Well, it’s draughts, actually, for chef Ben Murphy’s new menu concept, but hey, they’re the same shape as chips, and “Place & Draughts” doesn’t work as a pun…
And moving swiftly on from the sub-editor’s plight, Kensington’s Launceston Place has a new menu concept. That’s a pairing of words that normally terrifies and annoys us here at Lusso Towers but, given the restaurant in question, we’ll let it go.
Over the years, Launceston Place has pretty much defied categorisation and expectation. It’s been – and remains – a West London stalwart. It’s been – and remains – something of an address book secret. It’s been a safe bet to take your parents to, and at the Michelin-starred cutting edge of London cooking.
These days, this ironically well-known hidden gem is just a damned fine restaurant, under the guidance of young chef patron Ben Murphy who this year steered Launceston Place into the 100 Best Restaurants list. They also have, alongside the regular tasting experiences, one of the most playful, tailor-made meal options in The Phyllis Menu.
Named after Murphy’s grandmother, the Phyllis Menu is designed in the style of a draughts board – a homage to the game he played with her as a child. You remove all the pieces from the board to reveal the potential dishes available, then cover the dishes you don’t want.
Dishes include cod glazed with nori served with a radish rose and filled with a hidden nori and coriander oil; and tender rabbit stuffed with rabbit mousse and foie gras foam, alongside carrots cooked three ways and olives. Want to eat all meat though? All fish? Only puddings? You can do that too.
1A Launceston Place, London, W8 5RL, tel: 020 7937 6912
Neil Davey
Neil Davey is a freelance writer specialising in things you can do sitting down, but mostly eating, drinking, travelling and interviewing the odd famous person. The author of The Bluffer's Guide To Chocolate, Neil also writes for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Metro, Delicious Magazine, Sainsbury's Magazine, Escapism, Foodism and Hello!. Thanks to a karaoke machine in Montana, he once told a billionaire that he loved his sweet little pussycat nose and sang I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For with a Hollywood star, in the space of 15 minutes. He now generally stays away from karaoke machines in Montana.