Reviews Rabbit

Interesting range of British tapas dishes - very farm to table style. Seasonal ingredients. Great service and atmosphere. I could visit here again and again.

Light flooded into a room that was decked out with stripped-wood tables, roughly painted brick walls and quirky details everywhere… . The overall look is a rustic barnyard feel that reflects the menu of wild and foraged ingredients much of which comes from the Gladwin brothers’ own farm and vineyard in West Sussex. The three brothers who co-own the restaurant were bought up on the farm and after school chose different paths; Gregory became a farmer, Oliver a chef and Richard chose to work in hospitality. Each bought a different skill to the table when founding their first restaurant, The Shed, the success of which led them to open Rabbit.

Come to this restaurant with an open mind.
The dishes burst with flavours that come from unusual yet very simple inhredients.
The balance is superb, the service is great.
A bit noisy but the food makes it all worth while!

A quirky Modern British restaurant is probably the last thing you expect to find on the King's Road in Chelsea, but there it is anyway, looking right at home nestled in-between the Sloaney clothing shops and candle emporiums, largely because at first glance it looks like either a Sloaney clothing shop or an overpriced candle emporium. It's only when you look closely, spot the tables and chairs inside and the menu on the door that you realise it's not a rustic interiors shop or a branch of Cath Kidson but a restaurant. Some of the customers look slightly bewildered by the situation too, like they've wandered in looking for a jar of mandarin and cinnamon hand wash and ended up being served dinner. More remarkably given its location, Rabbit isn't half bad at all. Admittedly for Chelsea, "not half bad" means "isn't ludicrously expensive, and isn't entirely populated by people you'd normally cross the street to avoid.", but at least they're trying. Our dinner started with a plate of pretty "mouthfuls", a brown crab "bomb" with lemon and dulse (some kind of seaweed I believe), really just a crab croquette but pleasant enough; a Woodcock paté, fluffy blobs of super-light game liver on melba toast (really rather good); and a "mushroom marmite eclair" which, well, tasted exactly like it sounds - a mini savoury choux pastry filled with mushroom and Marmite. Rainbow trout tartare was my favourite of the small plates. The fish itself had a good, firm flesh and none of that offputting slimyness you get from cheaper animals. And the accompanying bits and pieces were certainly colourful, and in the case of blobs of chervil mousse leant a refreshing dairy note, almost like cream cheese, but am I wrong in expecting those little clumps of black blobs to be caviar and not, as it turned out, grape seeds? I'm sure they weren't deliberately setting out to trick anyone with faux caviar, but the dissonance between the salty, fishy flavour I was expecting and the more prosaic reality was qu

A quirky Modern British restaurant is probably the last thing you expect to find on the King's Road in Chelsea, but there it is anyway, looking right at home nestled in-between the Sloaney clothing shops and candle emporiums, largely because at first glance it looks like either a Sloaney clothing shop or an overpriced candle emporium. It's only when you look closely, spot the tables and chairs inside and the menu on the door that you realise it's not a rustic interiors shop or a branch of Cath Kidson but a restaurant. Some of the customers look slightly bewildered by the situation too, like they've wandered in looking for a jar of mandarin and cinnamon hand wash and ended up being served dinner. 

More remarkably given its location, Rabbit isn't half bad at all. Admittedly for Chelsea, "not half bad" means "isn't ludicrously expensive, and isn't entirely populated by people you'd normally cross the street to avoid.", but at least they're trying. Our dinner started with a plate of pretty "mouthfuls", a brown crab "bomb" with lemon and dulse (some kind of seaweed I believe), really just a crab croquette but pleasant enough; a Woodcock paté, fluffy blobs of super-light game liver on melba toast (really rather good); and a "mushroom marmite eclair" which, well, tasted exactly like it sounds - a mini savoury choux pastry filled with mushroom and Marmite. 

Rainbow trout tartare was my favourite of the small plates. The fish itself had a good, firm flesh and none of that offputting slimyness you get from cheaper animals. And the accompanying bits and pieces were certainly colourful, and in the case of blobs of chervil mousse leant a refreshing dairy note, almost like cream cheese, but am I wrong in expecting those little clumps of black blobs to be caviar and not, as it turned out, grape seeds? I'm sure they weren't deliberately setting out to trick anyone with faux caviar, but the dissonance between the salty, fishy flavour I was expecting and the more prosaic reality was quite jarring. 

"Sticky spatchcock quail" was slightly disappointing not because there was anything in particular wrong with it (apart from more of that fool's caviar) but because I've been spoiled by better (and cheaper) versions elsewhere - Peckham Bazaar, the Table Café, even my local Vietnamese Mien Tay does a version for £6.50 that somehow manages more fire and spice. The Rabbit's quail (this is getting confusing) wasn't terrible, it just needed a bit more love and seasoning. 

