Breaking Bread: Inside The Kensington Restaurant Slinging Out Delicious Levantine Dishes

If you’re anything like me, you love a good grazing moment. I much prefer tapas and sumptuous charcuterie boards over huge meals any day. So when the opportunity popped up to visit Kensington restaurant, Pascor, I snatched it up. Why? Through the grapevine, I had heard that the venue whipped up Mediterranean cuisine through tonnes of sharing plates. It was all music to my ears.

My date and I agree, next time we're at Pascor, we're getting five loaves of bread.

Situated one minute away from Holland Park, the restaurant spans two floors and features an open kitchen bar if you fancy watching the chefs do their thing. With dimmed lighting, exposed brick by the entrance and plush seating, Pascor screams date night vibes. My plus one and I decided to settle into its outdoor area where we sat at wooden tables, complete with colourful blankets if we got a bit chilly.

Brimming with excitement, we kicked off our meal with a bottle of white wine, the Nina-pinot grigio (£23), which was light, crisp and refreshing in the summer heat. They also gave us an ice bucket so our vino was chilled throughout our meal.

Now onto the best part – the food. With dishes inspired by various regions such as North Africa, the Middle East and Turkey, we didn’t know what to expect. We started off with the Yemani challah bread (£5.30), which came with whipped Za’atar butter and smoked black tahini. My gosh, the bread was buttery, soft and absolutely heavenly, and I recommend pairing it with the butter, as it was almost reminiscent of a very good croissant, whereas the tahini added more of a nuttiness to the carb.

Meat me at Pascor for some seriously stunning scran.

Next we got the Samneh butter scallops (£5.50), smothered in a chard leek cream. The seafood was seared to perfection and there was a sprinkle of merguez gremolata to add a bit of texture. In addition, there were also specials for the day, which we had to nab – three rock oysters (£3 each) and Mediterranean octopus (£8). Speckled with paprika on top, the squid was also accented well with some roasted potatoes on the side, while the oysters were fresh, salty, and fab for the hot weather.

My other half also wanted to try the charcoaled Scottish wagyu beef skirt (£17.80). The dish was paired with bone marrow and a pomegranate chimichurri sauce. While the beef was tasty on its own, it definitely was elevated from the zestiness of the sauce. We decided to grab two chard lamb cutlets (£9.30). These were juicy and paired off with Persian-style tzatziki to give the meat a little more depth. To be honest, if I had to choose between the wagyu beef and lamb, I’d say the lamb comes out on top. While munching on our meats, we grabbed the ultra-crispy potato (£8.20), which was covered in a Yemeni spice mix and a cured lime and tomato aioli sauce. To say we were stuffed at the end would be a massive understatement.

One of the best places for Mediterranean tapas? We think so.

The DesignMyNight Digest 

Whipping up some of the best Levantine food in London, Pascor is a top-notch restaurant you’ll definitely want to check out. At an affordable price, you can nab a bunch of small plates and a bottle of wine without breaking a sweat. Fab for catch-ups with friends and cute first dates, the venue also has a very welcoming staff who will be sure to leave you full-on food. And to be quite honest, I can’t stop salivating at the thought of that bread…

Craving more? Click here for our guide to the best Mediterranean restaurants in London. For more London restaurant inspo, sign up to our weekly newsletter.