After leaving The Square and two Michelin stars behind back in the spring of 2016, Phil Howard didn’t wait long before getting back into the kitchen, opening Elystan Street in September of that same year
Whereas The Square was very much the Mayfair fine-dining establishment, Elystan Street was Phil getting back to basics with a more humble neighbourhood restaurant – albeit one in South Ken, which now has a Michelin star to boot too.
Still, there’s no doubting that this is a relatively relaxed affair with informal service and a menu of big hitting crowd pleasers rather than tweezer-plated perfection. There’s also some great value to be had – we went by for Sunday lunch when you can bag three courses for £55. Not bad at all for a Michelin-starred lunch from one of Britain’s best chefs (even the six-course tasting menu at £115 isn’t bad at this level).
We began with a glass of champagne – our first drink in a month – and man did it taste good. For starters we shared one light and one heavy: a pretty, delicate salad of Burford Brown egg, leek hearts, cauliflower, almond and truffle; and rich chestnut rigatoni with venison ragout, smoked bacon, root veg, sherry and aged parmesan. (Those keen for a taste of Phil Howard’s glorious pasta can now check out his NOTTO pasta restaurants in Covent Garden and Piccadilly too).
Mains could hardly have been more satisfying winter fare. First, a superb Sunday roast with three cuts of aged Hereford beef (rump cap, sirloin, and rib) served with Yorkshire pudding, glazed carrots and an exemplary cauliflower cheese that only had a light touch of creamy cheese sauce and was all the better for it. Top marks for serving an extra pot of gravy as standard too. Then, a huge golden-crusted fish pie dusted with lemon zest and scallop coral powder, and filled with Cornish cod, brown shrimps and leek beneath the creamy mash.
Having gone all in so far, we saw no point in slowing down for dessert and soon demolished a vanilla buttermilk bavarois, plus a bitter chocolate fondant with popping candy and malt ice cream. An absolute knock out blow but a damn delicious one. Just make sure you allow time for a nice long walk back through central London afterwards.
We loved Elystan Street – it’s a smart yet relaxed spot offering excellent dishes at a pretty reasonable price given the area and pedigree of the chef. Can highly recommend for your next bougie west London day (or night) out.
43 Elystan Street London, SW3 3NT
elystanstreet.com