Opening with a soft launch from 28 March, Willett’s is being led by executive chef Michael Turner and is described as being ‘a confident, unfussy take on the British bistro.
The restaurant is named after the Willett family, the builders behind the 1887 Chelsea townhouse, and will serve a menu that brings together nostalgic dishes with regional references.
Sourdough crumpets will form the signature of the menu, fried daily and served across breakfast, lunch, dinner, the bar and late-night offerings. Served savoury and sweet, they will be topped with combinations such as Gentleman’s Relish; mushroom parfait with Wiltshire truffle; duck liver parfait with Yorkshire rhubarb; Dorset crab; and with cep parfait, a poached egg, hollandaise and shaved Wiltshire truffles for breakfast.
Starters will include hand-chopped ex-dairy beef with mushroom ketchup, pickles and crisps; prawn cocktail with Bloody Mary jelly; and an English garden salad. Mains will range from Sutton Hoo chicken and morel pie with mash and liquor; to soused Cornish mackerel with fennel and Yorkshire rhubarb, alongside pearl barley porridge with Wye Valley asparagus.
The restaurant will also serve classic British puddings, including sticky toffee pudding; jam roly-poly; and custard tarts.
A daily specials board will change with the seasons and a £32 two-course and £36 three-course menu will be available from lunch through to the early evening.
Turner joined as executive chef at The Cadogan in 2025 having previously spent 13 years with Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, most notably as executive head chef at Savoy Grill and The River Restaurant.
“Our ambition is to create a true neighbourhood bistro, somewhere welcoming and centred around British cooking and produce,” he says.
“We’ll focus on well-loved classics and seasonal ingredients, with the aim of building a restaurant residents return to regularly. Being in Chelsea, it’s important that Willett’s feels part of the area - a place for weekday suppers, long Sunday lunches and everything in between.”
The restaurant will feature an open kitchen with chef’s counter seating overlooking the dining room. A bar area will serve drinks, including around 20 wines by the glass, showcasing contemporary British producers and bar snacks alongside the full restaurant menu.