and Patrick Williams - expanded the Kudu group to encompass two restaurants and a cocktail bar in Peckham. All were well respected and much-loved in the area, but that doesn't count for anything if the sums involved don't add up. So they've brought all the businesses together and moved into central London.
Where are they now?
They've taken over the old Aubaine space, opposite La Fromagerie on Moxon Street in Marylebone. As chef patron Patrick said at the time of the announcement, this is "a larger site with a bigger kitchen [which] opens up so many exciting opportunities". It's certainly now in an area where there's plenty of passing trade, and those passers-by have plenty of money, which always helps.
Kudu on the corner of Moxon and Cramer Streets.
Where should we meet for a drink first?
Right now you've got the lovely Clarette wine bar around the corner, as well as the newly opened The Hart. But from next month you'll be able to head upstairs to the cocktail bar they're getting ready to open on the first floor.
Along with the upstairs cocktail bar there's also this beautiful private dining room.
Where's the best place to sit?
The dining room here is split into two parts, and we've got to say that the front room with the open kitchen would be our preferred spot. There's a lot of light here (as it's a corner site) and it seemed more of a fun space. If there are just two of you, sitting up at the counter would be a good pick too. But for larger groups, the back dining room would probably be handy.
The rear dining room at Kudu
And what's on the menu?
They describe their offering as "seasonal-led European cuisine with a South African twist". There's a proper South African braai here too, so plenty of dishes get the live-fire treatment. Fans of Kudu will be happy to hear that certain signature dishes have survived the transition, including the amazing pork chop with monkey gland sauce and the peri-peri prawns. But there are plenty of new additions to try too.
Here are our favourite dishes from our weekend lunch at Kudu.
The bread course is an absolute must-have. It comes with a choice of melted butters - we picked the melted brown shrimp butter and the melted Cape Malay butter with curried pickled shallots (£15).
Both the snacks we had from the 'Bites' section of the menu were worth having. The confit leek tartlets (£8 for two were very good) but this was the best.
Smoked prawn crullers with miso and pickled cucumber (£8) - contender for best snack of the year.
We then had two dishes from the braai.
Confit trout with sea greens and a dash velouté (£28) - the main menu at Kudu might be a little meat-heavy but this fish dish was far from a consolation prize.
Beef sirloin with kombu jus (£44) - a beautifully seasoned piece of meat, perfectly cooked on that braai.
Room for dessert?
Honestly you're going to need to either hold back on starters, or access that separate sweets stomach, because the dessert game at Kudu is strong. Groups should definitely opt for the Durban pineapple which not only features spiced pineapple but all the other desserts too, so you get a veritable sweet smorgasbord to enjoy between you. We had these two, which were excellent.
Kudu Kit Kat tart with burnt marshmallow and kumquats (£13) - for this you get a nice bit of tableside theatre where the marshmallow is caramalised in front of you at the table.
Blue cheese canelé with smoked maple sauce (£9) - a dessert that'll be contentious but we absolutely loved it.
Overall thoughts:
Having enjoyed both Kudu and Kudu Grill when they were in Peckham, we were intrigued to see how the Peckham vibes were going to transfer to a much more gentrified space and audience. But they've done a stellar job of keeping the warmth of their offering intact and the larger kitchen here does mean space for more inventive dishes on the menu. It's worth adding that this is a beautiful restaurant. Fabled Studio were also behind Kudu's near neighbour, the new Josephine bistro. Here they've created a gorgeous space that was a delight at lunchtime and which must be quite the scene at dinner.
More about Kudu
Where is it? 7 Moxon Street, London W1U 4EP
How to book? Book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @kudurestaurant
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Kudu. Prices correct at time of publication.
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