Myrtle Restaurant — Restaurant in London

I often think the sign of a good restaurant is when you find so many items that you struggle to pick which you want and on this Myrtle more than delivers. Irish super chef Anna Haugh has assembled a menu that leaves you struggling with not which dish to choose, but which dish to leave behind. The glutton in me would have gladly eaten every last thing on the menu and I can honestly say, the pain repaying the debt in the gym would have been well worth it. Mytle is without a doubt one of the most anticipated and hottest openings London will see in 2019. The front of house team offer a polished service from start to finish, proving both attentive and discreet all at the same time – no mean feat (and I say this as a former restaurateur myself). The Irish touches flow throughout every inch of the restaurant, from the beautiful pewter water goblets complete with wonderful Celtic depictions, to the marble the butter is served on, to the ingredients, lovingly chosen from Irish suppliers (most of whom it turns out are women), to the menu itself which has a wonderful Irish lilt to each dish. The restaurant feels like everything 2019 needs – a strong female voice, a menu that is all about quality and enjoyment and nothing to do with tricks and fireworks. That's not to say that the restaurant doesn't hold any surprises – the exceptionally well made cocktails and the incredible twist on the world's best Boxty cake (more on that later) hit all the right notes, but in a comforting and reassuring way. The food itself kicked off with a superb soda bread and some salted Irish butter. We began with a selection of dishes, Heritage carrot salad stuffed with pickled raisins and Mossfield cheese was a dish for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. The contrast of the sweet raisins the perfect foil for the cheese and the carrots adding the textural elements to the dish. Clonakilty black pudding rolls, wrapped in a crispy potato spaghetti, accented by Wendy's apple chutney proved almost too good to eat, the sausage one of the finest specimens I have ever eaten and proving it is certainly much more than a breakfast item, and finally, trout with a cauliflower volute that was light and airy and for me the perfect starter. The chef treated us to an intermediate dish of salmon with pearl barley, asparagus and an asparagus sauce – a dish whose relatively humble ingredients belie its complexity – like so much of the restaurant, a true reflection of Anna. Main course was a stunning Irish fillet steak with parsnip puree, hispi cabbage, boxty cake and a tarragon beef jus. This particular boxty cake lifted this traditionally peasant dish into the realm of the gods – light as air and filled with a delicious slow braised beef. Anna explained that boxty cake will be making various different appearances on the menu over time – in dumpling form like this, as a pancake and the traditional potato cake. However it arrives, if it is a reflection of this, you will not be disappointed. We went for a clean sweep of deserts, partly because we couldn't pick and partly because at least 2 of us are greedy! Everything that arrived continued the theme of the rest of the meal – measured excellence. The Buttermilk panna cotta, rhubarb jelly, cinnamon doughnuts was a touch of genius – the perfect amount of wibble with the acidity of the rhubarb and then to finished the tiny, cloud-light doughnuts. The chocolate tart was rich, luxuriant and frankly, everything you would want from something so indulgent, the pastry thin and short and a wonderful ice cream to boot. To complete the quadruple finish we had a fluffy passion fruit posset with crisp biscuits, a touch of mint cutting through the creaminess and accenting the bitter sweet fruity flavour. Overall, Myrtle delivers everything it sets out to and more. It has the comfort of a well-established neighbourhood restaurant with enough flair and "wow" moments to make it both memorable and worth of return visits – truly a reflection of the soul of the chef. I for one am sure to be a...

Myrtle is a place I've always wanted to try due to my Irish heritage. We booked last minute for 18:00 for opening time. We were running 10 minutes late so we called and advised we were still coming but we were stuck in traffic.

When we arrived, the restaurant only had one other pair recent sat down. The first thing you notice is how small and intimate the dining area is. It is pleasant and homely in its appeal. We were shown to our table by the front of house manager and we exchanged chit chat, and we were presented with freshly printed menus. The front of house manager proudly showed off the new AA Rosette plate that had just arrived that day and was displayed discreetly as an extra touch to the background.

On the menus were two options of tasting experiences (priced £85 for 6 course, £95 for 8 course), or the a la carte menu. Most of what you may find on the tasting menu could be found on the a la carte menu.

We opted for the a la carte menu as we were not sure how hungry we felt this early. We chose the croquette snack, salmon, and beef sirloin. Prior to this, we were served soda bread with Irish butter, and Bia Beag.

Two things stood out for me throughout: the front of house staff, and the food.

Regarding the service, every little detail was absolutely perfect, timed to perfection, extremely hospitable, and attentive only when necessary. They noted that this was a special occasion from our booking on OpenTable, and they provided a little understated surprise for us which was lovely.

Regarding the food, I'm not an experienced fine diner (we were dining to celebrate our anniversary, we were out all day experiencing London) which probably showed as I was the only gentleman not in a shirt, so fine dining menus may seem daunting to someone like me. I shouldn't have felt daunted, the food was absolutely stunning. The beef sirloin dish has ruined fillet steak for me! The Salmon of Knowledge was brilliantly deceptively presented, and every bit was wonderful. The flavour and textures of everything we were presented with were fantastic, with each dish coming with a story gracefully explained by the passionate front of house waiters, most of which are from Ireland.

The Sommelier was kind and knowledgable about the wines they kept, explaining the origins of the wine we chose. We MUST get a bottle of what we were served from somewhere!

CONCLUSION: Myrtle is an experience-led restaurant, every detail is crafted to take you on a journey and showcase Ireland. It clearly receives repeated patronage from the Chelsea locals and builds up a rapport with its diners, alongside those attending for a special occasion. For that reason, it is perfect to visit for those celebrating, or wish to experience an elite dining feast of delicately elevated flavours linked to Ireland and Irish produce. In retrospect, we should have chosen the tasting menu! But I'm sure we'll be back to...

Our experience quickly went from excited and relaxed to mildly annoyed and finally disappointed. The tasting menu was unremarkable, and if it wasn’t for the short stories that accompanied some of the courses, it would have been very difficult to find a link to their Irish heritage. The desserts were particularly disappointing: some sweet cream on top of a teaspoon of raspberry jam and a chocolate mousse on a bit of sponge that could easily be made at home. The portions were small and despite the multiple courses we came away feeling a bit hungry. We also noticed that the couple next us, also having the tasting menu, we’re served 3 slices of beef for the main course, compared to our two.

Apart from one server, the front of house staff were austere and a little rude. I was asked by the sommelier if I was over 18 (I am 30 and was sat with my fiancé) before being given the wine we ordered. This was clumsy and quite embarrassing in the intimate space as other diners easily overheard. A poor start to the meal.

The wine list was interesting but pricey with a glass of champagne starting at £22 and a bottle of red wine starting at £50-60. We felt this did not match the average quality of the food and atmosphere of the restaurant. We chose a nice wine for £75 per bottle (average price £20 when we looked it up) and quite frankly we’re pleased we didn’t choose anything more expensive after having eaten the food.

We were brought our bill before we had finished the petit fours and it was obvious they wanted us to leave. The decor was ok but looking a bit worn (especially the loos) and my fiancé was sat next to an AC fan all night which...