Tom Brown made his name in London at The Capital hotel as the head chef of Outlaw’s restaurant before going solo, first with contemporary fine-diner Cornerstone in Hackney, then with seafood small plates at Pearly Queen in Spitalfields. With the closure of Cornerstone in 2024, the chef is returning to both Knightsbridge and tasting menus with this self-titled hotel dining room.
Wallpaper* dines at Tom Brown at The Capital
The mood: Small is beautiful
The Capital was a boutique hotel before anyone had invented the term and its restaurant sticks to the small-is-beautiful vibe with space for only 28 diners. Guests begin their experience with a snack in the kitchen before being seated in a dining room of high ceilings and tall windows, with walls lined with Arte International wallpaper, a Richard Bagguley mural on the ceiling and Stark carpet on the floor. Try and arrive early: the tiny bar (also refurbished) is a hidden gem for elegant cocktails without the Knightsbridge bling.
'Working with the historic building, given the generous ceiling and window heights within the restaurant area, the design challenge became the transition between the two spaces. The design requirement needed to allow the restaurant to embrace a lighter and fresher ambience whilst complementing the cosy, intimate atmosphere of the bar,' says Sarah Daniels, founder of DO Design Studio.
The food: formal fine dining with a light touch
Brown developed an affinity for the fish and seafood of his native Cornwall when he was working with two-Michelin-starred Nathan Outlaw at the St Enodoc Hotel in Rock. His commitment to sustainable seafood extends not only to a having an oyster tattooed on the back of his head but for using every part of responsibly caught fish. Two tasting menus offer five or nine courses, kicking off with a skewer of steamed mussel stuffed with mussel parfait and dipped in fig and port jelly before progressing through the likes of a cuttlefish ravioli in which the ‘pasta’ is crafted entirely from fish. Diners with smaller appetites may might wish to come for lunch, when there are three, five and seven course selections.
Tom Brown at The Capital is located at 24, 22 Basil St, London SW3 1AT; tombrownatthecapital.com
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