The Abingdon is a metaphor for Kensington itself: solid, dependable, tasteful & well upholstered. A pleasantly appointed bar gives on to a Homes & Garden-style dining room of stripy banquettes, though the best seats are in a third room, where red leather booths sit under a skylight: a bit like a cross between a railway carriage & a diner. The Mediterranean-meets-Asian menu offers the tried & trusted with a hint of adventure: pan-fried squid & prawn salad with red curry & coconut sauce, followed by grilled pork chop with roasted vegetables & rosemary jus, & soured cherry & chocolate cheesecake to finish are among the consistently good dishes that always taste superb. Proximity to EMI records ensures theres always a buzz but what really makes the great atmosphere here are the very friendly staff.

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HARDENS Restaurant Guide

“ Lovely” Kensington backstreet bar-cum-restaurant, offering “well-priced and sensible food”, get a booth if you can – they’re “great for business or for intimate dining.”

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ZAGAT Restaurant Guide

Like your favourite sweater and jeans, this lively Kensington haunt is always comfortable, from the warm vibe and welcoming staff to consistently good Modern European cooking; if pessimists pronounce it passe, all concede its exactly the kind of place you want to hang out on a rainy Sunday.

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TIMEOUT

When does a made-over pub cease to be a pub? The current decor at the Abingdon is nothing like a pub: light, jaunty, quirkily retro – including intimate booths straight from a 1940s American bar – and suitably elegant for its Kensington setting. It does maintain a separate drinking area, however.

The lengthy menu is mostly Modern European-Mediterranean, with a few Pacific Rim and Caribbean touches; dishes tend to be quite busy, and feature enjoyable combinations of flavours ahead of great culinary subtlety. A summer salad of apple, beetroot and goat’s cheese with pecans, rocket, and maple and balsamic dressing was a case in point – lots to like, but there would have been still more if the main ingredients had been better. Jamaican jerk chicken with sweet potato purée and tomato and ginger chutney was rich and sweet rather than spicy, while pan-fried sea bass with celeriac mash, tomato relish and dill dressing was the best of our choices, and very nicely balanced.

To finish, there are some fun desserts, such as Irish coffee semifreddo with praline shards. Service is friendly, and a well-priced, global wine list helps things along.