Jennifer Stanley

I've long lived by the belief that there's no such thing as too much butter. While I expect medical professionals would disagree, when it comes to the culinary arts, very few things aren't improved by liberal lashings of silky, salt-laden churned cream. Having already perused its menu online, I had a spring in my step the whole way to Story Cellar, the second restaurant by chef and restauranteur Tom Sellers. While his first venue, the two Michelin-starred Restaurant Story, focuses on modern British fine dining, Sellers’ new, charcoal-hued, marble-clad venue just off Seven Dials is inspired by the rotisseries and brasseries of Paris. Here you’ll find classics like spit-roasted whole chicken, steak with Bernaise sauce, buttered greens, slabs of seasonal terrine and brown sugar bruleé. No prizes for guessing why I was so excited.  It's predominantly counter seating at Story Cellar and the prime spots are those in front of the open kitchen, where you'll feel the flush of the wood-fired grills and hear the sizzle of chicken skin crisping, as birds rotate on thick metal skewers.   The half rotisserie chicken was plump, succulent, and had me and my dinner date fighting over the last of its crinkled, caramel-coloured skin. Don’t dive straight into the grilled options though, as one of Story Cellar’s most exciting and intriguing dishes is the snail bolognese. Spooned over two slices of spongy sourdough, the dark brown ragu smacked with earthy meatiness, similar in both taste and text