Aaron Potter has really grown as a chef.
He started out as a commis chef in Hampshire. He climbed the ladder to become head chef at the Michelin-starred restaurants Trinity and Elystan Street (where he was described by owner Phil Howard as “a truly great craftsman”). And after his most recent stint as exec chef at Maria G’s, all this growth… has led to Wildflowers.
It’s the first time he’s run his own place, and he’s collaborated with interior designer Laura Hart to create a restaurant that’s effortlessly luxurious, serving exceptional Mediterranean food in a warm and imaginatively revamped industrial setting.
Rebecca Dickson
Yep, this place doesn’t exactly scream ‘old timber yard’. But it’s there in the swathes of exposed brick; the cream-painted vents; and the structural beams crowning the first floor bar. And its location speaks to its industrial past, too – you’ll find it tucked away in the recently revamped Newson’s Yard, a close-knit cul de sac lined with upmarket furniture shops in the quiet patch where Chelsea meets Belgravia. You’d hardly know Wildflowers was there if you weren’t looking for it, which makes the place feel all the more special.
Rebecca Dickson
Inside, it’s a picture of serenity: soft light filtered through thin muslin café curtains and flickering from candles; bud vases filled with wildflowers on every table; and homely touches everywhere you look, from the shelves stacked with bowls and paintings, to the Persian rugs and Tiffany-style glass lamps adorning the upstairs bar. Together with the welcoming buzz of the open kitchen and its live fire grill, you get the feel of sitting down in a ridiculously stylish (and wealthy) friend’s home. The kind you’d probably stop visiting out of sheer jealousy, if their cooking wasn’t so damn good.
Rebecca Dickson
And yes, the cooking is damn good. The menu at Wildflowers is all inspired by Mediterranean recipes and flavours, so you’ll snack on bruschetta laden with shimmering, oily sardine cut through with a squeeze of Amalfi lemon. You’ll bulldoze a plate of gnocchi fritti – fried ravioli parcels filled with gorgonzola and topped with a sliver of coppa and a drizzle of truffle honey. For mains, you’ll work on slow-roasted duck with golden raisins, pine nuts and sherry; or the rich, funky cuttlefish fideua topped with chubby grilled white prawns and a saffron aioli. To share, there’s also a Galician Blond ex-dairy ribeye (a steak that’s been getting increasingly popular thanks to recent openings like Ibai) and which is served here with a smoked bone marrow rice that was sent directly from the heavens.
Rebecca Dickson
To finish, there are a couple of elegant, light desserts that you can imagine enjoying under a shady pergola somewhere in the Mediterranean – Fior di latte gelato dressed simply with sea salt and olive oil; a lemon thyme crema Catalana and a cherry ripple choux à la creme made with fig leaves from Potter’s parents’ garden. But this is Britain, so on a rainy autumn evening you’ll find it hard to resist the chocolate praline gateau with hazelnut milk gelato – a very compelling answer to The River Café‘s nemesis cake.
In many ways… it’s a nemesis’ nemesis.
NOTE: Wildflowers is open for lunch & dinner Tuesday – Saturday, and Sunday lunch – you can make a booking here.
Wildflowers | Newson’s Yard, 57 Pimlico Rd, London, SW1W 8NE
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