Opening a door to find a floor-to-ceiling diver suit, fully immersed in a body of water, isn’t something you expect to see everyday. However, this is exactly what’ll greet you at The Chelsea Pig, an esteemed pub in the glamorous SW3 neighbourhood. Occupying a quiet street just off the Kings Road, the pub welcomes well-heeled locals and visitors alike into a sparkling pub setting, designed by British luxury furniture brand, Timothy Oulton. You wouldn’t expect anything less in Chelsea, right?
The pub’s interiors
The Chelsea Pig’s interiors are impressive – Wetherspoons, this ain’t (though we will always love a Spoons). The venue combines tradition with twinkling fixtures, fittings and furniture, while still maintaining a pub-like charm. Downstairs, expect a series of sensational chandeliers, bringing light to any grey winter days, plus the aforementioned focal diver suit, and other design quirks. For our meal, we were seated upstairs in the trophy room. Timothy Oulton based this room’s design on boarding schools, and the happy times he spent at such schools in his youth. Through various other renovations, he was able to build a large collection of real trophies and medals from different establishments, some dating back over 100 years, all of which are displayed in this unique dining room. You’ll be able to admire the historical surrounds as you lean back in your (plush leather) chair and enjoy your Sunday feast.
Sundays at The Chelsea Pig
The Chelsea Pig serves a hearty menu of elevated pub grub throughout the week, and on Sunday, they switch up their menu to specifically focus on Sunday roasts. The team curate a special list of starters from their main menu, comprising the likes of duck liver parfait, prawn cocktail, and smoked salmon. The salmon tasted fresh and went very well with the warm bread we ordered for the table. The bread is paired with different butters created by the chef – on our visit, there was an intriguing Vegemite butter. I also took this opportunity to order something a little different than I’d usually go for: a cracked wheat salad. Yes, a salad. On the weekend. I know: too healthy. However, I was very pleasantly surprised: it was moreish, tart – but with bursts of sweet pomegranate in each mouthful – and the broccoli was prepared brilliantly. Both starters were generously sized too.
Now for the main event: the roast. We opted for the Gloucestershire pork belly, with toffee apple sauce; however there are rib-eye, chicken, and cauliflower steak options too. It was a welcome twist to have the juiciest part of the meat – the pork belly – for a pork roast, and my goodness, the serving was huge. The pork itself was packed full of sweet and savoury flavours, accentuated further by the sweetness of the toffee apple sauce. The trimmings come complete with the hugest Yorkshire pud I’ve ever seen (well worth the challenge of devouring it though), garlic spuds, buttery carrots and cabbage, and of course, gravy. I must say, the portion sizes did defeat lil ole’ me, especially after the starter, but not for lack of trying.
Naturally, puddings go to a different stomach, so despite my fullness, we made sure to have a dessert each. The menu offers classic sweet treats, as well as suggested wine pairings; we opted for a treacle tart and a “Marathon” brownie. The treacle tart was deliciously sweet and rich, while the brownie gave indulgent millionaire shortbread vibes (with brownie instead of biscuit), thanks to its hidden caramel filling – a fantastic end to the meal.
Drinks
The wine list at The Chelsea Pig spans vineyards from around the world, and you can pair any of them with your Sunday roast. Hailing from Italy, South Africa and Argentina to name just a few, there is a range of reds, whites and rose.
Alternatively, if cocktails are more your thing, there is a selection of signature mixes, ready for you to try. We recommend the fragrant Timmy, with its tequila base; TCP Highball, which uses whisky; and the Patrona, which combines patron silver with mango and chilli flavours. The latter was my absolute favourite; my only gripe is that there wasn’t more.
If you’re looking for a Sunday roast that’s a little more special, make a beeline for The Chelsea Pig. The staff are super friendly, the food well priced, particularly for the Chelsea area, and it’ll mark a lovely end to the weekend.