Tom’s Kitchen isn’t on first glance what you might call fine dining. The menu is packed with gutsy, hearty British food and reads more like a pub menu than an offering from a Michelin-starred chef.
But the restaurant, which was opened by chef Tom Aikens in 2006, is packed to the rafters with big flavours and exciting foodie combinations. It is secondary to Aitkins’ award winning offering down the road, and where his flagship restaurant has clean monochrome lines, Tom’s Kitchen has battered wood and metal décor and a relaxed atmosphere.
For starters, the mackerel salad was beautifully cooked and scattered with crunchy walnuts. The chicken liver and fois gras parfait, which came with huge doorsteps of brioche and a pot of chutney, was impossibly light and rich at the same time. Confusingly, the starters were huge – plenty enough for a lunch or a small appetite – and risk leaving you wondering whether you can manage a main course.
And the mains are a carnivore’s dream: fillet steaks, pork belly, calves liver, chicken pie and confit lamb served with ridiculously decadent chips drizzled with truffle oil and topped with shavings of parmesan. Everything is beautifully presented and feels extravagant, despite the laid-back setting.
The fillet steak was good to perfection, juicy and pink in the middle, while the pork belly was fatty and luxurious, served on a bed of rich, aniseed-shot carrot puree. This is where Aikins’ prowess really came through – the food was outstandingly good and well worth every penny.
If you have room for dessert, the chocolate mousse profiteroles and espresso crème brulée are great twists on old classics. Which pretty much sums Tom’s Kitchen up. You go expecting souped-up pub food and come away in raptures over truffle oil and balsamic glazed vegetables.
Three course dinner for two with wine is between £120 - £150.
Tom's Kitchen, 27 Cale Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 3QP / 020 73490202
Rhiannon Bury
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