Beatrix is a modern British brasserie on the top floor of The Gaumont building in Chelsea, opposite Chelsea Town Hall. It comes from the team behind Ixchel, the Mexican restaurant a little further along the road, and takes the English garden as its inspiration. Running the kitchen is Eamon Reis, who cooked at Brat and Lardo before becoming acting Head Chef at Straker’s in Notting Hill.
The headline act is the huge wrap-around roof terrace. It has been fully weatherproofed, so a table outside isn’t left to the mercy of the British weather, and that makes it an outdoor space that earns its keep in winter as well as summer. The interiors are by The Nanu Group, the design firm also responsible for Ixchel and Mistress of Mayfair: the headline act is the huge wrap-around roof terrace. It has been fully weatherproofed, so a table outside isn’t left to the mercy of the British weather, and it earns its keep in winter as well as summer, with marble-topped tables and cane-backed chairs beneath a slatted pergola, and views out across Chelsea’s rooftops. Inside, The Nanu Group (also behind Ixchel and Mistress of Mayfair) carries the garden theme through: floral wallpaper, curved blush-pink banquettes, sage-green pouffes and a ruched fabric ceiling, with fresh flowers on every table and a bar lined with green-cushioned stools.
Reis’s menu is about as British as brasseries get. Think Devon crab crumpets, beef tartare with crispy potato, and Cornish hake with sea beet. The real focus, though, is on big dishes designed for the whole table: the Beatrix fish pie, rotisserie chicken and bone-in British steaks. Bring a group, order a spread and share everything.
Puddings take a nostalgic, nursery-style turn, with trifle, Eton mess and apple crumble on the list, plus a Guinness ice cream float for something more playful. Beatrix serves breakfast too, when the menu runs to dippy eggs with soldiers and Marmite butter, and porridge with caramelised pear and toasted hazelnuts.