The Silver Birch, Chiswick - Calm Ambition on the High Road

On a balmy Friday afternoon in London, Chiswick felt like a sensible escape: leafy, slower, quieter.

The Silver Birch, discreetly set on the high street, is a restaurant that mirrors its neighbourhood - composed, confident, and refreshingly uninterested in the noise of central London’s dining scene.

Step inside and it’s easy to see why. The room is restrained with Scandinavian style: pale oak tables, spindle-back chairs, ceramics designed to be admired. No gilded fittings, no over-rehearsed charm.

Photography: Rebecca Dickson

The tasting menu opened with a trio of amuse bouches. A Trout Croustade with Roe, a Hazelnut Sablé topped with Foie Gras Parfait and Cherries, and Spenwood with Pickled Walnut. It’s a neat little overture: land, sea, dairy, with each setting the pace, rather than stealing the show.

The Cornish sardine set the seasonal tone – fresh and sharp. Holstein Friesian beef tartare followed: lean, disciplined, lifted by a hint of smokiness and paired neatly with a Saumur Cabernet Franc.

"Gusbourne’s Guinevere Chardonnay from Kent - a combination that underlined just how comfortably English wine has settled into its stride..."

Tarleton tomatoes, anchored by a Mosel Riesling, proved a highlight precisely because they resisted embellishment: sweet, sun-charged, and simple.

Native lobster, taken from British waters, was paired with Gusbourne’s Guinevere Chardonnay from Kent - a combination that underlined just how comfortably English wine has settled into its stride.

Photography: Rebecca Dickson

Then came Turbot: delicate, buttery, and well-matched to a textured Vermentino Sur Lie. Meanwhile the Pigeon - rich, gamey, and deeply savoury - was paired with a 2017 Etna Rosso, and became the dish where the chatter dimmed, conversation stalled, and attention stayed firmly on the plate.

Desserts struck a final, measured note rather than indulgence: Norfolk strawberries, brightened with a glass of Sauternes, before a Dark Chocolate Délice with Greek Mavrodaphne.

"London is rarely short of fine-dining contenders, but The Silver Birch has the rare quality of feeling already established - not because of hype, but because of what lands on the plate..."

The kitchen is led by Nathan Cornwell whose CV is as serious as they come: time in Scandinavia at Geranium, Kadeau and Oaxen Krog, a spell at Le Champignon Sauvage, and four years at Moor Hall under Mark Birchall before stepping into his own head chef role there.

Since arriving in Chiswick in 2023, he’s racked up a multiple accolades - 3 AA Rosettes, The Times five-star review and a fair few awards - but he strikes you as more focused on steady progress than sudden headlines.

Photography: Rebecca Dickson

The Silver Birch is certainly one London's most exciting fine dining restaurants, and for once the superlative feels measured. It offers precision and poise - a kitchen confident enough to let ingredients speak, and a dining room that allows them to be heard.

When we stepped back out into the heat of Chiswick High Road, the contrast was stark. Inside, the rhythm was slower, the detail sharper, the balance surer.

London is rarely short of fine-dining contenders, but The Silver Birch has the rare quality of feeling already established - not because of hype, but because of what lands on the plate.

Book The Silver Birch Here