With all the fuss about Boulud and Viajante, the opening of The Jam Tree might have slipped under your radar. There’s no celeb chef involved and the location, just round the corner from Kensington Olympia, isn’t exactly W1. The trio that own it have connections to Aquum, Pacha, and DJ Judge Jules, so we half expected a moody lounge bar with a thumping Ibiza-style soundtrack. Thankfully, they have just given an unloved pub called The Priory a sympathetic makeover, leaving the handsome copper bar in place. There are some gastropub design standards, like the leather banquettes and mismatched antique furniture, alongside quirkier touches like the Warhol-inspired jam pot painting above the bar and the science lab bench tables.
The menu promises ‘Great British dishes with colonial favourites from Malaysia, South Africa and India’. This could go one of two ways, we thought, and one of those ends with a Chinese on the way home. Sadly, things didn’t start well with some ‘spiced Cornish crab samosas’ that weren’t all that spicy and had no discernible crab flavour. The cucumber raita and zingy tomato and onion cachumber were nice but not enough to save the dish. Damn.
Across the table, shards of greaseless crackling went flying and a slab of meltingly tender pork belly was declared ‘the best bit of pig I’ve eaten since Belfast’. The ‘colonial’ influence, this time from Malaysia, was lurking underneath in the form of a fiery aubergine sambal and cooling shredded cucumber. We also shared a decent slice of homemade chicken, asparagus and truffle terrine with some tiny cornichons, a perky salad topped with ultra-fresh broad beans and wild garlic flowers, and best of all, a vivid green pea puree. Chef James Browne (ex-The Settle Inn, The Well) shared the secret - butter, and plenty of it. We should have guessed.
After the globe-trotting starters, we went trad-Brit with the mains and this time I chose the winning dish. In celebration of all things Spring, plump sweet scallops were paired with crisp potato and pea croquettes, samphire and a wild garlic cream sauce. The pungent leaves, beloved of chefs and foragers, didn’t overwhelm the dish and the scallops, whilst on the small side, were perfectly caramelised on top and creamy within. My companion’s lamb rump - served simply in its own delicious pan juices - came with more seasonal goodies like Jersey Royals, broad beans and peas that had retained that freshly podded flavour.
Dessert was unnecessary but not impossible, so we shared a slice of chocolate and hazelnut tart with a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream. It was good, if not mind-blowing, and a welcome sweet note to end on.
The menu, with its colonial influences, could have been a car crash but thankfully they’ve kept things simple with just seven mains and no sign of any ill-advised ‘fusion’ dishes. There’s a steak and a burger on offer, if you really must, but there’s also a curry and a classic sea trout with caper butter. The wine list was put together by expert Tim Kitchener-Smith and lists some reasonably priced by-the-glass options. The bar is well stocked and there are a handful of tables outside if you just want to swing by for a drink, but if you visit The Jam Tree and don’t eat, you’re missing out.
The nearby Bird in Hand and Havelock Tavern will need to seriously raise their game to compete with this smart newcomer. (The former, on our visit, was dingy and needed a good clean). If you live locally, or you’re in town for an expo at Olympia, seek out The Jam Tree and give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.
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