Deep in the heart of King’s Cross, right opposite St Pancras Station is Karpo brasserie, the ideal place to rest, relax and recharge in an unpretentious setting… everything a restaurant should be. Draped in an anti-camouflage montage of colour, this restaurant is no shrinking violet.

Serving cuisine with a global influence, the standards of service are uncompromising, with a highly developed sense of noblesse oblige, each and every customer is valued as a welcome friend by Massimo, the front-of-house manager. The light streams in through a roof window onto a vibrant wall of foliage creating the perfect backdrop to the non-conformist tables and chairs, different styles and textures, refreshingly breaking up the dining area with slices of beautifully turned wood and marble… there were no ‘bad tables’.

Karpo have created a pleasingly uncomplicated menu that discards unnecessary fripperies , keeping to the bare essentials in terms of ingredients and cooking processes. We were tempted with the brunch menu offering a selection of superb egg dishes ranging from Benedict through to plain and simple poached egg, but the deep fried cod cheeks and polenta with wild mushrooms came a close second to our choice of confit duck leg, sausage and lentils (£12) and Cumberland sausages, mash and gravy (£10). It was pleasing that Karpo chose to ignore the zeitgeist of listing every supplier on the menu, just occasional references of where the menu was taking us.

The duck was cooked to perfection with the sausage and lentils adding a twist of colour and texture, an adequately-sized portion, nicely washed down with a glass of house wine (Chardonnay, £4.75 glass). The Cumberland sausages, mash and gravy were presented in an uncomplicated way, you just can’t sex this dish up, the taste reminiscent of good ‘ole home cooking… but better. I rounded my meal off with lemon posset with handpicked lavender (£5), daintily presented but with a potent citrus kick! English breakfast tea was served… properly. The tea was presented and a healthy amount of tea leaves were allowed to brew in a teapot instead of the usual ‘coquette of the teabag’ ritual most restaurants resort to. Attention to detail was uppermost and it was reflected in the taste.

It was refreshing not to be asked ad nauseam if everything was ok, the well-mannered hosts discreetly sashayed around the tables keeping a close eye but not interrupting the quiet intimacy of the couples or the vibrant interactions of business people wooing clients in an appropriate setting.

And this is the defining point about Karpo, when we visited, customers looked relaxed as if they genuinely wanted to be in this establishment rather than ‘this’ll do’ as a need to just ‘grab a bite to eat’. People brought people to eat here… and that’s good enough for me.

Karpo Restaurant
23-27 Euston Road
King’s Cross
London
NW1 2SB
Bookings for up to 8 via email: reservations@karpo.co.uk
Website: www.karpo.co.uk
Telephone: 0207 843 2221
Facebook: karporestaurant
Twitter: @karporestaurant

Open for breakfast 7:00am to 11:am Monday to Friday
Neighbourhood brunch: 8:00am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday
All day menu runs from 12:00pm to 10:00pm weekdays, 5:00pm to 10:00pm Saturdays/Sundays (till 9:00pm Sundays)

Imagery by Shane Finn at Visual Devotion