“a Michelin Star will be arriving soon”*
What do you call an Octopus with 6 arms? Well, probably a Hexopus, but failing that, it’s the Selby Brothers, the three talented chefs behind Evelyn’s Table, Luke Selby having formerly headed the kitchen at Michelin Star Mayfair restaurant Hide. This restaurant is their much anticipated solo debut and has been on my radar since the day it opened, but with only 20 covers per evening, split into two sittings of 10, getting a table was becoming something of an Sisyphean task. Refreshing the reservations page twice daily, finally I managed to pick up a table for 2 at their early (6pm) sitting. I didn’t do much research before hand – I rarely do if I know the chef is good, and anyway, I had been all but glued to their Instagram feed since their initial opening last October. The quickest of Google searches told me everything I needed to know: everyone who dines here thinks it’s great.
To reach the intimate dining room, you must first pick your way through The Blue Posts, a bustling pub at street level, and make your way downstairs to the basement, a subversive space where the Selby Brothers prepare the tasting in an open kitchen behind a bar that stretches the length of the room. It takes confidence to cook in a space like this – the entire meal is prepared in front of you – there is no room for error or hesitation.
The menu is just £60pp – almost suspiciously good value, but you are immediately reassured by Theo Selby rhythmically slicing a scallop to “One Nation Under a Groove” as you enter the room.
The Plates:
Hand Dived Scallop, Blood Orange, Shisho. What an opening gambit! So pretty you feel a pang of guilt destroying it, but you’ll be glad you did. The scallop and blood orange creates a vibrant, sweet and acidic start to our meal, and the wine pairing (a wild fermented sake that is the first of its kind in the UK and hails from, er, Peckham, South London) brings the dish to life.
Raw Beef, Wild Nettle Tempura, English Wasabi. Nettle (as in stinging nettle leaf) in the most fragile of tempura, sat on a quenelle of raw Beef. Wasabi is freshly grated at the counter – milder than the stuff you’re used to and totally harmonious with the rest of the plate. To be wrapped and eaten like a taco. This was paired with a 2018 Melsheimer Riesling. You’re unlikely to have eaten a raw nettle leaf before – this dish perfectly illustrates the school of Selby: Classic technique fused with Asian flavours, all wrapped up in some produce foraged that morning.
Pollock “Kombujime”, Ichban Dashi, Wild Garlic. Pickled seaweed, wild garlic and a smattering of caperberries float lazily in a perfectly clear dashi. It’s warming and elegant. Enjoyed with a wine from another lesser celebrated terrain: Tenerife. Taganan Blanco grape is grown in volcanic soil and this smokiness permeates the wine. A fantastic match.
A small extra course is prepared: Fluffy little duck buns (I could have eaten fifty) buns stuffed with wild garlic flower, cucumber, and a satisfyingly sticky glaze. These were a delight.
Dry Aged Duck, Citrus, Turnip, Jasmine. The duck is roasted, and carved counterside by a steady hand. Blushing, fatty duck with the crunch of Turnip and a sweet note of citrus – this was perhaps my favourite plate. Aromatic, but clean. We were given a choice of wines to pair (one lighter orange wine and a bigger red). I picked the Pinot of course, which paired well. One thing I enjoyed about this menu (with the exception of the precious course) was the noteable lack of carbohydrate. It’s a springy, light menu that wants to take you to your destination without unnecessary breads or filler.
Another small extra course, and a touch of fun from the kitchen. The Selby take on bubble tea, the zing of rhubarb, with little tapioca pearls at the bottom and a choux bun filled with chantilly and rhubarb on the side.
Finally, (this felt like a sad moment as you really want this last forever) Gariguette Strawberry, Savarin, Sake. The dessert is a take on the classic rum baba. Sake cream, and fruit soaked in sweet sake, a light sponge, a strawberry tuile: it’s the fruity, boozy, gateau-y end you want to end a meal of this magnitude, enjoyed with a 2017 Gelber Muskateller from Austria.
And that’s the story of how me hastily punching in my credit card details to secure a cancelled table turned out to be one my by best dining decisions yet.
As we settle the bill, our overriding observations (other than how utterly marvellous this experience has been), are that this place is going to become impossible to book once word gets out, and that this must also represent both one of the best put together and the best value tasting menus in London. It was a pleasure to watch the chefs do their thing. I was in awe at how at ease and precise the work was – they made something extremely technical look easy – this is not your average family restaurant. The plates were all excellent and all faultless, my prediction is that a Michelin Star will be arriving soon.*
Many thanks to Evelyn’s Table for such a special and unique experience.
Sabrina Goodlife.
*NOTE:2 months after writing this review, a Michelin Star was awarded to Evelyns Table.
Shortly after, Luke Selby left Evelyn’s Table and is now Executive Chef at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.