Shellfish Snatched from Chelsea Restaurant Porch
Staff at a prestigious Michelin-starred restaurant in Chelsea were left reeling after a brazen morning theft saw £200 worth of premium shellfish disappear from their doorstep. The incident occurred at Elystan Street on Tuesday morning, when a woman was captured on CCTV calmly walking off with a box of langoustines that had been delivered moments earlier.
The footage shows a woman dressed in jeans and slippers approaching the restaurant's porch at approximately 8am. She picks up the package containing the valuable seafood, keeps her head down, and walks away with the stolen goods.
Restaurant Forced to Remove Signature Dish
Sarah Rhone, operations director for Elystan Street, explained they discovered the theft when checking deliveries. "We quickly turned to our CCTV footage and saw a lady stealing the box of langoustine, to the value of £200," she told Metro.
The consequences were immediate for the restaurant, which has been operating since 2016 without previous incidents of stolen produce. The missing langoustines meant they were unable to offer their French bisque soup and grilled extra-large Scottish langoustine dish, which features chilli, spring onions, lemon zest and garlic.
"It was quite frustrating," Rhone admitted, adding her disappointment that someone would target an independent restaurant during challenging times for the hospitality industry.
Social Media Reaction and Wider Investigation
The restaurant shared the CCTV footage on Instagram in hopes of identifying the woman, sparking numerous comments from followers and fellow chefs. Chef Aaron Middleton jokingly suggested: "Right, that's it!! Get the cling film," while another commenter hoped she would "bring it back en plaice!"
Restaurant owner Phil Howard shared stronger sentiments on his own Instagram account, calling the thief a "low-life scumbag" and using the hashtag #seeyounexttuesday.
The investigation has revealed this may not be an isolated incident. After seeing the social media posts, staff at Galvin La Chapelle in Spitalfields, East London, reviewed their own CCTV footage from November 4. They discovered footage showing a woman stealing £800 worth of meat from outside their Michelin-starred establishment.
Police have confirmed they launched an investigation after the victim reported the theft on Wednesday, November 26. The hospitality industry now watches closely as this unusual crime wave targeting high-end ingredients continues to unfold.
