The Potato Project

I thought I had met the ultimate potato lover, and married him. But then I spoke to Ksenia Karpenko, a young entrepreneur who took her fascination with potatoes and went on to open an eatery called, The Potato Project. I was just in pure amazement to come to acknowledgement that there was another mortal out there who is as dedicated as Mr L to the potato. Mr L has quite a fascinating theory to his potato (if you want to know what it is, we will need a serious discussion over a Gin & Tonic) and I was wondering if Ksenia Karpenko had one too. I was eager to find out. So, when I was invited to a bloggers event for a potato feast, I accepted instantly. The blogger's event also collaborated with Nix & Kix, a non-alcoholic drink based on chilli. Co-founders Julia and Kerstin started in the beverage industry because they wanted an alternative non-alcoholic drink that was not bland or too sugary. Gathered on the same afternoon, we sampled a range of their drinks paired to the dishes from The Potato Project. The Potato Project, located in Soho, grew on the concept of the jacket potato. There are the simple salted Cornish butter (£3.75), very 1970's prawn and Bourbon Marie Rose sauce (£5.25), vegetarian option of the borlotti beans with mature cheddar cheese (£4.45) to the uncustomary jacket potato toppings of chilli beef ragu & blue cheese (£5.50), cornish brie & roast artichokes (£5.00) and beetroot & stracciatella (£5.50). Apart from the importance of good potatoes, Ksenia is also concerned about using quality ingredients in her food. Ksenia Karpenko is passionate about eating well, using quality ingredients, and making sure you enjoy your meal too. That is why you will be glad to hear that there is dessert too! It was captivating listening to her speak about her childhood experience with growing potatoes and her challenges in running The Potato Project. She is humourous, confident and smart. The Potato Project is small with a few bar seats and a largish communal table in the basement. The place mainly caters for takeaways.