For Spencer Metzger, Chez Rose is more than a restaurant – it's a tribute. Named after his grandmother Rosemary, whose cooking shaped his early love of food, the Mayfair restaurant marks the chef’s first solo venture, bringing classic French bistro cooking to a space filled with both personal memories and polished ambition. Elizabeth Carter visited to see whether the food lives up to the hype.
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It was the surprise London opening of the past few months. An almost off-the-cuff announcement, a quick refurb and – six weeks later – Spencer Metzger, one of Britain’s most exciting chefs, unveiled a French bistro. Surprising, too, as it came immediately after gaining a second Michelin star (with Jason Atherton) for Row on 5, where Spencer remains as executive chef.
He’s launched Chez Rose in partnership with Jason Atherton’s Social Restaurant Group, taking over the group’s Little Social site on Pollen Street. To former patrons, the long, narrow dining room will look familiar. The front bar is still lined with stools (where you can eat), the comfortable booths remain, giving way to white-clothed tables, banquettes, bentwood chairs and the six-seater private dining room at the back. But the room now feels significantly smarter, lighter, and more personal – among finer details, family photos of the young Spencer with his grandmother Rosemary are displayed on the walls.
While the name honours Rosemary’s memory – her warmth, sense of family and nurturing English home cooking – Spencer’s menu is a Parisian hommage, digging deep into the roots of French canteen and bourgeois cooking. It covers familiar territory, the renditions of bistro staples including moreish ‘French onion’ gougère puffs (£6 each) and well-dressed steak tartare with pomme gaufrette (£17).
To facilitate the day-to-day running of the kitchen, Simon Rogan alumnus Mark Catchpole (Roganic, Hong Kong) has been appointed head chef, and he brings a rock-solid sense of identity to the kitchen. We went for lunch three weeks after opening and found the place jam-packed, but even at this early stage the cooking never faltered – nor did the service.
Standouts at our meal highlighted the uncommon quality of the raw materials: a blackboard special of half-a-dozen queenie scallops slathered in garlic butter; and a poulet roti, served with vin jaune sauce, morels, a pile of exemplary frites and a beautifully dressed green salad. Priced at £78 for two to share, this was a triumph of sophistication and comfort and would have made a satisfying meal on its own.
With the choice to dip your toes (the two- or three-course prix fixe lunch is £30-£36) or go all out, accessibility and flexibility appear to be the key. The wide-ranging, well-chosen wine list includes a dozen bottles in the £35-£50 bracket, with by-the-glass options from £7.50 or £22 for a 375ml carafe.
Early impressions? It was a thoroughly good lunch. Spencer Metzger understands this food better than most: the judgment is sound, the execution virtually flawless. And there’s a front window table that really took my fancy...I’ll be back.
WHERE 5 Pollen St, London W1S 1NE
FOLLOW @chezroselondon
BOOK chezroselondon.com
