Review: Kona, St. James’ Court Hotel — Her Favourite Food & Travel

May 22

May 22 Review: Kona, St. James’ Court Hotel

Style Points: 4/5
Price: £££
Overall: 2/5

Winding through the corridors and buildings of St James’s Court Hotel, I wondered if we would ever discover the elusive Kona. Eventually, after walking through the pretty outdoor courtyard, we entered a small understated restaurant that gave off an air of elegance.

The décor is neutral in tone and not too exciting but then I am not sure what I was to expect from a hotel restaurant as they never seem to want to make a statement.

There are several menus to choose from in Kona including a Vegetarian Decouverte (translated as discovery) which offers a selection of vegetarian dishes that can be found on the Dinner Menu. There is also a 24 Carat Gold Afternoon Tea which looks interesting as gold is incorporated into every element. My fellow diner (non-veggie) and I chose three dishes each from the dinner menu although we were lucky enough to receive a few extras too.

Would I Want Seconds?

Once seated we were treated to warm hot rolls served with butter and salt, olives with popcorn and an amuse bouche of cauliflower soup which seemed to be served in a double shot glass. It was topped with cauliflower foam (a favourite in TV cooking shows at the moment) and on first taste the only flavour I experienced was pepper. However once I got past the foam there was a warm smooth cauliflower soup which was surprisingly pleasant.

To start, I ordered the celeriac soup served with green apple, black truffle and hazelnut. It was presented without the soup which was then poured from a teapot by my waiter. Unfortunately the amount poured wouldn’t fill a teacup and I managed to eat about 3 spoonfuls of the sparse starter. I started to wish I had saved my bread roll which I had already devoured as, whilst the dish was tasty, it was far too small and I didn’t particularly enjoy the cold truffle in the centre.

Celeriac soup

After deliberating for a while I chose my main course with reservations. The principle reason for this was due to the element of cauliflower couscous being served with the oyster mushrooms. I have recently discovered, whilst attempting the 5:2 diet, that cauliflower rice is a cheap low calorie alternative to carbs. I therefore wondering how they could be offering an upmarket version of what must be the same thing. The course turned out to be tame and too small once again. Two mushrooms sat on either side of my plate resting on the cauliflower with a coating of hollandaise sauce. Now, I like hollandaise sauce and mushrooms as much as the next person but how this could fill me up and satisfy me as a main course I do not know.

The dessert was the minor triumph of the evening as there was significantly more on my plate and not many people can go wrong with chocolate for afters. There were different shapes to look at along with the varying flavours of orange gel and sorbet. It was a satisfying end to the meal but I was still left wondering where I could stop for chips on the way home.

It concerns me that maybe ‘Nouveau Cuisine’ is lost on me and maybe I should have enjoyed this as fellow guests around me were. However I believe that Kona are not offering vegetarians food of the same calibre as those who eat meat or fish, as my fellow diner’s dishes seemed more substantial and she was less disappointed than myself.

Could I Afford Seconds?

You might struggle to afford seconds in Kona although you may well be left wanting some. Starters range from £7 to £10 whilst main dishes are from £12 to £18, however luckily the vegetarian dishes are the former price.

Whilst this isn’t too bad for a place that sees itself as ‘simplistic, yet extravagant with flavour’, the amount offered per dish is just not worth the price.

Overall: 2/5

I unfortunately was unimpressed with Kona from a vegetarian perspective. The meal felt uninspired and lacklustre to me and whilst the service was satisfactory and the atmosphere was quite upmarket yet relaxed, it is not somewhere that I will return to in a hurry. Perhaps if you eat meat or fish then you would see where your money is going however I think there are better alternatives out there to experience.