Cuisine: British
Cost:
Rating:
Where?: 27, Cale Street, Chelsea, London. SW3 3QP.
Closest station(s): South Kensington, Sloane Square, Gloucester Road.
Telephone: 0207 349 0202
Website: www.tomskitchen.co.uk
Following his Michelin-starred Chelsea venture Tom Aitkens opened his less formal restaurant offering breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. With the Michelin-starred pedigree I had high hopes about eating there and the media hype that surrounded the restaurant’s launch only heighten my anticipation.
Looking past the stylish black interior I was greet by a surprisingly relaxed white walled room with no frills wooden tables – so far so good, this is what I want for a lunch with friends. Having been seated it soon became apparent just how tightly packed the tables are, I don’t expect to be seated metres away from another table; however at Tom’s Kitchen you feel that you are almost on top of your neighbour – alas I had no interest in being on top of my American businessman neighbour.
The menu is largely British, however with significant Italian influence throughout. My starter of pan fried foie gras, duck egg and bacon was well executed however it failed to come together as a dish and the foie gras was not as rich as would be expected (and for over £15 it certainly should have been). The beef burger with which I followed was again ok, however failed to deliver anything more than that – it was also significantly overcooked having asked for it rare.
The acoustics in Tom’s Kitchen make it horrendously loud, I am in favour of eating in a buzzing environment however it was clear that most tables were having to shout in order to have a conversation. In addition, with the tables being tightly packed I saw a number of diners having to stand up and move in order for other tables to get out; something that should not happen.
Overall I did not warm to Tom’s Kitchen – with house wine at over £20; starters around £10 and mains around £20 you could expect much more for the money. The service also left a lot to be desired, whilst there I saw a number of other customers complaining about the service and poor food. The media hype on this occasion does not seem to be deserved.