A pub may be a place to come together with friends, family or colleagues, but not many have nailed private dining like The Surprise in Chelsea. The Surprise re-opened under new owner Jack Greenall in 2021, sporting a fresh menu of seasonal British dishes - but more on that in a minute - and a whole new look, thanks to designer Isabella Worsley.
Isabella's concept honours the pub's historic feel with naval-themed artworks and traditional pub nods, while introducing hand-painted details on walls, a peach-hued paint tone on the ground floor and some lovely, floral upholstery across seating. There's nowhere the new scheme looks better, though, than in the private dining space, The Hamilton Room.
The Hamilton Room has capacity for up to 35 guests for a seated dinner or 50 for a standing reception. The walls are covered in characterful ‘Squiggle’ wallpaper by Colefax, contrasted with bright green panelling and cosy seating. Beautifully designed and yet welcoming, it's an ideal place to host a celebratory lunch or dinner with family, friends or colleagues.
For events, The Surprise offers a three-course menu which changes seasonally. For example, previous courses have looked like smoked salmon and prawn terrine with cream cheese, dill, capers, shallots and crostini to start, as well as fillet of beef carpaccio with truffle mayonnaise, crispy capers, smoked tomatoes and parmesan shavings.
As for mains, guests might enjoy the likes of Creedy Carver chicken breast with new roast potatoes, served with fig, onion and walnut chutney, finished with red wine jus, or pan fried sea bass with herb crushed potatoes, fennel and mussels salad and beurre blanc. A vegetarian option might look like artichoke tortellini with spinach, smoked tomatoes, Jerusalem artichokes and toasted pine nuts with Parmesan.
Finally, enjoy indulgent desserts like morello cherry cheesecake served with honeycomb ice cream or sticky toffee pudding served with salted caramel ice cream will go down a storm.