In the heart of Chelsea, a new restaurant is creating a buzz that blends Michelin-starred refinement with the unapologetic joy of British comfort food. Corenucopia, the latest venture from three-Michelin-starred chef Clare Smyth, has thrown open its doors at 18-22 Holbein Place, London SW1, offering a deliberately more relaxed, yet still luxurious, dining experience.
A Michelin-Adjacent Bistro with a Rock Soundtrack
The scene is set with white tablecloths, velvet banquettes, and a clientele that might sport red trousers. Yet the air thrums not with classical music, but with the pounding beats of British dad rock. From Status Quo to Oasis, the soundtrack provides a playful, rebellious counterpoint to the elegant surroundings. It's a deliberate move by Smyth, who made her name at the exalted Core in Notting Hill, to let her hair down.
While Core's tasting menu commands £265 per person before drinks, Corenucopia pitches itself as a "pocket-friendly" outpost. The à la carte menu focuses on reinvented classics, with starters like a crispy veal sweetbread at £32 and mains such as turbot with vin jaune sauce for £64. However, with add-ons like a separate potato menu and a gilt-framed vinegar selection, the bill can quickly escalate.
Cosseting, Calories-Be-Damned Cooking
The food itself is a masterclass in decadent, comforting cuisine. Dishes are designed to indulge, with technique never overshadowing sheer pleasure. A mushroom pie, fashioned like a pithivier, is a plump treasure trove filled with ceps, parmesan, and smoked egg yolk. Grilled olives on skewers with eel and timut pepper offer a surprising and blissful combination of flavours.
The signature battered Dover sole, stuffed with lobster mousse and priced at £52, arrives with triple-cooked chips and minted peas. It's a dish that transcends gimmickry, delivering on both spectacle and taste. From the ornate smoked salmon pâté with mini crumpets to the beef fat-roasted hasselback potatoes, the cooking is consistently superb, if occasionally ungenerous in portion.
Desserts and the Core Comparison
The meal culminates with desserts like a singular profiterole for £22 or a sherry trifle made with Bristol Cream. The trifle, however, divided opinion, leaning towards a light, jammy cream rather than the traditional stodgy heft. Regulars might note that opting for a fine wine like a 2010 Château Suduiraut sauternes alongside such treats could narrow the price gap with Smyth's flagship.
Service remains formally impeccable, a world away from casual squatting or order-taking without pen and paper. Corenucopia successfully carves its own niche: it is neither a stuffy temple of gastronomy nor a truly casual pub. It is, instead, a Michelin-adjacent Chelsea bistro where exquisite, cosseting food is served to a soundtrack of rock anthems, proving that high-end comfort and a playful spirit can, indeed, sit side by side.
Corenucopia is open for lunch Friday to Sunday and dinner Wednesday to Sunday. Expect to spend from about £80 a head à la carte, plus drinks and service, for a taste of Clare Smyth's groovy, decadent new vision.
