Sonny's Kitchen Barnes

Sonny’s Kitchen is hidden away in Barnes and has been a favourite of West Londoners for many years. If you don’t live around here, you probably would not even know of this place. Let me introduce you.

This local Barnes eatery has been owned by restauranter Rebecca Mascarenhas for a long time and she has recently partnered with Phil Howard, a long time local resident.

Sonny’s Kitchen has recently been refurbished and a new team is in place, headed by the super talented Head Chef Tommy Boland. Tommy previously worked at two star The Square with Phil for 3 years. You can see the fine dining influence on the new menu at Sonny’s.

Chef Tommy Boland, Bagpipe Champion

Sonny’s is made up of a an upmarket deli, a stylish cocktail bar and a charming informal dining room with cosy blazing fires. The night we were there, the restaurant was full and the atmosphere was buzzing with conversations reverberating around the hard surfaces.

Our menu for the evening seemed simple on paper but was far from ordinary. We began with a grilled mackerel with fine potato salad, smoked eel and golden beetroot served with a light Montarels Viognier 2011.

The next course of a creamy wild garlic velouté served with light and crispy ham hock beignet was an absolute delight. I could happily have a plate of the beignet all by itself.

A taste of spring – a perfectly pan fried piece of pollock served with a vinaigrette of razor clams, barba di frate (friar’s beard) and leek hearts. Lovely firm fish with the contrasting salty bites of the barba di frate. and matched with the Seresin, Chardonnay Reserve – Marlborough 2010.

Pan fried pollock with a vinaigrette of razor clams, barba di frate & leek hearts

We then had the rather dramatically dressed roasted haunch of venison with beetroot purée, creamed cabbage, pickled pear & green peppercorns. A really robust dish of meaty venison offset by the sharp beetroot puree. This course was accompanied by a bold bottle of Gigondas, Domaine du Pesquier – Rhône 2009.

We had a surprise pre desert of a tangy tropical fruit salad with passionfruit, pomegranate and papayas topped with a mango sorbet. A great palate cleanser after the rich flavours of the venison dish.

Then the pudding that was on the menu was served, an unctious crème brûlée with griottines cherries. This was served with a very lovely desert wine, the Ch Fayau Cadillac, 2008 – semillon, sauvignon blanc, muscadelle.

It was a delightful meal with so many surprises. I didn’t know what to expect but the culinary talent behind this restaurant really shines through in the food. The cooking is of a standard that you would expect in the more formal fine dining establishments in Central London but how lucky that West Londoners get to enjoy such refined cooking in an informal setting. Sonny’s is also extremely popular for Sunday lunches and is usually full of local families.