Dirty Bones

Posh dog in Kensington

Dirty Bones, a new underground restaurant near High Street Kensington is somewhat a fun concept of serving hot dogs, meat on bones and cocktails in what is known to be one of the poshest addresses in London. Operated by ex-Fat Duck chef Ross Clark, I was curious to see his take on a street food classic and wonder if he could turn it into something exciting like what Honest burger have done with burgers and Chicken Shop with rotisserie chicken.

burger dog

As I am not a big fan of waiting around (Dirty Bones runs a no booking policy for small parties), I went extra early to avoid the queuing madness and managed to get a seating right away for two. The decor has somewhat a speakeasy feel to it with a stylish bar and low levels of lighting. Starting off with garlic buns, I was wondering why on earth it was served with a raw garlic on the side, what did the restaurant expect me to do with that?! The spiced fried chicken was perhaps the best dish on the night, the batter had great balance of seasoning and the chicken itself was very tender. The beef short ribs on the other hands was decent at best, meat was moist but lacked any flavours within and the bbq sauces tasted rather like something off the BBQ sauces you get from a supermarket shelf.

spiced fried chicken

beef short rib

The hot dogs concept was somewhat boring, basically an inspiration from around the world, adding the local identity to the hot dogs. I expected so much more from an ex-Fat Duck chef, this to me has no creativity and is somewhat lazy. My Frenchie dog was great, the creamy garlic puree and crispy shallots added a lovely earthy and spicy undertone to a well blended celeriac remoulade, the classic flavours worked really well with the dog in a well made brioche bun. Burger dog was not near as good however, the beef bavette was totally lost in a sea of mustard and ketchup, the sauces completely dominated everything and it wasn't very pleasant.

Frenchie

coffee and doughnut

I wasn't really impressed with the food overall, the dessert was again average but lacked any edge. Overall I expected a little more, considering when price comes into factor, but the place does have a great ambience with its modern decor and service which was also outstanding. I just couldn't help but think that even though the food was nothing special, the Shoreditch style vibe with its posh dogs concept are more than enough to become a success in Kensington due to the lack of any real competition in the area.

Food 4
Service 6
Ambience 7
Value 4

£23 per head with soft drink


20 Kensington Church Street, LondonW8 4EP

http://dirty-bones.com/