Elystan Street

Elystan Street is Phil Howard's Chelsea restaurant, the Michelin-starred follow-up to his years at The Square in Mayfair, set on a quiet corner just off the King's Road. The dining room is all light oak floors, soft grey plaster and tall steel-framed windows dressed with sheer linen, lit by oversized woven pendant lamps and furnished in dusty blue and faded rose. It feels less like a formal temple to fine dining than a polished neighbourhood room, which is exactly the point: the cooking is precise and seasonal, the service warm rather than starched.

The kitchen works in a pure, ingredient-led register, with a deep wine list and an easy way with both well-known bottles and quieter finds. Ten years in, it remains one of the most assured restaurant rooms in SW3, the kind of address regulars return to for an unhurried lunch or a long dinner.

For private events the restaurant offers a single dining room tucked just inside the entrance, screened from the main floor yet still part of the action. It seats up to sixteen and is washed with natural light, suited to a family celebration, a wine dinner or a discreet gathering with a tasting menu built for the occasion.