Surprisingly true in spirit to the original establishment of the same name, this Brompton bistro offers basic nosh for not much dosh – it’s already very busy.
The old Chelsea Kitchen – on the King’s Road, not far from Sloane Square – was a true Chelsea institution. This had nothing to do with the food, which was basic but very cheap, and more with its longevity and the width of its clientèle (which, in less PC days, would have been described as ‘dukes to dustmen’).
Well, it’s too early to opine definitively on the social strata being attracted to the relaunch of the old Kitchen – by the son of the original’s long-term chef and, later, owner – but it’s fair to say that its new pub-conversion premises are already very busy. This is all the more odd as there’s little obvious pedestrian traffic on this stretch of the Fulham Road, and the former pub site has already seen off a couple of operators in recent times.
The secret, then, must be that there will always be a place for establishments that serve decent, no-nonsense food very cheaply. The best bits of our meal for two came at the beginning and the end – eggs mayonnaise, and an espresso. In between, we sampled staples such as (rather claggy) scampi with a small portion of (adequate) chips.
The ambience, like the staff, is bright and pleasant, and – when the bill for two, including a bottle of wine, runs to around £30 – it’s hard to demand food that’s much more than edible. But edible it certainly was.
