Ralphie’s is the first solo restaurant from Tom Booton, who cooked in the Michelin-starred kitchens of Alyn Williams and Ollie Dabbous before launching The Grill by Tom Booton at The Dorchester in 2019 - the youngest chef to take on the role there. Named after his Maltipoo, this 40-seat neighbourhood restaurant in Belgravia is open daily and serves playful reworkings of British classics.
Fittingly for a street long known as a home of British interior design, Booton designed the room himself. Oxblood tones and Colefax and Fowler fabrics sit against dark walnut floors and tables, with brass finishes, lighting and mirrors from nearby design house Jamb. Much of the furniture was hunted down by Booton in antique shops and auction houses, and the walls carry original prints made for the space by London artist Ewan David Eason. There’s a small terrace outside, too.
The a la carte nods to Booton’s Colchester upbringing. Starters include crispy cod cheeks scampi with warm tartare sauce, and beef tartare with potato chips and shavings of dried beef heart; mains run to pork and mushroom pie with charcuterie sauce and moules mariniere, plus daily specials on the blackboard. Leave space for the vanilla soft-serve sandwich, finished at the table with warm hazelnut and fudge sauce. Sunday lunch brings rump of Hereford beef with horseradish and watercress, or a whole stuffed Sutton Hoo chicken for two or three, with Booton’s signature cauliflower cheese among the trimmings.
Emma Robinson’s wine list balances familiar bottles with more adventurous finds, while Pritesh Mody’s cocktails use pickles and infusions foraged by the kitchen team - try the freezer-cold Beetroot Martini or Ralph’s Hedgerow Negroni with fennel pickle liquor. Downstairs, The Den seats up to 14 overlooking the kitchen, with a record player stocked from Booton’s vinyl collection and beef Wellington carved tableside. Dogs get their own menu: Pig in Blanket, Crispy Fish Skin Roll and The Chew Board, served in William Edwards bowls bearing the Ralphie’s emblem.