Harden's survey result
Summary
“Full of bright, light flavours” – and from a superbly imaginative, “fresh and varied menu” – Phil Howard’s “splendid” ‘flexitarian’ cuisine continues to delight and inspire at this Chelsea five-year-old, in a chichi backstreet. “No expense accounters here – just real people spending their own money on wonderful food in a really friendly contemporary environment”, and with notably “attentive but unobtrusive” staff. Its ratings blipped slightly this year, and even a diner reporting his best meal of the year felt it was “struggling to find its rhythm, as so many places are post-lockdown”. More typically, though, diners “are thrilled to come back here” – “during the lockdowns, he kept us going with civilized, assemble-at-home meals, but the reopening has made us realize what a master he is. Carry on!!!”.
Summary
Phil Howard “is going from strength to strength” at his “vibrant and lively” four-year-old, tucked away in a chichi Chelsea backstreet, where survey ratings scaled new heights this year. Deceptively, the slightly “austere” room “has the feel of a high-quality, neighbourhood local, but standards of food and service are, by contrast, top class”. “Phil has gone back to basics” with his culinary approach and his “beautiful, clever dishes are a delight”: “really inspired cooking using seasonal ingredients and recipes” with a “light touch” and “superb precision”. Famously, he’s more ‘flexitarian’ in approach than when he was at The Square and “while it’s not a vegetarian restaurant, it delivers some of the most interesting gastronomic vegetarian dishes ever!” Service is “outstanding” too – “interested, engaged and good communicators”.
Summary
Phil Howard “is going from strength to strength” at his “vibrant and lively” three-year-old, tucked away in a chichi Chelsea backstreet, where survey ratings scaled new heights this year. Deceptively, the slightly “austere” room “has the feel of a high-quality, neighbourhood local, but standards of food and service are, by contrast, top class”. “Phil has gone back to basics” with his culinary approach and his “beautiful, clever dishes are a delight”: “really inspired cooking using seasonal ingredients and recipes” with a “light touch” and “superb precision”. Famously, he’s more ‘flexitarian’ in approach than when he was at The Square and “while it’s not a vegetarian restaurant, it delivers some of the most interesting gastronomic vegetarian dishes ever!” Service is “outstanding” too – “interested, engaged and good communicators”.
Summary
Phil Howard’s “exciting”, yet “unfussy” food (“at last, a top chef that has the confidence to cook a beautifully balanced meal and not hide behind another two-bite tasting menu”) “pushes the boundaries, whilst feeling familiar; and always has fabulous vegetarian options that highlight the joys of the freshest in-season produce” (“roasted cabbage was my main dish of the year… and I’m no veggie!”). As a result, a massive fan club “LOVE, LOVE, LOVE” his Chelsea two-year-old, whose “restrained, light and spacious decor” and “professional” approach help set up a “thoroughly civilised and relaxed experience”. But even those who consider the cuisine here “top class” can feel prices are “astronomical”, and this “casual” space can also appear “canteen-like” and far too “noisy” for somewhere in this league.
For 31 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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Restaurant details
Elystan Street Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Our lunch did not quite match expectations (I thought about giving a 3): no wow in any of the dishes and their ingredients didn’t entirely complement each other. Disappointing, because I have always liked Philip Howard’s restaurants. I had to point out an overcharging error on the bill. Pleasant overall, but I wouldn’t return."
"Very disappointing food and very poor service! "
"Slight disappointment "
"Met some old school friends here for lunch to celebrate our landmark birthdays. They were impressed both by the excellent value of the set lunch and the relaxed atmosphere. Tables are well spaced and there is no Muzak! I had liver as my main course- quite a risky choice as it is often overdone but this was tender and juicy and melted in the mouth"
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £35.00 |  |
|
|
| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 105.00 | Always available | 6 |
Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Pudding |
|---|---|---|
| £25.00 | £37.50 | £12.00 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.00 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
43 Elystan Street, London, SW3 3NT
Opening hours
| Monday | 12:30 pm‑2:45 pm, 6:30 pm‑2145 pm |
| Tuesday | 12:30 pm‑2:45 pm, 6:30 pm‑2145 pm |
| Wednesday | 12:30 pm‑2:45 pm, 6:30 pm‑2145 pm |
| Thursday | 12:30 pm‑2:45 pm, 6:30 pm‑2145 pm |
| Friday | 12:30 pm‑2:45 pm, 6 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12:30 pm‑2:45 pm, 6 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑4 pm |
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