Evelyn’s Table — my top table of 2021
You’re going to quickly realise that I bloody love a restaurant counter
Short on time? Head to the bottom of this page to get the essential info.
UPDATE: The Selby brothers will be moving on from Evelyn’s Table at the end of 2022, to take up posts at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Aux Quatres Saisons, with Luke Selby becoming Executive Chef there— what an achievement. They will be missed!
I seriously considered not posting this. I was torn between wanting to share the very best meal I’ve had this year with you and wanting to keep it a secret so that I wouldn’t struggle to get future reservations…
Readers, I chose you. Book Evelyn’s Table — book it immediately (reservations are released monthly).
On a personal note, it has been an intense 12 months: 2 big jobs, @masterchefuk, demo-ing at food festivals up and down the UK, cooking for some amazing people, securing a cookbook deal (still pinching myself), eating my way around London (someone’s gotta do it). All of this to say that I didn’t realise how much I needed to have this foodie experience at this precise moment. On the Monday I had just made the call to quit my job and do the food thing full time (because trying to do both was exhausting beyond measure and I thought I might break). Then to go to Evelyn’s Table and be completely inspired was like the universe’s way of saying ‘you’re on the right path’.
Restaurant experiences are not just about the food (we know this, right?) — so many things come into play: the environment, the company, the music, the wine, the surprises, the details. It’s all about the memories you create and my memory of this meal will stay with me for a long time.
The atmosphere is magic: 10 seater counter, intimate basement (but classy, ya know?) and total theatre with the three Filipino Selby brothers cooking in front of you. This is fine dining, but kept casual. Which is to say that the experience is totally high-end but very far from stuffy. And YES all day long to the 90s RnB and hip hop playlist.
Exquisite mackerel, served raw with plum and umeboshi
Dorset oyster (huge, meaty things), shiso, ponzu
Now, about the food. At Evelyn’s Table the Selby brothers cook Japanese-inspired, extremely beautiful plates of food with an element of theatre. Little surprises sprinkled throughout delighted, whilst the menu was so perfectly balanced that you left just the right level of full (and totally, totally satisfied).
The wine pairing deserves a mention too because usually they’re overrated (in my humble opinion) but not this one. Honey Spencer, Wine Director at The Palomar Group, is a specialist in natural wines and the bottles she paired with each course were both surprising and wonderful — easily the best wine pairing I’ve ever had (and it wasn’t all about wine — there was sake and mead in there too).
Monkfish, mushroom dashi — decent, but the most underwhelming dish on the menu
Such theatre!
Unbelievable cooking of the venison, paired with all the bitter things
Everything you want a dessert to be
Outside The Blue Posts
Basically, it was the best, I’m obsessed. And here’s what you need to know:
Near: Piccadilly Circus, with that also being the nearest station.
Bookable: Yes — just 2 sittings each night, one at 6pm and one at 8.30pm.
Occasion: This is the ideal date / special occasion spot. Or a treat dinner with your foodie bestie. Either way, 2 is the right number for this.
Value: The tasting menu is £70 which is, quite frankly, a bargain. With the wine pairing (which you should absolutely do), you’re in the £150 per person realm.
Service: Intimate yet un-intrusive, varied, fun.
Get: The wine pairing to go with the tasting menu — you won’t regret it.
