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The Scene

American Restaurant in Chelsea
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No longer at this address

Our records show that The Scene is closed.


6 / 10 from 1 review
Address
The World\'s End Distillery
459 Kings Road
Chelsea
London
SW10 0LR
Map
Current
Cuisine
American
Region
Chelsea
Nearest Station
Imperial Wharf
0.57 miles

The Scene has opened in the redeveloped "The Worlds End" pub and is an American-themed eatery in this one time traditional drinking hole. The whole building is now a destination, multi-level venue encompassing The Summerhouse dining room on the first floor, The Cellar bar in the basement and The Scene on the ground floor.

All In London Review

American food in Chelsea

There’s been a pub on this site since the 17th century, and despite management takeovers, closures and re-openings it has retained its famous title, forever associated with Chelsea’s punk period and Vivienne Westwood’s boutique. The latest venture has little to do with either. Divided into three spaces, the World’s End offers three different experiences: The Hamptons-inspired The Summerhouse on the first floor which specialises in fish and summer-inspired dishes (think tuna tartare and Eton mess), basement bar The Cellar, and where we are stationed, The Scene, an American grill restaurant with a Hollywood theme.

The semi-open kitchen has a cinema-style sign above it announcing some of the dishes, there is also a large screen showing ‘Rebel Without A Cause’. Other than that, the purple walls and engraved swirls on the ceiling do little to suggest Hollywood.

The menu is American-inspired bar food with a little bit of 50s retro thrown in, think milkshakes, steak churrasco and Maryland crabcakes. We’re even brought a tub of popcorn to munch on while we decide.

There are cocktails - the signature drink is a refreshing concoction of gin, elderflower and mint – and a limited selection of wine; we choose a smooth, oaky 2007 Rioja priced at £25.

The food yields mixed results. The best dish is the artichoke and spinach dip, a pot of baked chopped artichoke hearts, melted cheese and spinach so delicious I would happily dip my fork into it rather than mop it up with tortilla chips. The avocado and tomato stack with lime dressing and cilantro (coriander over these shores) is fair, definitely one for pleasing the dieters.

The grilled tuna steak could do with a bit more flavour despite being drizzled with pesto and served on a bed of peppery rocket; the lobster tail burger with chips is underwhelming as the chunks of lobster meat are slightly overcooked, bundled in a dry bun with sweet roasted red peppers, tomato, lettuce and a mildly garlicky hollandaise - priced at £19.50 this type of gourmet burger could only work in Chelsea.

As the saying goes, all is well that ends well, and Americans sure know how to do good desserts. The baked New York Cheesecake with heaps of blueberry jam doesn’t disappoint, and it’s large enough for two; even better is the pie of the day, a lemon tart with a large blob of fluffy meringue encased in a crisp shell atop the tangy lemon-flavoured custard.

A three course meal for two with wine is around £80. Overall not a bad effort.

Reviewed by Leila
Published on Jun 14, 2011

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