Tom’s Kitchen, 27 Cale Street, London SW3 3QP

Tom’s Kitchen, 27 Cale Street, London SW3 3QP

www.tomskitchen.co.uk

31/03/2013

She said: After another pointless Saatchi exhibition, we sought out Tom’s Kitchen having eaten in many of his dad’s (Mr Conran’s) eateries. Tucked away on a residential road in Chelsea, the inside of Tom’s is a bright, contemporary space which, as the name says, feels like a big eat-in kitchen and contrasts with is former-pub exterior. Popular with Americans for some reason, the menu was a good choice of British fare but at posh prices. I had a small portion of macaroni cheese and a green salad which were fine and a pricey juice. I’m not sure if restaurants think it’s ‘atmospheric’ to have the sound of fresh coffee being grated all the time but the sound resonated through the restaurant creating more of a pneumatic drill sensation. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a bright, happy space full of bustle but – and this may be my prejudices against the Chelsea set – if felt more like a ‘scene to be seen’ space with prices unnecessarily higher than they should be. £50 for a light lunch seems excessive compared with similar joints I’ve been to.

He said: If Tom flew an American flag above the front door, his kitchen easily could be mistaken for the canteen of the American Embassy. Every table within earshot was packed with Americans. Perhaps it’s because we went at Sunday lunch, a.k.a. brunch time, but the menu must’ve been irresistible to our cousins across the pond: full, as it is, of Yankee classics: blueberry pancakes, crab cakes, mac & cheese, etc. We too indulged, and all of it was very good, if a little pricey. What you’re really paying for, of course, is the bright and breezy space; it hard to believe that this used to be a pub. ‘Good job, guys!’.