Myrtle Restaurant

Myrtle is the first solo restaurant from Irish chef Anna Haugh, who has made a name for herself by heading up some of the kitchens of the big names in London restaurants (London House, Bob Bob Ricard) without fully stepping into the limelight.

Myrtle, at the World’s End end of King’s Road, is very much her chance to shine, and if the narrow proportions of the two-floor restaurant speak of the constraints of a chef funding her own restaurant, details like the Galway crystal used for the Baron Albert house Champagne, the green marble bar and butter dishes, and pewter water goblets that wouldn’t look out of place in Game of Thrones speak of an attachment to Haugh’s home country that feels heartfelt rather than corny.      

Haugh’s cooking likewise takes Ireland as inspiration but filters ingredients such as Burren Smokehouse salmon and Crozier blue cheese through a modern Irish sensibility. So while potato comes with black pudding, it is delivered as an elegant cylinder of Clonakilty black pudding tied up in a thin twine of fried potato strings.

Roasted beef fillet with boxty, meanwhile, is presented as an elegant fan of sliced meat cooked medium-rare and spooned with a glossy tarragon and confit shallot jus; there’s more beef inside the boxty, a quivering dome of potato pancake that eats like a sublime savoury dumpling.   

If there are faults, it’s that the cooking displays a little too much of the intricacy learnt at the Michelin-starred likes of Pied à Terre and The Square, and while the pricing is reasonable by Chelsea standards, portion sizes seem too skimpy to encourage the sort of loyal repeat visits that the nearby likes of Medlar prove exist at this tubeless end of SW10; our most filling dish was the knockout veggie option of celeriac pithivier.     

That said, there’s generosity aplenty in the repeated offers of the homemade soda bread (made with treacle for a spoonful of sweetness), the friendly staff deliver warm, personal service while a bottle of Provencal rosé from the well-assembled wine list was perfect for a warm summer evening when the full-length windows were open on to the street.

A regular on Ready Steady Cook and a whole other slew of food programmes, Anna Haugh has become somewhat of a household name since opening Myrtle in 2019. The Irish chef comes with some serious experience on her CV, having worked for Gordon Ramsay, Philip Howard, Derry Clarke and Gulatiero Marchesi in her time.

Her first solo venture, Myrtle looks to showcase Irish food in the wider context of modern European cookery. Diners can choose between a taste or Ireland menu and the a la carte offering. The former is a £75 seven course tasting menu, while the latter allows guests more autonomy over their meal.

Plates on the tasting menu change sequentially with the seasons, but starters might include lamb sweetbreads with cep puree and balsamic; a beef and horseradish croquette or a heritage carrot salad with Cáis Na Tíre cheese, hazelnuts and a Ballymakenna violetta crisp. Possible mains might be a beef fillet with boxty. A la carte combinations include black pudding wrapped in potato; charred seabass with Molly Malone sauce and a summer bouquet; or potato pancakes with caramelised onions and pink peppercorns. Careful and creative presentation keeps things interesting, while the sweet staff are always on hand with recommendations.

The dining room itself is fresh with neutrals and duck egg blue accents that help to create the welcoming ambiance the restaurant strives to achieve. This theme is found in everything at Myrtle, with Anna specifically hiring staff who fit with the relaxed, high-quality experience Myrtle prides itself on.

For more intimate affairs, there’s a private mezzanine which can be hired for dinners, events or meetings. Here you’ll be seated in a panelled space which is flooded by natural light thanks to the overhead windows.

Open between Tuesday and Saturday, it’s always advisable to book ahead. Myrtle takes reservations ahead of time and you can book via the link above.