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Rabbit - Chelsea, London

Modern takes on British favourites at the King's Road. 

Category : Restaurant Cuisine : British
Address : 172 King's Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 4UP , UNITED KINGDOM
Web : www.rabbit-restaurant.com
Opening Times : Mon: 5pm-11pm; Tue-Sat: 12pm-11pm; Sun: 12pm-8pm


  • Rabbit  one of Innerplace's exclusive restaurants in London
  • Rabbit  one of Innerplace's exclusive restaurants in London
  • Rabbit  one of Innerplace's exclusive restaurants in London

The Gladwin Brothers, of which there are three, scored a hole in one with the opening of The Shed in Notting Hill a few years ago, so it's been with great anticipation that their truly farm-to-table experience (with ingredients sourced from their family's Nutbourne Farm) has another neighbourhood in which to flourish. Tucked in on the Sloanier side of King's Road, Rabbit's décor resembles the lovechild of Beatrix Potter and Wallace & Gromit, with a whimsical, country touch which will surely win over West London. Guests will sit on stools retrofitted from tractor seats, dine at rustic wooden tables and take a gander at the wildlife-inspired artistry adorning the walls, however there's nothing whimsical or unserious about the work Oliver Gladwin is doing in the open plan kitchen.

From start to finish, the service was spot on. Having worked together for years and known each other their whole lives, there was not a mishandled moment. Almost immediately after taking our seats we were offered aperitifs, the "Rabbit in the Hedge", mixed with Sipsmith vodka, damson, pear, rosehips, lemon and soda, served in a glass boot. This went well with a couple of canapés, or Mouthfuls, as the menu reads, including a beetroot crisp teeming with goats cheese and pear jam and a mushroom and egg emulsion on sourdough.

Following this we opted for one of their family wines, the Nutbourne Bacchus, and started making our way through the menu. A bowlful of chorizo, labneh, crisp bread and kale was ideal for sharing, blending carnivore fare and superfoods in equal stead. The second dish demonstrated a deep commitment to foraged ingredients. Cured scallop was mated with air dried ham from their farm, Wiltshire truffle, dulse and buckshorn, creating a very pleasing aesthetic spectacle.  However, we were more impressed with the Nutbourne lamb, served perfectly pink with an onion squash puree, honey wild mint and crisped sunflower seeds. It was a masterclass on a Great British favourite.

We concluded our meal with "The Shed Magnum Viennetta Parfait". The astute reinvention of the frozen Wall's treat interweaves rich vanilla ice cream with dark chocolate and salted caramel to devastating effect, leaving us a bit weak in the knees at the end of the night. The Shed set the pace for Brit farm-to-table, nose-to-tail cusine, but Rabbit moved leaps and bounds ahead.

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