The Chalk
We have been to this location before, which is just off the Kings’ Road in Chelsea, when it was still called the Butcher's Tap and Grill. But Tom Kerridge, the proprietor decided to go in a slightly different direction. He renamed the pub "The Chalk", with an updated concept. Where the original concept was mostly pub fare with (big) cuts of meat to grill, it is now a more traditional gastropub with more refined dishes, and less of a focus on steaks and similar cuts of meat. Overall, we thought it has shifted a little more upmarket (not surprising given the location), and that perhaps Tom is trying to emulate of the success of The Coach in Marlow, with its one Michelin star.
The restaurant wasn't quite full when we, arrived and were seated in a cosy booth in the downstairs area. We were fairly peckish, so opted for some starters to get going. My wife had the 'nduja and smoked mozzarella sausage roll, which had a good kick to it. I picked the cheese and onion scone, which came with a very generous serving of mustard and herb butter. With our starters we enjoyed a half of the Rebellion IPA — sadly they had run out of their other two cask beers, although that does offer an excuse to pop back another time.
As my main, I chose the rolled shoulder of lamb, with was served with charred onion wedges, ratatouille, and a crispy parcel. The flavours all worked well together. My wife enjoyed the butter roasted ray wing, which came with pickled cockles, diced cucumber, and an anchovy and garlic dressing. As the wines are fairly pricy, instead of a bottle to share, we just had a glass of wine each to match our dishes.
We could have left it there, but felt the need to have some pudding as well. For that, we shared a Chelsea bun sitting in a bath of spiced custard with dried raisins or currants in, in.
It's still a good spot, but we were not in total agreement whether it had improved since it was the Butcher's Tap and Grill. We might give it a go in another year or so.
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