Evelyn's Table at The Blue Posts

While speakeasy bars might be commonplace, secret restaurants haven’t proved as prolific (or perhaps they’re just too well hidden). Giving the Sherlocks among us a run for our money, tucked away under The Blue Posts pub, is Evelyn’s Table - a 12-seat chef’s counter named after Faye Dunaway’s femme fatale in Roman Polanski’s 1974 film Chinatown (which, of course, is where we are).

Running the show now is former HIDE and Adam’s head chef James Goodyear, who fills the size twelves left behind by previous incumbents Luke, Theo and Nat Selby. The brothers Selby scooped a bunch of awards here - not least a debut Michelin star - before taking their talents to Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. It’s no small challenge, but as soon as the first snacks start to arrive, it’s clear that Evelyn’s Table hasn’t dropped the baton here.

Descend down the narrow stairs and you’ll see a sleek marble counter stretched before you, welcoming you with open arms. James greets and preps behind the counter with swan-like serenity, receiving guests into this bougiest of dinner parties. One thing we will say is that the atmosphere is cosy - we wouldn’t recommend going with someone you’re not comfortable sitting very close to for two and a half hours.

Once the first course appears in front of you, any other concerns fall away - a gorgeous tranche of trout, smoked over pine at the table, is a signal of things to come. Goodyear’s cooking is complex but electric, interweaving myriad influences in intriguing layers. There’s a lot going on at times but dishes hang together in perfect equilibrium - for example, a gorgeous main course of duck, which is glazed in lavender honey and served alongside wild mushrooms, pine nut miso, and a shimmering blackcurrant duck sauce.

Evelyn’s Table also offers a half and half pairing of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options - a brilliant idea we expect to see more restaurants doing. Goodyear and team aren’t just filling the shoes of the Selby trio - they’ve taken Evelyn’s Table in an exciting new direction.

Hidden away in the basement of The Blue Posts pub on the edge of London's Chinatown, Evelyn's Table is an intimate chef's table restaurant from the team behind hotspots The Palomar and The Barbary. Having first opened in 2017, the restaurant reopened in 2020 with a brand new team. Originally run by ex-head chef of HIDE Above and Great British Menu finalist Luke Selby, and his two brothers Nathaniel and Theo, Evelyn's Table is now headed up by James Goodyear. Having previously spent time working in a wealth of Michelin kitchens, including Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Mugaritz, Maaemo and HIDE, one can only expect exceptional things from the chef. Expect an evolving five-course menu built on James's formative experiences, using the freshest British produce and utilising Scandinavian and Japanese techniques where necessary to elevate his classic French cooking style.

Accessed via a set of stairs on Rupert Court, the small dining room consists of just ten seats around a counter which overlooks the open kitchen. There is little by way of decor at Evelyn's Table apart from a few lamps providing a glow up at the marble-topped counter. Due to the nature of the restaurant there are only two sittings each night, at 6pm and again at 8:45pm meaning that you're likely to be sat up at the counter with people you haven't met before. Who knows, you might even get chatting with some of the other customers.

The five-course food menu changes every month to make the most of seasonal ingredients. Expect Japanese-inspired dishes such as marinated mackerel served with plum umeboshi and shisho, and squid noodles with a mushroom dashi. Meanwhile sweeter plates might include tarte tatin with clotted cream and miso. The drinks offering at Evelyn's Table comes courtesy of Honey Spencer, who as well as running wine bar The Mulwray above, has curated a list of predominantly naturual wines which has been designed to perfectly complement the flavours of the food.