Manuka Kitchen — Restaurant in London

Manuka Kitchen is an intimate restaurant in Fulham focusing on fresh, responsibly sourced ingredients and well crafted, beautiful dishes. We visited for dinner to try their a la carte menu.

Highlighting their focus on seasonal ingredients, we were offered an off menu rhubarb bellini. It was a pleasure to see the chef using a jar of fresh rhubarb perched on the counter top. It was subtle in the flavour of the rhubarb and not overly fruity or sugary.

We tried the Smoked salmon with blood orange,& radish (£8.50) and the roasted cauliflower with crispy shallots and romesco sauce (£8). The salmon with the blood orange made for an incredibly fresh combination and the cauliflower dish hit the spot with it’s earthy flavour and hearty sauce.

We opted for the Oven roasted hake, puy lentils and black garlic aioli (£17.50) and the Seabass with fennel pollen, cauliflower and broad bean (£17). The fish for both dishes was perfectly cooked and flaky and there were pops of delicious flavours and texture.

We particularly enjoyed the black garlic aioli which had a lovely intense, slightly smokey flavour. The dishes were light and fresh and perfect for spring/summer dining.

Having enjoyed the rhubarb bellini earlier we opted for the Rhubarb creme brulee (£6.50). We also tried the Bitter chocolate and blossom honey truffles (£6). The creme brulee was incredibly satisying to crack through and had a perfectly caramelised top layer, creamy filling and a fruity addition of rhubarb at the bottom which made for a lovely twist. The truffles were also a real hit with dark and intense flavours. Served with fantastically crunchy honeycomb and blueberries, it cut the richness of the chocolate perfectly.

Manuka Kitchen is a delightful neighbourhood restaurant in Fulham. It truly excels in creating fresh, light dishes that showcase ingredients really well. All the dishes we ordered were thoroughly enjoyable and the care placed in the preparation of the dishes was evident, as was the quality of the ingredients. T

There is a great set menu deal for lunch and early dinners and brunches which look great too! Manuka Kitchen certainly hits the mark and we would recommend the restaurant for a...

Probably one of the worst food experience ever had in London, especially when comparing the actual results to the expectations dictated by misleading photographs and unrealistic marketing promotions. The venue is rather small (some might say cosy) yet the extraction system is totally absent, pregnating the place with an old fried fish smell which immediately attack your clothes (unfortunately there is no physical separation between the kitchen and the sitting area and with no extraction the situation is unbearable). The menu is pretentious and unrealistic, causing once again incredible disappointment: the starters were less than impressive (A. three frozen prawns served half raw on a bunch of raw spinach leaves and B. a couple of beetroot slices on a bed of yogurt). The mains were less than mediocre: A. a dry fish fillet and B. what I could consider the chewiest, toughest piece of meat ever served, nearly impossible to swallow (thankfully served with some chips that made my life a bit less sad). The meat cooking was pretty rare even though I specifically asked for medium. The chimichurry sauce was overpowering and overfilled with garlic. As for dessert my friend wanted to try the tart with peanut butter: to our surprise there was a ball (as big as a large icecream scoop) of peanut butter thrown on top of an extra sugary chocolate tart (my friend had to stop eating it and ask to take it away as she didn't want to offend the owner). Last but not least is the price: Manuka's range is shown as £20-£30 per person (that should be the average of course) yet each main costs more than £20 alone. I shall not describe the state of the kitchen (seen while accessing the toilet) as it would take me another full paragraph. It goes without saying I won't be going back soon and I strongly advice others to avoid it too. I'm truly sorry this was harsh but it was so bad I couldn't...

19/10/24 I had high hopes for this restaurant, especially as it was booked for a special anniversary. Unfortunately, they canceled our original reservation just an hour beforehand, citing a gas issue—certainly not their fault, but incredibly inconvenient given the occasion. They did apologise and promised a complimentary bottle of wine for our next visit, which I thought was a nice gesture.

However, when we rebooked and went, the experience was frustrating from the start. It took over 25 minutes just to get a drink, and there was confusion over our voucher. To make matters worse, they flatly denied ever offering the complimentary bottle of wine, making us feel as though we were somehow in the wrong. It was embarrassing and left us feeling disrespected.

While the food itself was excellent, the service was shockingly slow, especially considering there were only a few other tables. Offering an apology with a complimentary gesture and then refusing to honour it is, in my view, unacceptably poor service. The experience, unfortunately, marred what should have been a memorable...