There’s something about a restaurant named after a poet that makes you want to wax lyrical. Luckily, Alfie’s – named for poet laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson – provides plenty of inspiration. Although we’ll leave the rhyming couplets to Tennyson.

The story starts in Belgravia, where the trio behind Alfie’s, Ben Tish and Sam and Georgie Pearson, first opened The Alfred Tennyson, a cosy pub on Motcomb Street (also home to the white-columned Pantechnicon building and what must be London’s poshest Waitrose). But it’s their next project that inspired this review: Alfie’s, a surprisingly refined restaurant sitting atop the pub. 

The background 

Sam and Georgie Pearman are no strangers to design-led dining rooms. Co-directors of the Cubitt House group, they are the creative minds behind places like The Masons Arms, Double Red Duke and, before that, a suite of pubs and boutique hotels across the Cotswolds. Oh, and their house was featured in The English Home as an example of exquisite design. 

The idea behind Alfie’s was to create something elegant, a soothing upstairs sanctuary away from the frenetic energy and pub chat of the downstairs bar. The food, too, needed a glow-up; as nice as a pork pie and pint of ale are, they’re not exactly dishes to linger over. And so they enlisted chef Ben Tish to take on the menu. His culinary CV includes some of our favourite spots like Norma and The Stafford. 

The space 

Alfie’s is purple. Floral-wallpapered, plum-panelled purple. From the second you waltz up the winding staircase and into the dining room, you feel like you’ve entered the home of an eccentric uncle, complete with eclectic art collection (we spot a still-life of a fish and bottle of olive oil, a beach scene and a series of pencil-drawn people during our visit). It is maximalist but refined; white tablecloths, long candles and classic silverware help create more of a members’ club vibe.

It’s all been designed by Georgie, who apparently had a whale of a time picking out fabrics and wallpapers and British antiques. We’re with her: if you’re going to open a restaurant inside a Georgian townhouse, you might as well go all-in.

The food 

There’s a French feel to the menu – and a pinch of pizzazz. We begin with beef tartare, which comes with the pre-requisite tableside twirling and tossing. If you’re feeling fancy, you can opt in to truffle or caviar toppings; if you’re northern, you can delight in the knowledge that Worcestershire sauce has been swapped for Henderson’s Relish (if you know, you know). This is followed by a clever little beetroot tarte tatin with purple-stained pastry and a pile of delicate whipped cheese, and then a thick slab of creamy cod served on a layer of peas and potato fricassée.

Next, a declaration. ‘You have to try this,’ groans my friend, sliding a silver tray of Creedy Carver roast chicken across the table. She was right. The texture was what us mere mortals dream of achieving in our own kitchens; soft, juicy, dunked in sherry sauce and scattered with plump morels. We’re too full for pudding, but crack on anyway, demolishing a chic chocolate mousse drizzled with salt and olive oil, and a pistachio soufflé topped with a soft orb of ice cream. Pub grub? Not up here. 

The verdict

You can’t dismiss Alfie’s as just a pub kitchen. It is a genuinely good restaurant you will want to seek out and return to, which is unsurprising given the talent of the team behind it. It’s the kind of place that lingers, like a well-turned phrase or the last sip of a very good red. It is, as Tennyson put it, for those who are always roaming with a hungry heart. And, as we might put it, with big appetites and a penchant for chocolate mousse. 

The bill 

About £200 for two, including wine and a cocktail apiece. 

Alfie’s at The Alfred Tennyson, 10 Motcomb Street, London SW1X 8LA; cubitthouse.co.uk