No reason has been given for the closure but a lack of acknowledgement from Michelin is understood to be a factor.
Opened by first-time restaurateur Tim Price during the pandemic on Chiswick High Road, The Silver Birch offered an ambitious modern European menu.
The kitchen was overseen by Nathan Cornwell, who has a top-flight CV that includes Le Champignon Sauvage and Kitchen W8 in the UK, and multi-starred Scandinavian restaurants Geranium, Kadeau and Oaxen Krog.
Cornwell won a Michelin star for Mark Birchall’s The Barn at Moor Hall in 2022 and had been widely expected to do the same in west London.
Based on ‘locally sourced, hyper-seasonal ingredients’, his menu included crispy pig’s head, Savora mustard; ex-dairy cow tartare, smoked oyster, kohlrabi sea herbs, herb cracker; Herdwick lamb, wild garlic, smoked onion emulsion; and brown butter chocolate delice, milk sorbet, caramelised white chocolate.
The kitchen at The Silver Birch was initially overseen by former Kym’s, Xu and St John chef Kimberley Hernandez but she departed in 2023.
In an Instagram post, the restaurant thanked its guests and said it was sharing the news of its closure with “very heavy hearts”.
“What started as an idea became a restaurant, a team, and a place we were incredibly proud to call part of the Chiswick community. First and foremost, thank you to you, our guests. Whether you joined us for a special occasion, a midweek dinner, a glass of wine over lunch, or became a regular visitor, it meant the world to us.”
“Over the years many people gave us their all, showing up every day, giving their energy, care and talent, and helping to make The Silver Birch what it was. Restaurants are nothing without their teams, and we feel so lucky to have worked alongside such brilliant people.”