"Lamb chips" sounds exciting. "Lamb croquettes" less so, so maybe that's why they went with "chips". Slow-cooked lamb inside a breadcrumb casing, resting on a little puddle of harissa. Again, not bad just not quite what I was expecting. I realise I'm risking sounding like I'm picking fault with everything just for the sake of it, but I think at these prices (those two fingers of lamb were £8) I'm entitled to expect a little more pizazz. 

Whilst some of the preceeding courses had been faintly disappointing, though, a truffle and mushroom "ragu" was genuinely wrong, mainly because the truffle - great big awkward slabs of it sliced as thickly as chorizo - tasted of absolutely nothing. There was no aroma, and no flavour; they may as well have shaved on candle wax. And that would have been bad enough if the mushrooms themselves weren't desperately underseasoned and accompanied by way too many deep-fried sage leaves that each held about a tablespoon of cold oil. Chefs - if you find your truffle is old or tasteless or just rubbish, don't shave extra on in an attempt to salvage some flavour, just leave it off completely. Then find a better truffle supplier. 

Duck liver came with yet more fool's caviar but by this point we knew not to get our hopes up. What let us down here was the duck itself which was mealy and dry, not a fun thing to eat at all. I knew not to expect anything as wonderfully moist and flavoursome as foie gras from any old duck liver, but even so, this didn't seem worth the while slicing it and putting it on a plate. 

Desserts were better. Maple syrup pudding with preserved plum (prune, then?) rum and buttermilk had plenty going for it, not least a big punch of hearty bold flavours which had been missing from so much of what preceeded it. And a tongue-in-cheek take on a Wall's Vienetta was good too, layers of salty caramel in between good soft vanilla ice cream. 

But you'll have guessed by now where this is going. Rabbit is not a bad restaurant, not by a long stretch - there is talent in the kitchen and front of house, and the dishes are presented with a clever eye on the latest trends (foraging and all that jazz) and a refreshing lack of cynicism. But even so, there are too many mistakes being made to justify the £140 for two with a few glasses of wine that the bill came to - the competition in London elsewhere is just too strong. Rabbit may be a brave step forward for Chelsea, but I can't make excuses for that when I know that the Dairy is only a ten minute cab ride away. And if I had my time again, it's there I'd be spending my dinner money.

Intrigued as to what Rabbit had to offer, a friend and I went blindly in for some lunch as it was a short walk from work - glad to say we weren't disappointed. The waitress we had was very friendly and wisely advised us on how many plates to order between the two of us. The food was cooked to perfection and we loved the 'what will the next plate of food look like next' aspect of it. A tiny bit on the pricey side for a lunch (it was my turn to foot the bill for us both!), however I wasn't fussed as the quality of the food more than surpassed the price.
Would definitely come here again with a big group of friends for a dinner.

I’m sure you are all familiar with that well known quote ‘Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness spooned upon them.’ No? Well, you should be, it's a fabulous quote and pretty well reflective of my joyful jaunt to dine at Rabbit in Chelsea.
 

Like a beacon, the light which oozed from the windows beckoned us towards the door and put an immediate halt to our hunt for Italian. Pasta postponed, we tumbled into our new hideout for the evening where, as luck would have it, a table had just become available. Fate for sure, as the restaurant was bursting at its seams!

Rabbit, as the name might suggest, specialises in good ol’ British meat and game and is a homage of sorts to Beatrix Potter who one can imagine settling in rather well with the oaky, countrified interior. The atmosphere is of the warm, all-encompassing friendly kind and you half expect a tweed clad farmer to come trudging in from the fields!

The menu is bursting with foods of the countryside. Rabbit is the brainchild of the Gladwin Brothers; Gregory the farmer, Oliver the chef and Richard the hospitality guru, the perfect triumvirate. I love the collaborative family aspect and the weird and wonderful ingredients that have been freshly foraged and sourced from the brothers' farm in Nutbourne.

It didn't take long for us to get stuck into the menu which was priced at between £8 and £14 per small sharing plate. They recommend two to three per person, which for once is actually pretty accurate and will leave you satisfied with just enough space for dessert if you so wish!

Our rustic ceramic plates lay in wait for the food to arrive, handmade and in keeping with the countryside farm feel of the place.

First to arrive was a chorizo and labneh dish, topped with crispy kale and crisp bread. As we were dipping and scooping, along came number two, a lamb and onion squash number sprinkled with sunflower seeds. This was my winner of the evening, with the lamb cooked to that perfect tender pink, subtly seasoned and not too 'lamby' (to use the very technical term).

I've always been a promoter of the 'surprise me' option on a menu and while I was fully aware of everything we had ordered, the excitement of not knowing what would come next kept us entertained since each dish was brought to the table separately.

