Jerusalem artichokes with hazelnuts
So what do we need to know about Evelyn's Table?
It's the final element of The Blue Posts to open. This, you'll recall, is the three floor pub taken over by Layo and Zoe Paskin - the sibling team behind Palomar and The Barbary. Evelyn's Table is tucked away in the basement with counter dining for 11 plus a few tiny tables for two. Currently running the kitchen is Luke Robinson, previously Head Chef at the Corner Room, while chef Nacho Pinilla recovers from an operation.
Where is it?
Good question, as there are more than a few Blue Posts pubs in central London. This one's on Rupert Street - just past Palomar and Xu. Your nearest tube would be Piccadilly Circus.
Beef tartare with Parmesan and sourdough
Where should we meet friends for a drink first?
Well the obvious answer is right here. If you just fancy a pint, then head for the ground floor pub - but the cocktails upstairs at The Mulwray are well worth trying. A Forget it Jake (£11) would be perfect if you like your drinks really bitter, but our favourite was a Magic Hour (£12) made with Pineapple Plantation rum, Mondino and pineapple cordial.
So what's the set up?
The menu is divided into snacks, raw and cured, pasta, mains - including a Looe market day boat fish section - and then desserts. The restaurant's connections with Cornwall are key and you're shown the day's catch and given a short spiel on how the chef intends to cook it - we had Red Bream, John Dory and Lemon sole to choose from.
Between two of us we went for six dishes and shared a dessert, but you could get away with around four and a dessert if you needed to. Our meal kicked off with a top snack off fried Jerusalem artichoke shells and hazelnuts (£4) and highlights were as follows:
- Beef tartare with a huge dollop of Parmesan cream and sourdough toast (£12)
- Presa served with stracciatella and padron peppers two ways - simply chargrilled and also as tiny dots of intense sauce (£18)
- Red Bream - served with a wild garlic veloute, baby Italian broad beans and fresh morels (£20)
Presa with padron peppers
What about wine?
You'll probably recognise GM Kasia Sadowska from The Barbary. We'd highly recommend putting yourself in her hands - she recommended a range of wines by the glasses for us which, although we were sharing all the dishes, she varied for us depending on our own personal tastes. Prices start at around £5.75 for an enjoyable glass of Soli White from Bulgaria to just under the £80 mark for a bottle of Old Stones Chardonnay from Oregon winery Bergström.
Chef Luke presents the day boat specials
Overall thoughts
If your idea of a good night out is being up close and personal with the folk cooking your dinner (and we really love this kind of dining) then Evelyn's Table is for you. It would be a lot of fun as a solo dinner - but equally good for two. We love hearing the inspiration behind dishes and the provenance of the food itself, so this was pretty much a perfect evening for us. It's slightly less frenetic than the Palomar and The Barbary, which suited us just fine.
Hot Dinners were invited to Evelyn's Table. Prices were correct at the time of writing.
More about Evelyn's Table
Where: 28 Rupert Street, London W1D 6DJ
How to book: Book on their website.
