The Anglesea Arms

If you’re a fan of scripted reality shows set in Chelsea then the Anglesea Arms could become your favourite pub should you travel out to Kensington for a night. Now, I’m not saying that you’re likely to bump into upper class reality stars here but I’m also not saying that you won’t. So, you might. And if you’re not buying that then let me sell you on its other major merits: the food and the terrace.

Standing on the same road as a former Charles Dickens residence, The Anglesea Arms has a deserved reputation for its restaurant menu. On our visit we sampled the standard pub cheeseburger – because where else do you get to the heart of a pub’s cooking? – and came away raving about both the quality of the meat and the size. Ooh-err. As for the rest, there is a selection of classic pub food (fish & chips, sausage and mash etc.) along with a range of steaks sourced from a national park in the Scottish Highlands. It’s breaking no barriers but the focus here is on quality ingredients rather than innovation.

That second appealing feature is the terrace. In an area with streets as good looking as those in South Kensington, you want to be able to enjoy them and the leafy outdoor space at the entrance provides the perfect view. When you have to go inside – and you will because it gets cold, obviously – then be comforted by the swishy interior of traditional solid wood, etched glass dividers and framed oil paintings.

Always lively on Thursday and Fridays nights but for the rest of the week the Anglesea Arms is a relaxed place for some Chelsea R and R.