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The Silver Birch was unlucky enough to launch in 2020, right before you-know-what. Four years later, and it still feels like a newly-launched spot, relatively unknown beyond Chiswick. But there are sure signs that that’s about to change.
Led by young chef Nathan Cornwell, the restaurant is vying for Chiswick’s second Michelin star (the first being La Trompette), following his celebrated stints at Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham and The Barn at Moor Hall in the Lake District. The interior is a neat canvas of neutral, wooden tones, with exposed brick, hefty aircon ducts, and delicate placements of dried flowers. It’s unfussy, soft and minimalist, giving plenty of space for the spectacular, playful dishes which came our way.
Beautifully soft, mildly sweet Devonshire crab, was hidden under a layer of foam and piquant discs of pickled Granny Smith
First up: an adorable array of Alice in Wonderland-style amuse bouche, which featured a miniature version of its Devon smoked eel with pink fir potatoes and pickled leek and rich, velvety parmesan sablés with blue cheese mousse. Then, layered curls of delightfully bright green lovage butter embellished with purple petals to go with some Guinness sourdough – a warm, comforting slab of stodge that only comes from home-cooked bread.
My starter was the star of the evening, so magnificent in fact, that I forgot it was, technically, only the first course. Beautifully soft, mildly sweet Devonshire crab, was hidden under a layer of foam and piquant discs of pickled Granny Smith topped with dill sprigs and caviar. On the advice of the chef, I spread the contents on perfectly bouncy sourdough crumpets dripping with brown crab butter. A dreamy combination.
The monkfish I ordered for the main was satisfyingly meaty, but had big boots to follow. Not much bigger than my starter, it was paired with Cornish mussels, salty samphire, pike roe and a seaweed butter which added an almost fruity tang to the dish. The squab pigeon also went down nicely, but its flavour had little on the dishes we’d been served before it.
Dessert was a jammy, stewed and peak-season rhubarb with lemon verbena mousse and blood orange, decorated with shards of pastel pink and white meringue arranged like a Matisse cut-out.
It was a Thursday night, and the restaurant was on the quieter side. But that meant we were under the care of all five members of the tightly choreographed and knowledgeable front of house team (perhaps leaning towards overly attentive if you happen to be deep in conversation). Staff seem genuinely confident in the place’s excellence and rightly so. Best book a table before the rest of London catches on.
The vibe Refined, low-key elegance.
The food Beautifully sculpted plates of fresh and contemporary British cuisine.
The drink A long list of intriguing wine offerings, mostly served by the bottle.
Time Out tip Make sure you arrive hungry, as the chef will charm you with irresistible nibbles before.