Quintessential British pub food no longer means flaccid pies, droopy battered white fish made from what can only be presumed to be cod, and vegetables boiled to the point of desecration. Forget that!
Brook and Badger, an upmarket gastro public house which boasts all the heart of a countryside village pub slap bang in Chelsea, and now one of the latest pubs on my radar.
The team at Brook and Badger are all rather lovely; less crusty barman and more well-to-do waiters. The round bar table gives Brook and Badger a slightly sexier zhuzh than your average gastro pub. There is an air of Tudor elegance, but with touches of Georgian decor. If King Henry VIII wanted to order a cocktail, he would order it here.
Whilst Brook and Badger’s menu isn’t solely based on British food, there is a classical element that tinges Chef James Scott’s menu. The night kicked off with some nibbles: a positive start for anyone who’s prone to a pre-dinner cocktail. Two negronis calls for something salty, fried and bite-sized to pair with.
And what better accompaniment than ham hock coquettes, rich in the fatty cut of ham, and satisfyingly gooey.? These couldn’t be ordered alone, especially when beer battered pickles demanded to be consumed swiftly after. Ham, cheese and pickle: the holy trinity of European pairings.
If a three-course dinner isn’t on your list mid-week, then a martini alongside these fried delights, sat on Brook and Badger’s barstool, should be.
To keep things light, only one starter was ordered: chicken liver pate with red onion chutney. It was a solid pate. Perhaps not entirely remarkable, but then chicken liver pate never is. The simplicity relies on fantastic ingredients, of which Brook and Badger has a plenty. Topped with a fresh sprig of watercress, seasonal produce is at the forefront of Brook and Badger’s menu.
To follow, a pork chop accompanied with breakfast radish and celeriac remoulade, and roast lamb, complete with pear barley and radicchio. Beautifully pink in the middle, the lamb was cooked to absolute perfection, with a rich depth that seemed to melt on the tongue.
The food is simple, affordable, but fantastic quality: it’s rare to find a spot that successfully pulls off all three. Singing further praise to Brook and Badger’s menu were the side of heritage tomatoes. A tomato is always a great indication of whether the restaurant in question has a good source of produce. I can confirm the tomatoes attested to that. These were sweet, crisp, plump and carried the delicate fragrance of greenhouses in summer.
I’m not often much of a dessert person, but after being told the Sticky Toffee Pudding was one of the best in London, I felt up to the challenge. Whilst I refrain from labelling any classic as ‘the best’, I can confirm the Sticky Toffee Pudding was indeed very good: light, bouncy, rich with butterscotch and a generous scoop of ice cream, it scores highly on the Sticky Toffee Pudding scale. E
Even more impressive was the pud I often overlook: the panna cotta. This was light, fragrant, stable but with the correct amount of wobble. The perfect way to finish a superb dinner.
For great wine (I recommend the Chablis, light, slightly creamy but with a pop of sharpness) and delicious classics,
Brook and Badger is a no-brainer. It’s still relatively new to Chelsea, so I recommend booking before the Instagram-hoarders arrive in droves to check out one of Chelsea’s top gastro-pubs.
Brooke and Badger
224 Munster Rd, London SW6 6AY