“Amazing colour.” That's my strongest memory from Llewelyn's. The interior at Llewelyn’s is white, like it was freshly painted yesterday. There are big windows that face into an open piazza, and the place is flooded with light, even on a cloudy day. The seating is grey leather which gently reflects that light. And the floors and other fittings are from wood stained with a mid-tone. It doesn’t absorb the light, but it doesn’t quite amplify it either. There aren’t white table cloths but there is bright white paper partially covering each table. When food arrives, all of these surfaces — whites, greys, stained wood — serve as contrasts for the bright colours on Llewelyn’s plates. Reds, greens, oranges, yellows, and even browns leap off the table. It’s all like normal colour, but more, as if I’ve bungled the settings on a screen or overexposed an image during editing. Those bright colours provide a feast for the eyes, but they make a promise to the palate, as well. And Llewelyn’s delivers on that promise. I dined with a friend who had been a food blogger in the U.S. before she moved to London. She has lived and eaten in great food cities. And though she gave up her blog and her Tumblr, she’s as much as food expert as anyone I know. And she invited me to Llewelyn’s because, she told me, it’s one of her favourite places anywhere. I can see why. The chef behind all of this brilliance is Lasse Petersen. His background includes stints at Westerns Laundry and Moro as well as Amass and 108 in Copenhagen. In interviews, he talks passionately about the need to vary the menu, experiment with ingredients, and never sit still. All of that comes through in his food. The menu at Llewelyn’s changes daily, so there’s always something new to discover. (And they get bonus points for updating the menu on their website every single day.) There’s a brilliant wine list, with really throughtful, tantalising choices. We visited on a Friday in early November, so ingredients were autumnal. We started with “beetroot, smoked ricotta, citrus & radicchio” and “persimmon, gorgonzola, celery & sunflower seeds.” The beetroot dish brought together flavours in a way that I hadn’t experienced. Lots of sharpness balanced by smooth, creamy cheese. And there was red, orange, and pink — a feast for the eyes. The persimmon dish married sweet, creamy, salty, and crunchy. And the golden persimmons glowed on the plate. Mains were “pork loin, pumpkin, charred greens & lovage” and “spätzle, autumn truffle, pine nuts & confit garlic.” The pork, pumpkin, and greens were another festival for the eyes. Bright orange tempered by glistening green. The pork perfectly cooked. The pumpkin wonderfully roasted. The greens delightfully charred. No flaws. Autumn on a plate. The spätzle was decadent with grated truffle, but even it contained little notes of green, yellow, and orange. Llewelyn’s would be a great restaurant no matter where it was located. It might have more buzz (and probably be more expensive) in Mayfair or the West End, but it would still be great. Think of it like Chez Bruce or La Trompette. Their fantastic food and excellent wine make both destinations, and both are in lovely communities. They are very much worth the trip. Llewelyn’s is like that, but brighter and more colourful. A destination to seek out. Not just a place to visit if you happen to be nearby. For more reviews like this, check out https://professionallunch.substack.com

Incredible experience! Everything about this place was fantastic - from the incredible food (still dreaming about the gnocchi) to the kind and attentive service to the atmosphere. I love that the menu changes seasonally too. I will be back for sure!

Outstanding food worth every penny. Particularly recommend the tagliolini with ricotta and the steak tartare starter. Lovely outside seating area - staff bent over backwards for us and brought my wife a birthday surprise ice cream we really weren't expecting! Will absolutely be back.

What an amazing lunch! We had a fabulous lunch in the Sunday market at Herne Hill, lovely locations either amazing atmosphere and nice breeze. The menu is small but very specialised. Would recommend, not cheap but nice for a good location, the tables are quite close but it’s fine and if you get a sunny day even better!

AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!! Most importantly, the food was absolutely fantastic. Every single menu we ordered surprised me. We had some bread and butter, a cabbage salad, 2 fish dishes and the pasta for entree, and peach tart for the desert. 1. You cannot go wrong with bread and butter, but even pickled cauliflower was so delicious! 2. Cabbage salad was light, crunchy, and loved the sauce so much. 3. Fish dishes were amazing. Soft, well seasoned and has a unique flavour you must try! 4. Pasta was great, first time trying truffles, it was amazing. 5. The desert...! Please try peach tart. It's THE BEST desert I've ever had. Beautifully presented, great portion, and the servers were friendly. We ate outside and the atmosphere was lovely as well. I could clearly see the restaurant put lots of effort not only the main dishes but every side dish like pickles, salads and deserts.