Stable Talk @ Kensington

Kensington has long been a University area, diverse, cultural and a long list of cheap and cheerfuls, offering to all the Uni students and locals looking for tasty eats. With upcoming developments now and in the near future, the area needs a few more options for those that want something a little more upmarket.

 

A casual café by day to tapas and wine bar by evening, cozy Stable Talk is a warm welcome to Kensington. Opening their doors 5 months ago they are offering some tasty delights and great wines.  As the name suggests, yes there is a lot of horse race theming throughout the restaurant.

 

Dining with friends, because you know tapas is best shared, the wine plentiful and food is delicious and of course the company is wonderful too! We definitely had very enjoyable evening.  The staff are friendly and welcoming.

 

There is a kick ass cocktail list with some fresh new cocktails and the wine list runs with international and local wines (some by the glass) but mostly by the bottle. We have arrived early so a little tipple to start the evening is a must along side a bowl of warm marinated olives. 

 

These plump, briny kalamata olives are addictive!

  

Our dining buddies arrive and a bottle of Lost Turtle, Sauvignon Blanc from, the Marlborough region is opened. The passionfruit notes are crispy and fruity.

The menu is quiet extensive with a few specials thrown in.

We decide to do one of the specials, the fresh spanner crab with tomato tartar.
 

Fresh chunks of crab were swiftly forked up. This was a fresh and light starter.
 

Fried calamari slider with salad of rocket and lemon aioli and a chorizo slider.

 

The fried calamari sliders were pretty good. The slider bun were soft and fluffy. However I think it was the chorizo slider that one person had that was a winner.

Potato Bravas

 

 

I can never go pass a serve of potato bravas. I mean they are fried potatoes!!! These were crispy and fluffy and a generous serve.

 

Salt cod croquettas with lemon aioli

 

 

The salt cod croquettas were crispy and hot but I didn’t think there was a lot of fish flavour. I think I was expecting something saltier. That being said they were tasty enough, just not what I was hoping for.

 

Beetroot, kale and goats cheese salad with coffee salt.

 

The girls like the salad, the boys wouldn’t touch it. What is the aversion to kale? I really liked this salad. The beetroot had bite and the nubs of goats cheese offered a salty, creamy texture with hints of coffee salt granules.

 

 

Slow cooked beef and pork meatballs in rich tomato sauce

 

We ordered two serves of the meatballs, mainly because we knew the boys would like them. They were a decent size swimming in a bowl of tomato sauce.

 

Braised chicken in Olarosso sherry and cinnamon

The chicken would have to be the winner of the night. A serving is half a (small) chicken served with puree sweet potato. The sherry really shines through this dish. It was delicious.

Pan con tomato garlic bread

 

Still feeling a little peckish we finish off with some of the garlic and tomato bread. It’s crusty with hints of garlic and a light fresh tomato topping.

But you quite end a meal without dessert. So we share a serve of the Churros with hot chocolate

The churros are hot and cinnamony sweet and dunked into the spicy Mexican style chocolate these are the perfect ending to our meal.

 

If you are looking for a restaurant where you can have a long leisurely dinner sharing plates and sipping on lovely wines, then this is the spot for you. 

Stable Talk has been a long awaited and much needed addition to the dining scene in Kensington.  It's the Tomato Sauce Odds!!!