London Chelsea Restaurant Guide

Rohit Ghai has done it again at his late-2018 yearling: the latest occupant of the “cosy” and “romantic” (if “on-the-quiet-side”) Chelsea townhouse, which for many years was another premier Indian (Rasoi Vineet Bhatia, RIP). Practically all reports are a hymn of praise to his “faultless cooking”, which has immediately propelled it into London’s very top tier for nouvelle Indian cuisine.

“Well worth a visit in this remote corner of Chelsea”: this “outstanding oasis in Worlds End” has won a big culinary reputation, and chef Joe Mercer-Nairne “maintains high standards year-in-year-out”, with a “classic French approach that’s not so over-refined as to suck enjoyment out of it”. “Very good ingredients are cooked with great care, love and attention, but not overdone, nor over-fancy”. Service is of a very “high class” too, while the interior is “sophisticated” (“if a little cramped”). “It’s another surprising omission from the Michelin star list: is it because it’s at the wrong end of the King’s Road?”

2018 Review: “You’re always assured a good welcome when going to this lively Italian” in a quiet Chelsea backwater, which serves a “limited, primarily Sardinian menu”. “Gold star to them for making visits with children and/or grandparents so relaxed!”

“Truly delicious tapas” showcasing “great farm-sourced food”, with “some robust, well-judged flavours” win ongoing appreciation for the Gladwin brothers’ six-year-old King’s Road operation. There’s also a “cool vibe” to the “quirkily decorated room – loved it!”.

2020 Review: “Never thought vegan food could be so guilt-inducing!”: this self-consciously decadent plant-based two-year-old – under ex-Vanilla Black chef Franco Casoli in a “lovely” mews off Sloane Square – is “just a damn good restaurant in many ways… unlike many other vegans that seem to equate vegan food with a depressing ambience!”. “The only grumble is the need to go downstairs to order”.

2019 Review: The “mish-mash of very tasty plates” can still win praise these “fun”, Japanese-inspired izakayas in Chelsea and Marble Arch. The odd fear is raised that “it’s gone really downhill” since it was sold by founder, Aussie chef Scott Hallsworth, in 2017, particularly at the W2 branch, but the ratings in SW3 are pretty consistent.

Hit and miss feedback on this Italian three-year-old, in a posh side street opposite the entrance to the Chelsea & Westminster hospital. On the plus side, all reports rate the cooking as good or better. But it can also seem pricey for what it is, and meals don’t always run like clockwork: “the management and the regular clientele were treating the place as the most remarkable restaurant in this part of the world, but our service was very up and down, to the extent they gave us free puddings”.