Theo’s Simple Italian: New kids’ menu devoured by grown-ups too

The thrust behind the new healthy kids’ menu at Theo’s Simple Italian became apparent, when my daughter’s friend proclaimed she had never eaten carrots in her life - because vegetables make her “want to throw up when they get to her throat”.

We were at Theo Randall’s diner in Kensington’s Hotel Indigo, testing the menu he’s compiled so families can enjoy his authentic Italian cooking together.

The three-course kids’ option is a very reasonable £8 including a drink, and is supposed to make children feel ‘grown up’ when dining alongside their parents. It’s inspired by the growing demand for restaurants to offer children quality, wholesome food.

But evidently we had come up against a hurdle with the starter of warm focaccia bread, carrot and cucumber sticks and olive oil for drizzling, all served on a wooden board.

Despite recounting Green Eggs and Ham, where the Dr Seuss character finally realises he does actually like the eponymous dish once he tries it, we had no break through. I’m sure the presentation would go down well with most kids though, and my daughter decided to polish off her friend’s food as well as her own.

‘Big plates’ include pasta and slow cooked tomatoes with basil, fresh tagliatelle with melted butter and parmesan, and pan-roasted sea bream with zucchini chips. Our two guinea pigs both opted for the chargrilled chicken breast with thyme-tinged roast potatoes, which they devoured.

The kids’ meal is finished in true Italian style with vanilla gelato served with strawberries and raspberries – which was so delicious that the grown-ups ordered the same.

The meal is available for children aged under 12 from Monday to Sunday. See theossimpleitalian.co.uk.