Afternoon Tea at the Holiday Inn London Kensington High St in Kensington and Chelsea

Wonderful restaurant with a diverse menu. You are really spoilt for choice and I highly recommend this haunt The wine was good too and the servers friendly and professional. I will definitely return.

We came across Ukai by accident as we were making our way through Portobello Market and wanted a more substantial and comfortable lunch than that on offer from the market stalls. We perused the menu outside before entering having decided we liked the look of several dishes, so we went for it. Despite the throngs of people and hustle and bustle of the market outside, Ukai was surprisingly quiet, and with only a couple of other diners, we were given a very generously sized table, with comfortable seating. The paucity of other diners was a bit of a concern and prompted a quick look on TripAdvisor before we settled in and ordered anything. The recent reviews did nothing to alleviate the concerns, but decided to stick with it and were really glad we did. The staff were friendly and efficient and were prepared to explain the menu as well providing a warning that one of the dishes selected may come with a slight wait due to the time it takes to prepare. That wasn't a problem; we took that as an indication the dishes were prepared to order and were fresh. Also, we wanted a relaxed lunch and weren't in any hurry, but TBH, there wasn't any noticeable delay in any of the service. For starters, we went with a couple of cocktails, including a very refreshing Kyoto style mojito, and shared steamed edamame, chicken gyoza and generous portions of pork belly bao buns. Mains included the beef short rib and sizzling beef Toban-Yaki, with sides of broccoli and Japanese mushrooms. The food was well presented, fresh as expected, using quality ingredients, with delicious results. We enjoyed everything, so we were glad that we hadn't been dissuaded by the negative reviews. For us this place was a great find and provided a relaxed setting for the lovely lunch we had been looking for. Hopefully other diners will look beyond unfavourable reviews and give Ukai a go. For food this good it certainly deserves to busier than it was on a Saturday afternoon with lots of potential customers passing through the market outside.

I was expecting more from Tom Dixon but i felt a bit disappointed. I really hope they will improve their food soon

After hearing mixed reviews about this place i decided to try this afternoon tea. They have Halal and Gluten free options. Overall ambiance and decor of the place is nice and floral. Staff was attentive and kindly offered free a hot chocolate to the child. However it took then 35 mins to bring the food on the table despite the whole place being quite empty. We had one Gluten free and one regular afternoon tea. Afternoon tea itself was very presentable offering variety of teas and we tried three different teas, the nicest one was Masala Chai. Sandwiches were ok in taste albeit rather bland. Scones were fresh, tasty and light. Unfortunately the desserts were very average in taste and were very basic. They do not do refills which is unusual for an afternoon tea.There is definitively room for improvement.

Better avoid if you know Malaysian/Singaporean foods.