Kanteen Restaurant, K West Hotel

W14 0AX

London

Richmond Way

K West Hotel & Spa

Known for luring in spa fans, and playing host to the odd music industry bash, K West Hotel sits back from the hubbub of Shepherd's Bush on Richmond Way. With its clientele falling somewhere between rock star and spa junkie, it seems fitting that K West's restaurant Kanteen, has launched a Saints & Sinners menu.

If you're feeling defiantly decadent, the sinners menu delivers with indulgent dishes such as fried Camembert, chicken liver parfait and triple decker club sandwiches. It's more virtuous cousin offers up saintly alternatives in the shape of salmon & sea bream timbale and slow poached chicken. Thankfully, if you're feeling both saintly and sinful you don't have to despair – hopping between menus is perfectly allowed. Whilst we sat studying both menus, some bread arrived at the table along with a gorgeous bowl of garlicky, sun-dried tomato tapenade. Probably a saintly dish when it comes down to the ingredients, but with a sinfully good amount of flavour and the ability to ward off vampires for sure.

I indulged my dark side with the Asian-style fried chicken dumplings, which came with a rich teriyaki dipping sauce and tasted wonderfully savoury and tasty. As sinful starters go, I'm sure the calorie count scored more points than a bowlful of green leaves, but it tasted great and far from unhealthy. My main meal was another steal from the sinners menu. Seared hake fillet with spinach, potato cake, a poached egg and hollandaise sauce appeared before me, looking well...to be honest, quite healthy. Okay hollandaise sauce won't get you any brownie points at the pearly gates, but I'm pretty sure if God were a chef, he'd let this one onto the menu. Again it tasted far from unhealthy, and worked well as an all round meal with protein, carbohydrates and veg thrown in too. Well, even rock stars have to eat well occasionally.

Bizarrely I found myself hankering after the saintly dessert list, and finally decided on an apparently 'innocent ending' in the form of a crispy apple tart with honeycomb ice cream. No matter how innocently you say that last sentence, 'crispy', 'tart' and 'honeycomb' just don't sound innocent, but I wasn't complaining! It tasted suitably luxurious and probably made it onto the virtuous menu by the skin of its teeth. There are definitely a few items on each menu that could swap places when it comes to their healthy credentials, but in terms of taste Kanteen wins, however you decide to behave.

A meal for two with wine, will set you back by around £70.00.

**Kanteen:** K West Hotel & Spa, Richmond Way, London, W14 0AX.

**Reviewer:** Helenka Bednar