Medlar
French restaurant · Chelsea
438 King's Rd, London SW10 0LH, United Kingdom
Highlights
French-inflected food with global influences, duck egg tart
French-inflected food with global influences, duck egg tart
"A charming, comfortable and very popular restaurant with a real neighbourhood feel, from two alumni of Chez Bruce. The service is engaging and unobtrusive; the kitchen uses good ingredients in dishes that deliver distinct flavours in classic combinations." - Michelin Inspector
"When Henry Harris’ Racine served its last veal chop in 2015, the torch was ferried down the road to Medlar. Although there are a couple of Italian flourishes — a raviolo here, a burrata there — the menu’s framework is solidly, classically Gallic. Indeed, white onion velouté with roast foie gras, pistachios, confit quail legs and aged comté gougères must surely be the French-est dish in London, if not the world. Oh, and the chips (triple cooked, as advertised) come with Bearnaise. Not cheap, but magnifique for a splurge." - Emma Hughes
"It’s in a slightly subprime location at the wrong end of the King’s Road, but inside Medlar is prime Zone One, baby — all French-inflected food and honking red-trousered first growth claret. But look a little closer, and it soon becomes apparent there’s a little more wit and finesse on display: in dishes like the iconic duck egg / duck heart tart and a tarte tatin for the ages, there’s a lightness of touch to go with all that butter and demi-glace. It’s quiet without being hushed; the service is charming without being pompous. And the set-price menu isn’t even that expensive. Value for money in Chelsea? Maaaaaayte." - George Reynolds
"A Michelin star may have come and gone at this discreet Chelsea stalwart, but the food has barely changed in the decade since it opened. For the avoidance of doubt, this not necessarily a bad thing: the duck egg tart to start remains a perfect dish; Belted Galloway rump with triple-cooked chips and béarnise will never not hit a certain kind of diner’s pleasure centre. Where things definitely have evolved is on the wine front: head sommelier Melania Battiston has worked wonders on a list that used to be as awash in claret as some of the more bibulous regulars, and these days, Australia and Northern America are just as prominent as some real heavy hitters from Northern Italy and the Rhone. Sub-£50 bottles see decent representation and there is even more than a passing nod to natural wine hotbeds like Jura and the Loire. Perhaps most importantly, the staggeringly reasonable corkage charge remains in place, ensuring that most of the most impressive bottles drunk at Medlar may not even come from its own cellar." - George Reynolds
"Reliably swish and seasonal, this bastion of Gallic cookery is massively popular with well-heeled locals. For just £35 a head anyone can join them for a weekday lunch to remember: start with duck-egg tart, follow it with boudin of corn-fed chicken, girolles and spätzle, and finish with the plum sorbet and freshly baked madeleines. The chips, at £4 and served with béarnaise for dunking, are in a league of their own." - Emma Hughes
