Elystan Street | Chelsea Restaurant
“Combine one degree in microbiology, a dash of training with Marco Pierre White, leave to mature for 25 years, then decorate with two Michelin Stars.”
That would be the entry for Phil Howard in How to Cook Cooks. And, if you’ve never experienced his culinary expertise before, now’s the time, because he’s dubbed Elystan Street his “last hurrah”.*
Yes it’s a swanky Chelsea restaurant with a Michelin Star, but with its concrete tabletops and pastel upholstery, this place feels more like fine dining on dress down Friday. That vibe extends to the menu, with a focus on cleaner, more seasonal dishes that’ll leave you with a spring in your step, instead of a stent in your heart. Phil himself is on pans composing a delightful (re)mix of everything good from British gastronomy.
The menus at Elystan Street span from a three-course set lunch (at a reasonable-for-Chelsea £40 a head), or there’s the choice to choose à la carte for lunch and dinner. By virtue of being seasonal, of course, the dishes change regularly, but recent appearances have included an indulgent double-baked cheese soufflé with melted leek and truffle; roast haunch of fallow deer with celeriac & pear tarte fine; and grilled Cornish sea bass with fennel and artichoke, and the added zing of blood orange.
Desserts stay similarly traditional but well-executed; try the Brillat-Savarin cheesecake with rhubarb ripple ice cream, or an apple tart with bay leaf ice cream.
After all that you’ll have no problem raising a toast – the cellar goes as deep as your pockets will allow.
With the Chelsea Pensioners down the road, let’s just hope Phil keeps retirement firmly on the horizon.
NOTE: Elystan Street is open daily – you can find out more, and book, HERE.
*spoiler alert, it wasn’t: check out Notto.
Elystan Street | 43 Elystan Street, SW3 3NT
Like top shelf dining? Peruse our guide to the current list of Michelin Star restaurants in London