Our next delight came in the form of venison stogey's, not (as we were sad to discover) pronounced 'stodgies'. While the root of our decision to order this particular dish stemmed from a childish entertainment at our erroneous name, we were not disappointed when they were placed infront of us. Wrapped in filo pastry, they stood to attention upon a creamy tarragon sauce and when bitten into were crunchy and meaty all at once.

 The partial namesake, aka the rabbit ravioli was accompanied by lovage pesto, resulting in the standard debate of 'name something savory that doesn't go with pesto' - as usual, pesto won. The ravioli itself was rich without being too intense and the handmade pasta was melt in the mouth creamy, with wafer thin chanterelles and an extra punch from the bone marrow.

 Hard at work, we looked over to see Oliver the chef plating up the dishes before they were whisked away to the tables around us.

Last to arrive was the Beef, rainbow beetroot and spinach. The explosively colourful presentation and the portions of just the right amount were particularly appealing and I was glad I'd be able to leave the restaurant feeling comfortably satisfied instead of 'heave-myself-off-the-chair' ill. (Not that I ever wanted to leave the restaurant, here's another kitchen I would be more than happy to hide in)! 

So, if you're looking for a relaxed taste of the countryside with a stylish twist then you're bound to find it here, and even if that isn't your usual style, 'hop' on over to Rabbit anyway and give it a go. The staff know the menu inside out and will passionately guide you through any elements that you haven't come across before. After such an enjoyable experience, it's time for me to 'bound' over to the Gladwin brothers' other outpost; The Shed in Notting hill and see if it matches up!

This was my second time in this wonderful place. We came in without a reservation and although at first they told as that they don't have a table for us, somehow they made it work and we could stay. We enjoyed an amazing Sunday roast and we will be back as soon as we're back in London. The food was full of taste and just a culinary feast. You can only make it different, but not better.

One of the best (if not THE BEST) places to eat in Chelsea. I tried both Sunday roast and Diner and food was amazing, service was lovely (thank you Anne 😊!) we’ll be back for sure!

Thank you so much. A fantastic meal. Guste was our waitress and she really made us feel welcome and explained everything brilliantly - helped us with drinks and even made a special gin sour! The taramasalata tartlets were incredible and the whipped butter with the bread was a lovely touch. We had the halibut and the pork tenderloin and oh my they were both incredible. I wouldn’t normally go for pork but with the gentle flavour of the parsnip purée and the pak Choi it was a delicious mix. The halibut was cooked to perfection (recommended by Guste and the owner) the sauce was perfect - flavoursome but not overpowering. The baked salted toast potatoes were to die for! Loved the desserts too huge chunks of white baked chocolate on the raspberry tart and the blueberry set cream was beautiful - not too sweet but contrasted beautifully with the peach and almond on top. Fantastic meal. Couldn’t fault the taste, the uniqueness of flavour, the quality of produce or the presentation or service. Thank you so so much.

Absolutely loved Rabbit. It was our first night in town from California and all I heard from everyone was be ready to eat bland food. I was determined to eat tasty food on vacation so when Rabbit popped up & was described as Modern British food, I was all in. From the appetizer of chorizo bread to the pork tenderloin and cottage pie, my taste buds were pleasantly surprised. Make an early reservation bc by 7-730 pm the place is slammed.

Impromptu stop while strolling through Chelsea and pleasantly surprised by the amazing food & service. Ivy and Eugenie did not steer us wrong with the recommendations off the Sunday roast menu. We had a front row seat to watch the m attention that went into each plating. The butternut squash ravioli, sirloin roast and lamb roast were amazing and off course the Yorkshire pudding did not disappoint.

What a wonderful surprise to visit the rabbit for lunch after the restaurant we had booked fell through. Atmosphere music service and food all first class!! Beautiful flavours, beautiful presentation, clean and friendly!! Thank you especially to Nadia!! And to the chefs! The wine was another very appreciated surprise!! Delicious English wine!!!! Totally recommend this place, a fabulous find and perfect place!

Thanks Tom and Alex for a wonderful evening! We had a blast! 😁👍 Highly recommended! Will definitely come again! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The food was beyond delicious. There were so many creative and unique flavors for our palettes. My husband and I enjoyed every bite. The food is farm to table with a lot of it foraged for that day, so the menu changes. The waitress Em was kind and helpful so was the blond male waiter (didn't get his name). The ambiance had a welcoming vibe.This is definately one of my favorite restaurants. Everything was above our expectations. I highly recommend you try it.

We love to frequent farm to table restaurants and so were excited to try Rabbit. We had a good meal where some dishes were excellent (the Braised Venison starter and Halibut) and some that were just short of the mark (Mushroom Marmite Eclair and the Pork Tenderloin). Also there was an unfortunate fishy smell that was very strong as we entered the restaurant that must have been from some sauce that they create, because the Halibut dish that we ate was not fishy at all. So we are glad we tried Rabbit but I don't think we will return - too many other choices in London!