Tom Brown at The Capital Serves a Taste of Cornwall in the Heart of London

The most important aspect of a night out is the moment you arrive at a restaurant with your date. That awkward few seconds as you come through the door, taking your coat off and wondering where to go. The greeting defines your whole experience. If Michelin gave stars for that then Tom Brown at The Capital deserves his just for that alone. Settling at the bar for a blood orange martini and an absolutely delicious Seabreeze Sour you feel like a treat is in store.

In the very centre of Knightsbridge, close to Harvey Nicks, Tom has returned to his roots where he first made his name at Outlaw’s at The Capital. The 28-cover, intimate yet creative restaurant champions his style of sustainable seafood with a modern British accent.

The elegant restaurant has a sea-green 1930s intensity that is reminiscent of the seafood it serves. Highly appointed and hugely comfortable, settle into your window seat and enjoy a Negroni (£9). To truly appreciate the whole menu, a six-course tasting menu is the order of the day, to include: Lobster Toast, noir and chilli oil; Crab custard, winter tomatoes and horseradish; and Cod with Roscoff onion and Barnstable chicken jus, alongside other dishes that very much harken to Tom’s West Country heritage (£95).

However, the opera of taste that is available is too much to miss out on a surf and turf moment from the evening menu. Raw Orkney scallops, roast chicken, celeriac and Exmoor caviar (£12) was delicious and really captured the essence of British seafood. Followed by Hereford beef, oyster, swede and stout gravy (£28). The attention to detail made the flavour so much more intense. Accompanied by a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc by the glass and a delicious Malbec, however the food was the star of the evening.

Marie and Charlie were lovely hosts and made the whole experience interesting and intimate where the grandeur of the food could be intimidating. This is a gastronomic sanctuary to take your time and not feel rushed.

To finish, a little surprise: a beef and oyster oxtail pie. Small, one mouthful, and perfect.

The desserts were no less extravagant and yet incomparably delicious. A 70% Xoco chocolate tart, green mandarin and kumquat (£18), or the Quince Tatin, vanilla mascarpone and whisky custard (£21). The attention to detail shouts to be heard.

If you want a lighter experience yet still get that truly fine dining moment, then a lunch menu is for you, with a shorter tasting menu and three-course options. This offers a more relaxed introduction to the restaurant’s style.

As head chef, Tom Brown delivers seafood that emphasises the finest that the British can offer in the heart of London. As a West Country boy myself, I felt spoiled, and knowing Tom’s own Cornish roots, it felt all the more fitting.

tombrownatthecapital.com
22–24 Basil Street, SW3 1AT

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