Three5 World Tapas, Restaurant, South Kensington

Three5 World Tapas is based in MyHotel Chelsea, a restaurant for overnight guests but also open to the public wishing to dine. Firstly I must mention the name is, in my opinion, dreadful... It is impossible to remember or understand. After investigation, I am guessing that is corresponds to the street number of the hotel, which is 35.

The restaurant space is small and cosy and has an informal vibe. We started with cocktails - I had the refreshing watermelon martini, my friend chose the classic mojito. Food is split into: ‘smaller bites’, ‘larger bites’ and ‘the classics’. We ordered an assortment of smaller and larger bites acting as starter and main. Our waitress recommended a total of about ten plates; we took her advice, and a banquet arrived. I was relieved to see other tables tackling similar quantities of food… for once I didn’t look like the greediest diner!

The food was comforting though the majority was quite oily and heavy. We picked at the various canape-like dishes. My favourite was the zucchini frittata: thin and crispy courgette slivers coated in light salty batter - devilishly delicious. The bruschetta was good, with a thick slice of creamy mozzarella and flavoursome basil. Arancini were a bit of a let down, served with fragrant saffron sauce, these rice balls were tasteless with an unpleasant gritty texture.

For second course we were brought a selection of larger sharing plates, slightly more substantial dishes less easy to eat with your fingers. The house salad was beautifully presented - a mass of fresh peppery rocket with yummy sun dried tomatoes, soft parmesan and a splash of sweet balsamic vinegar… I appreciated having some greenery in contrast to the rich meat choices. Melanzane a la Parmigiana was disappointing especially as this Italian aubergine and tomato recipe is usually a winner with me. It was again too heavy with too much bread, ruining the other flavours and making it soggy. Fish cakes and celeriac salad went down well with my guest, fresh well seasoned fish, soft inside with a crispy outside. The herb marinated lamb cutlets were a little tough and arrived on an unnecessary lump of mashed potato.

Puddings however exceeded all expectations, dense creme brulee cheesecake and light and divine lemon posset with passion fruit thick whipped cream. Both were delicious, but the citrusy posset really was a lovely combination of flavours and textures. Chatting away, with our fresh mint teas, it was nice to pick at these desserts at our leisure, no rush, no pressure.

Three5 offers world cuisine inspired tapas: a fusion of flavours in small portions ideal for sharing. The food isn’t spectacular but for a relaxed, affordable meal Three5 is a pleasant place to dine.

Visit THREE5 WORLD TAPAS website here.