Coquine

Situated in London’s Kensington district, Coquine is a small restaurant and bar offering signature cocktails and Lebanese cuisine. Having recently been taken over by new management however, we were unaware that Lebanese food was being served as the website is yet to be updated with the new menus and pictures! Settling down after our initial surprise, my guest and I perused the menu which had a selection of hot and cold mezes and also main courses. We decided to share a few meze dishes and take on a main course each.

While choosing, we were dutifully served our cocktails; I chose the signature Coquine cocktail which was refreshing and extremely quaffable while a Strawberry Daiquiri was devoured by my guest.

We plumped for meze dishes of grilled halloumi, calamari and vine leaves. Regrettably the vine leaves had run out, and these were substituted by spicy fried potatoes. This choice was made for us in the kitchen, which for us wasn’t a problem, however some diners may obviously wish to make this choice themselves.

The dishes were unusually bought out one by one instead of together as expected. The halloumi arrived first and was excellent; spongy and with a nice charred finish and topped with a cranberry sauce.

However, unfortunately, this was the highlight of the meal, as the following dishes didn’t quite hit these heights. Next came the calamari rings which were good, nicely battered in a fluffy yet crispy coating. Yet the potatoes that followed were a disappointment. Arriving in a dish which was piping hot, the contents were either also piping hot, luke warm, or worse, stone cold. This suggested that they had hastily been warmed up in a microwave. While the flavours were good, having a pot luck pick to get a warm potato was slightly off putting.

For the mains, my co-diner fancied the fillet steak. However we were also informed that this was currently off the menu. As was the lamb burger, which was lucky as neither of us wanted that. Instead, the sea bass was chosen and I selected the mixed grill. These arrived shortly after we finished our last meze dish and unfortunately left my guest wondering whether the sea bass was meant to be served cold or not – it wasn’t. Although cooked, parts were warm whilst others were again stone cold. For £19 this was very disappointing. My mixed grill was tasty but for the £18 price tag was underwhelming; three small kebabs, which although were nicely grilled, ultimately left me wanting more.

The potential is obviously there at Coquine, however it seems that a lack of organisation at the moment is preventing it from fulfilling that potential. Helpful and attentive staff and relaxing surroundings are in place, but the website desperately needs updating and the food needs to have extra care given to it and this place will be a winner.

Excellent music with great decor and a lively atmosphere- perfect for cocktails with friends.