Elystan Street, Chelsea

Elystan Street opened in Chelsea in 2016 and has held a Michelin star since 2017. It is Phil Howard’s more relaxed follow-up to The Square: simple food, executed well, and full of vitality and flavour.

Practical details

We visited for the set menu, which is available at both lunch and dinner until 6.30pm. It is priced at £45 for three courses, with a choice of two dishes for each course. There is also an optional wine pairing for £30, which we decided not to go for, but it felt reasonaable for the area. Additional sides are available at extra cost too.

Interiors

The lighting was soft and ambient, and we had a lovely corner booth looking into the restaurant. The space itself is clean and simple, with a slightly old-school feel that I mean as a compliment. Both my friend and I said it gave luxury ski hotel vibes: polished, comfortable and elegant. The mellow playlist and good acoustics added to that sense of calm. Although it was fairly quiet when we visited, it still felt atmospheric, and the room was well designed enough that it felt private rather than empty.

Wines

We chose to share a £50 bottle of Riesling that was being highlighted by the sommelier as the spotlight wine of the month. It was a very good recommendation and the sommelier was knowledgeable and helpful. The exchange felt thoughtful and seemed quite representative of the restaurant as a whole.

Starters

The sourdough was fantastic. Great crust, lovely spring and an airy interior, served with good salted butter. No frills, just perfectly executed.

The wild mushroom parfait with herbs was delicious. Incredibly smooth, rich and deeply savoury, to the point where it almost had the texture and satisfaction of meat. The brioche alongside was good, though with sourdough already on the table it did feel slightly excessive. The chutney brought the balance back nicely, cutting through the richness.

The griddled purple sprouting broccoli was another strong starter. It had lovely char and was perfectly cooked, with a hazelnut cream and toasted crumbs adding both flavour and texture. A simple combination on paper, but very well judged.

Mains

The Cornish Red chicken leg was succulent, with spring greens, mushrooms and roasting juices bringing the plate together. The skin was not crisp, and the potatoes were a touch firmer than I might have chosen, but overall it was a really delicious plate of food.

The lightly curried skate wing was the standout main. Incredibly soft and delicately cooked, with a creamy curried sauce and a raisin, caper and pomegranate dressing that lifted everything. Altogether, it had all the flavours of a really good coronation chicken, which sounds as though it might be odd written down, but on the plate it was sensational. The onion bhaji alongside was lovely, and the garlic spinach was delicious. Clever, comforting and full of character, while still feeling elegant. Both mains were also notably generous.

We also ordered a green salad on the side (+£6), and this was excellent. Often overlooked, a good green salad can say a lot about a kitchen, and this one was crisp, fresh and punchy from the dressing. We both agreed it was one of the best we’d had in a while.

Dessert

Dessert was a lemon posset with rhubarb, and it was exactly what I wanted it to be. Creamy and properly sharp, with little pieces of rhubarb that still had some bite, and a little stem ginger biscuit on the side. It was visually very pretty too.

Service
Service was prompt, friendly and polished, but not overly formal. There was enough personality and humour to keep things feeling relaxed, and everything moved at a very comfortable pace. It struck a smart balance between professionalism and warmth.

Value

At £45 for three courses, this feels like great value. In Chelsea, at Michelin-star level, you would struggle to eat this well for much less. The optional £30 wine pairing also seemed fairly priced, even though we chose to share a bottle instead. It felt like a set menu designed to be genuinely appealing, not just a token lower-cost option to fill early tables.

Final verdict

This is the sort of food that makes my soul happy, and it is one of my favourite set menus to date. Everything was confidently cooked and properly seasoned. It is the sort of place you could bring an anti-fine-dining relative without them asking where the rest of it is. The value is excellent, the cooking is very strong, and the service was flawless throughout. It also seemed surprisingly easy to get a table, which feels hard to justify given how good it is. Very much one to try.