Let’s be clear from the get-go; it’s King Road, never ‘The’ Kings Road, and one of my favourite destinations ever since I was a teen. Always a hub for fashion and style, constantly self-reinventing, the shops ebb and flow like the tide towards shoreline of the Worlds End. Great pubs have also been the mainstay of the area, from The Coopers to the Builders Arms, the Front Page (now the Pig’s Ear) and The Cross Keys. And we would pre-load with friends at The Phene before attending a wedding at Chelsea Town Hall.
Now there’s a new arrival in an old building, The Trafalgar, right opposite said town Hall. With tall south-facing arches and five-meter-high ceilings, they have pulled no punches on the decor. Tapestries, paintings, Empire-style chandeliers, deep-buttoned banquettes and dark chocolate-red walls and ceiling. And at the windows, little bistro-curtains that allow you to peep discretely at passers-by.
On the ground floor it’s 2/3rds pub, 1/3rd dining room, then in the basement it’s set up as a venue for music, dancing and private parties.
To get into character we had a glass of Cremant and pint of Neck Oil while grazing the menu, which is substantial.
Both starters were fantastic. The first was Irish oxtail & black truffle croquettes with Bovril mayonnaise. I could eat these all day long – darkly meaty, the umami of the truffle and sprinkle of Parmesan makes these small wonders irresistible. Then came roasted pumpkin ravioli, brown butter, sage & pine nuts. Subtle, autumnal deliciousness.
With ten dishes to choose from the mains covered all bases from Christmas dinner to fish and chips, but two dishes caught our attention: Poached guinea fowl breast, thigh croquette, dauphinoise, creamy leeks & peas and jus, and roasted stone bass, rainbow chard, new potatoes with lemon & caper burnt butter
The Guinea fowl was super-tender, the thigh croquette more subtle than its precursor, and the dauphinoise more a formal reinvention than what you might anticipate yet good none the less.
The bass was just amazing, crisply seared, fresh and tender, like a trip to the sea. Potatoes are partly crushed allowing them to mop up the butter which, in combination with the chard create the most indulgent spin on bubble and squeak.
As a side we tried the tenderstem broccoli & French beans, chilli, and pine nuts. The veg had a lovely bite, gentle warmth from the chilli and decent huff of garlic. All steeped in butter, of course.
Appropriate refreshment came in the form of a bottle of Luvinac Picpoul de Pinet, slightly salty and perfect with fish.
Puds were all £7, and of sensible proportion. We were intrigued by the notion of Baby Guinness cake with Baileys mascarpone, though sadly one bite was enough. Consisting of a heavy dark sponge with notes of molasses and tinge of coffee plus blob of mascarpone. Saddens me to say ‘avoid’.
Redemption, however, came in the form of Vegan Apple & Blackberry Crumble, vanilla ice-cream or custard, which was exceptional. The crumble element is clearly tray-baked (not melded into the fruit like your mum’s), and it’s perfectly tart, not too sweet. Custard arrives in a ramekin so you can load your spoon on the fly, which works really well. My noblest intentions of leaving half were scuppered by greed and I scarfed the lot.
Clearly the word had got out already and The Trafalgar was very busy indeed. If there is a criticism at all, it can get very noisy. But for excellent food, beautiful architecture and decor, all at surprisingly affordable prices, this gem is hard to beat.
The Trafalgar Public House is at 224-226 King’s Road, London SW3 5UA
Kitchen Hours
Mon – Fri: 12pm – 4pm, 5pm – 10pm
Sat: 11am – 4pm, 5pm – 10pm
Sun: 11am – 9pm
Bar food served all day