It’s always sad when restaurants close – especially one that was a Palate Restaurant of the Year, as Cornerstone was in 2018. Tom Brown made a name for himself as Nathan Outlaw’s protégé and a seafood maestro in his own right, breaking free from The Capital as Outlaw’s head chef to set up Cornerstone in Hackney, before calling time on it six years later. Now he’s back at The Capital whilst simultaneously running the more casual Pearly Queen and new ‘surf and turf’ venture Island in King’s Cross.
The Capital in Knightsbridge is, of course, legendary – not only as Tom Brown’s former place of employ, but many great chefs including Brian Turner CBE, Philip Britten, the late Gary Rhodes, Shaun Hill (of The Walnut Tree), Tom Kerridge and Éric Chavot amongst others. However, on walking in and seeing it virtually empty, I wondered if I had stumbled in to The Overlook instead. The charming maître d’s suggestion to have a martini in the bar first thankfully put paid to that notion, and I was impressed by this insistence on an aperitif rather than being rushed to the table. Still, I couldn’t help the thought that while the fish may be sustainable, a restaurant as quiet as this can’t be.
Obviously that’s not a criticism of the restaurant itself but maybe more a sign of changing consumer habits, not helped by social media’s algorithms which seem to be eschewing tablecloths in favour of sandwich cross-sections and narcissistic chewing (for the avoidance of doubt, that’s not the vibe at this restaurant). The starred and the storied may have a steady stream of gastro-tourists to keep them afloat, but for new high-end restaurants or revamped institutions like this it’s an existential challenge.
Tom Brown at The Capital is an objectively good restaurant with lots of potential
Dining in a restaurant with only four customers has its advantages, of course. For instance, you can appreciate the details in the décor (in this case, the formerly stuffy dining room is now vivid with leafy patterns on the walls, glowing sea urchins for illumination and water carafes from Paola Navone’s ‘Fish and Fish’ collection – subtle details which complement the restaurant rather than slap you in the face with a halibut). Service can also be incredibly attentive when a restaurant is quiet, as it was here too: the pace, the topping-up of wine, the level of deference (friendly but not obsequious in a “suits you sir” way) were all spot-on.
Being outnumbered by servers has its downsides though, especially when staff watch every move you make – not in the vaguely sinister way of The Police’s 1983 song, but when they have nothing better to do than observe you eat it’s all very Bentham’s Panopticon. (No doubt AI will provide a solution for under capacity soon: in a vile marriage with 3D printing, it may be possible to create ‘extras’ to fill the empty chairs – such a hideous thought requires another martini.)
Back to reality, Brown is serving imaginative food here, perhaps trying to go to places he couldn’t with Cornerstone with ‘twists’ such as fish charcuterie (I suspect a nod to Josh Niland) or cuttlefish ‘cacio e pepe’ (which I remain dubious about as cheese and fish do not make the best bedfellows). Apart from the occasional misguided missile, it deliciously hits the target.
Mackerel, quail egg, ponzu, soy
Sea bream, courgettes, chicken sauce
Strawberries, cheesecake, sorrel
The mackerel I had here very much embodied this bolder, internationally-inspired approach: served raw (hopefully the “Torched Mackerel Years” are behind us) with a delicate mosaic of daikon petals, a quail egg that oozed when punctured, ponzu dressing and furikake. A little jalapeño oil really brought this dish together without assaulting the palate too much at the outset of the meal.
Sea bream with courgette and a chicken butter sauce was also a triumph: the fish was cooked beautifully, the courgettes sensitively, and that chicken sauce – which I once tried at Cornerstone and is now ubiquitous – was like a comedian’s call-back, bringing back happy memories and a smile to my face.
There was even a seafood element in the desserts with one option combining chocolate and caviar (well, salted caramel works so why not?), but hoping for a bit of a reprieve from the sea, I went for the strawberries, cheesecake and sorrel. This was OK though a bit monotextural, promising the ideal of an English summer on paper but delivering, well, its damp reality. Perhaps fish is where this kitchen’s strengths start and finish, which is a shame when relatively new openings like Cornus or Wildflowers prove it’s possible to be equally strong on pastry.
The value is a bit of a mixed picture too: the set lunch at £55 is decently priced for refined food in this postcode, though unlike Le Gavroche’s former business lunch, which was around the same ballpark back in the day, this doesn’t include wine or any of the bonus amuses bouches / palate cleansers you might expect. No bread was offered either. The bill can easily rack up with the £80 or £105 tasting menus, whilst the wine and cocktail selection is commensurate with Knightsbridge (i.e. not cheap).
No-one can ignore how tough things are right now and even seasoned pros are suffering with many new projects having the longevity of an IKEA tealight (exhibit A: Victor Garvey at The Midland Grand, which snuffed out after just five months, though I felt that was conceptually wrong for that hallowed space). None of us know how much time we have really and we should enjoy things whilst we can.
By no means perfect, Tom Brown at The Capital is an objectively good restaurant with lots of potential. Whether that potential is fully realised, we’ll see.
The Capital
22-24 Basil Street
London
SW3 1AT
August 2025
