Tom’s Kitchen (another restaurant by Tom Aikens) is a few steps away from Tom Aikens, and is on 27 Cale Street. (Cale Street is also home to the London Collette Dinnegan store – where Kate’s champagne coloured lace dress and red lace dress are from). William and Kate had lunch at Tom’s Kitchen in March 2009.

We’ve been to Tom’s Kitchen for dinner and brunch (highly recommend the french toast). It’s a loud, busy, casual type of place and the food is good and straightforward. We’re impressed that Will and Kate ventured there knowing that they’d be recognized.

Kate has been known to frequent Bluebird Restaurant several times over the last few years. Located on 350 Kings Road, this place is right in the Kate and Pippa neighbourhood! Here are Kate, Pippa and Carole having lunch on the patio, circa 2008 (we think!). Kate’s wearing the see-through Issa ‘Lucky’ dress (for more on the Issa Lucky dresses that Kate and Pippa have click here):

We went to Bluebird for dinner back in 2008, with high expectations. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a letdown. We didn’t have great service (it seemed we were forgotten about for about an hour) and the food wasn’t memorable. However, it’s definitely a ‘scene’ and we might try it again! Maybe it was just an ‘off’ night.

Anyway, Kate also attended the opening of the Bluebird store (underneath the restaurant), in June 2006. The Bluebird store is owned by Belle Robinson, who also owns Jigsaw where Kate worked part-time starting in December 2006. For more on Kate and Jigsaw check out our post here. Kate’s business relationship with Belle Robinson began in around 2005/2006.

As Robinson said in an interview in 2008:

Some people asked us if we were happy for Kate and William to go and stay in our holiday house in Mustique with some friends. They’re not allowed to pay for it but in return they would make a donation to the local hospital. And I said: ‘Yeah, fine.’ Through that, as a thank-you to us, Kate supported a couple of Jigsaw events we did.’ Then she rang me up one day and said: ‘Could I come and talk to you about work?’  (For the full interview click here.)

It’s interesting that Kate, as a private citizen, was already using her ‘star power’ to help friends and acquaintances. It’s a fine line to walk. Here is one such event that Kate supported – the opening of Belle’ Bluebird store. We’re guessing she’s also wearing a Jigsaw dress from the summer 2006 collection. This a rare picture of her in bangs! She grew those out pretty quickly.

In November 2007 Kate supported another event at the Bluebird store, called Time to Reflect. It was an exhibition of celebrity photographs by Alistair Morrison to raise money for Unicef. At the time, it was reported that it was Kate’s idea to put on the exhibition for Unicef. William attended, along with the Middleton family.

Click here for Kate’s London ~ Restaurants Part Two!