The best of Chelsea by the people who know - Cadogan

58 | FOOD AND DRINK | Restaurants
was designed by David Collins. Book
well in advance to get a table – it has a
long waiting list.
It also offers masterclasses to teach
you how to prepare Gordon Ramsay signature
dishes (£600 for one person to
attend the class and then enjoy a threecourse
lunch with a guest, with wines
paired to each course).
Lunch: Monday-Friday 12pm-2.30pm.
Dinner: 6.30pm-11pm. Dress code
smart – no trainers, shorts or sportswear.
68 Royal Hospital Road, SW3 4HP
T: 020 7352 4441
www.gordonramsay.com/royalhospitalroad/
The Rib Room Bar and
Restaurant
£££££
The Rib Room at the Carlton Tower is
something of an institution. It has been
serving up beef since the hotel opened
in 1961 and regulars at the restaurant
include Nigella Lawson, Charles Saatchi
and Sir David Frost.
It recently underwent a major redesign
front of house and has a new team
behind the scenes – general manager
Michele Caggianese, head chef Ian Rudge
(who has worked at Michelin-starred
restaurants Northcote Manor, Restaurant
Gordon Ramsay and Whatley Manor)
and head sommelier Louise Gordon.
Rudge aims to serve up British cuisine
that’s “good, honest food” with some
interesting twists to surprise diners. The
much-loved roast rib of beef with
Yorkshire pudding is still present, but
there’s also less traditional dishes like
caper-crusted rack of Cornish lamb,
lightly-curried neck, shallot compote
and Jerusalem artichoke purée. The wine
list includes around 500 wines and is
presented on iPads. The set lunch menu
is good value, with two courses for
£19 and three for £25, and there’s a
children’s menu too.
The Rib
Room
The restaurant redesign was by Martin
Brudnizki (the man behind the look of
Scott’s and Corrigan’s Mayfair), who has
given it a New York clubby feel.
The walls are hung with originals
by expressionist artist Feliks Topolski,
including portraits of Churchill, a Chelsea
pensioner, and the ‘Chelsea Girls’
series, featuring Vanessa Redgrave and
Lady Astor.
The restaurant made the headlines in
1975 when the hotel was attacked by
the IRA. Luckily, the window table’s
position in the Rib Room meant that the
bullets passed between diners and no
one was hurt.
Breakfast: Monday-Friday 7am-
10.30am, Sunday and bank holidays
7am-11am. Lunch: Monday-Friday
12.00pm-3pm, Saturday-Sunday and
bank holidays 12.30pm-3pm. Dinner:
Monday-Saturday 6.30pm-11pm,
Sunday and bank holidays 6.30pm-
10.30pm. Dress code: smart casual.
Jumeirah Carlton Tower, Cadogan Place,
SW1X 9PY. T: 020 7858 7250
www.theribroom.co.uk
Scalini
£££
A welcoming Italian restaurant with
a dedicated following, Scalini serves traditional
food and has a chef’s speciality
every day. A private room has recently
been added.
Lunch: Monday-Sunday 12pm-3pm.
Dinner: 7pm-12pm.
1-3 Walton Street, SW3 2JD
T: 020 7225 2301/02
www.scalinionline.com
Sushinho
£££
This restaurant and cocktail bar serving
Japanese/Brazilian food takes inspiration
from the popularity of Japanese food in
Brazil.
Sushinho has a sushi bar which works
in conjunction with the restaurant – you
can order sushi, warm dishes or both –
and operates a family-style service where
all the dishes are meant for sharing and
are brought to the table as the kitchen
serves them up.
It’s an interesting combination, with
Japanese sushi, sashimi, tempura and
noodles on the menu alongside Brazilian
ceviche and beef with chimichurri sauce.
It no longer serves tuna, as it has a sustainable
sources policy.
The bar serves interesting cocktails –
including ‘popular in Sao Paolo’ and
‘Nipo-Brazilian’ sections – and there is a
decent wine list.
Lunch: Wednesday-Saturday
12.30pm-2.30pm. Dinner: Sunday-
Tuesday 6pm-10pm, Wednesday-
Saturday 6pm-10.30pm.
312-314 King’s Road, SW3 5UH
T: 020 7349 7496
www.sushinho.com
Tom’s Kitchen
£££
Tom Aikens’s Chelsea Green brasserie is
just round the corner from his Elystan
Tom’s
Kitchen
Street flagship, but the tone is entirely
different.
Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner,
and brunch on weekends, it offers
comforting classics with a few quirky
twists. There is a first-floor bar and
private dining.
Breakfast: Monday-Friday 8am-
11.45am. Brunch: Saturday and Sunday
10am-1pm. Lunch: Monday-Friday
12pm-3pm, Saturday-Sunday 1pm-4pm.
Dinner: Monday-Friday 6pm-11pm,
Saturday-Sunday 6pm-10.30pm.
27 Cale Street, SW3 3QP
T: 020 7349 0202
www.tomskitchen.co.uk/chelsea/
Tom Aikens
££££
Tom Aikens’s flagship restaurant
reopened in January 2012 after an
extensive refurbishment.
Aiken’s sophisticated dishes are
imaginative and feature interesting
flavours and techniques. The new menus
include a three-course à la carte menu
(£50), a six-course taster menu (£55), an
eight-course taster menu (£75) and a