The Cross Keys is a historic pub in the heart of Chelsea. It has a couple of lovely rooms that can be hired out and a separate restaurant at the back with a retractable roof to let in the sunshine. We dropped in for Sunday lunch, not realising that the pub had changed ownership earlier this year.
The service itself was a bit patchy, with the bread and one dip arriving first, then a second dip coming just as the main courses arrived. I am pretty sure the rather loud argument we heard from the serving area did not help the ambience!
The bread with fresh pesto dip and olive oil was a good start, but the menu selection was not very exciting, none of the starters grabbed our attention, nor did the desserts. So we ended up just having main courses, specifically the Lamb Cutlets and the Wagyu beef burger with Truffle fries which at £16.00 has to be one of the most expensive burgers I have ever had. The Truffle fries were nice, but the burger was very ordinary, and served with way too much Kos lettuce. At that price I was expecting something a bit more sophisticated, like the “frenchie” burger served at Bar Boulud for example.
So maybe on my next visit I will just stick to drinks and bar snacks and avoid disappointment.
Marks out of 10
Food 4.2
Service 4.5
Ambience 4.7
UPDATE – November 2012: Restaurant is now closed. See article about Squatters taking up residence for some background information.