The top line: Tom Kerridge has relaunched his Chelsea pub, The Butcher’s Tap & Grill, as The Chalk Freehouse. Located just off King’s Road on pretty Tryon Street, the new venture is positioned as a sister venue to Kerridge’s two-Michelin-starred flagship, The Hand and Flowers. Two of Kerridge’s most trusted lieutenants have been parachuted in to run the pub: former Hand and Flowers head chef Tom De Keyser and group general manager Lourdes Dooley. The Chalk Freehouse’s name references the area’s maritime heritage (the word Chelsea is derived from the Anglo-Saxon Caelichyth, meaning “chalk wharf”).
On the menu: According to Dooley — who has worked alongside Kerridge for nearly two decades — the menu at The Chalk Freehouse is intended to evoke the early days of The Hand and Flowers. That means an extremely affordable set menu — two courses for £18.50 or three courses for £25 — and an à la carte menu geared towards diners ordering three courses of upscale modern British food (in its previous more casual iteration the pub was more of a sharing place). Dishes include Cornish crab and crushed Jersey Royal potatoes with brown crab aioli (pictured below); pork chop schnitzel with smoked bacon, pickled cabbage and fried duck egg; and chocolate tart with smoked sea salt, pistachio and crème fraîche. A couple of items nod to the Chelsea location, including the Chelsea spud - a deep-fried whole potato served with wild garlic butter -and a take on the Chelsea bun that is served with cold vanilla custard flecked with alcohol-soaked fruit and tiny shards of praline.
The vibe: Kerridge and his team haven’t exactly ripped it all up and started again, but the pub has been given a facelift. The most striking change is that the frontage has gone from black to white. The interior has also been lightened to attract a broader range of guests. The pub’s previous blokeish feel and meat-focused menu didn’t prove a great fit for the area, but in its new guise, the future looks bright.
27 Tryon Street, London SW3 3LG