Bumpkin, Chelsea

Bumpkin recently held the launch for their Secret Garden Restaurant and Bar in the heart of Chelsea, and I was there to witness it. They already have a few restaurants around London, and now they’ve positioned themselves neatly between South Kensington and Sloane Square tube stops.

On arrival my guest and I were beckoned through the door via flames and giant plastic roses, and equipped with green John Lennon glasses, that no one else was wearing. So far so surreal. But with a hearty welcome, a glass of Champagne, and not a Made in Chelsea ‘star’ in sight, things got off to a good start.

The front of the restaurant has darker décor, more suited to candlelit dinners, but the further you advance towards the bar, the brighter and more tastefully floral it becomes. There is plenty of comfy seating to nestle into, both inside and out in the garden.

Being small, the bar got crowded quickly, but thankfully Bumpkin’s friendly staff did laps of the restaurant, whisking around canapés and offering top-ups generously. They were helpful and attentive all evening, even as the place packed out with more and more waify summer dresses and linen suits.

Canapés included salmon and caviar blinis, mini burgers and particularly tasty chicken and veg skewers. All were fairly moreish, giving a promising hint of what their food is like day-to-day.

The menu suggests Bumpkin are channelling the traditional English favourites, with a particular focus on brunches and Sunday roasts, veering close to gastropub territory. Saying that, there are some tasty-sounding seafood dishes, such as the garlic prawn, scallop and monkfish skewers with crispy toast and prawn sauce.

Bumpkin’s garden seems a relaxing place to while away a summer’s afternoon, tucked away from the Sydney Street traffic. But then, if you keep going past the picnic tables and trellises at the back of the garden, you unexpectedly reach a secret garden centre – out of nowhere you’re surrounded by a Narnia of bedding plants, iron wrought furniture and hanging baskets, all with price tags.

I imagine after a few glasses of Moët Chandon it could be quite disorientating to find that you have stumbled from an upmarket Chelsea bar into Homebase. But, as it was, it provided a talking point and a quieter space to sit away from the hubbub of the launch.

Most drinks didn’t seem so expensive – cocktails at £7.50 each are pretty standard all over the capital – although be careful which tequila you order unless you fancy being £21 lighter after a shot.

Some meals on the menu were very pricey, but generally these were the things you would expect to be, like baked spider crab with battered oysters for £30. All in all, Bumpkin came across as quite a welcoming and homely place for such an exclusive area of London; plus a great place to stock up on your hardy perennials.

Bumpkin
119 Sydney Street
Chelsea
SW3 6NR

Tel: 020 3730 9344