Six million! That’s how many eggs the iconic VQ Chelsea has served up since opening its doors 24 years ago! Last month (November) the popular restaurant chain celebrated its official birthday week by offering customers an around-the-clock special menu featuring VQ classics at 1995 prices.
A familiar and popular fixture in Chelsea, locals and visitors alike (including more than their fair share of pop stars and princes) have frequented the 24-hour restaurant. Our food contributor, Esther Oluga, stopped by their original Chelsea branch in mid-November. Find out what she thought about their cuisine.
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Drinks
To start off the night, we opted for the Dark’n’Stormy (£11.95), a rum-based cocktail with ginger beer and lime juice. There was a good amount of rum which gave the drink a nice kick and bitter edge. My palate would have preferred less lime and a sweeter element to the ginger beer.
We also ordered the Tropical Daquiri (£11.95). It’s not stated on the menu, but this is a frozen cocktail! Overall, it was delicious, the tanginess from the pineapple and the sweetness from the tropical juice gave it the right balance. It’s also worth noting that the drink includes a very generous measure of rum!
Starters
A very tasty serving of the Chicken and Vegetable Gyozas (£6.05). These had a lovely thick and crispy batter and the the chicken and vegetables were lightly seasoned.
Main
For our mains, we started with the Buttermilk Chicken & Belgian Waffle (£10.95). The portion sizes were incredibly generous, consisting of crispy fried chicken and Belgian style waffles. The waffles were soft and spongey in texture, which nicely contrasted with the rough and crispy texture of the chicken. The chicken was tender on the inside and well seasoned.
Next up were the Pork Ribs and Fries (£13.50). Again, the portion sizes were very generous, however I would have liked to see a little more meat on the ribs. On the plus side the fries were golden and crispy.
Dessert
Rounding off our culinary night, we tried the Baked vanilla cheesecake (£6.95). This dessert has a rich and creamy filling, and the tartness of the berries provided a lovely finish. Despite the base not being as crunchy as I’d like, we enjoyed the lovely soft oatmeal taste.
Overall, we enjoyed our visit to VQ Chelsea. The service was great, and the staff were very helpful, being particularly helpful when it came to advising us on what food and drink items to order.
At 24 years of age, VQ knows who they are and have assembled a menu of classic recipes that are good and work well. As they mature, they can now explore how to imbue new life into their classic dishes and ambiance. By giving their menu a dynamic makeover, and exploring new flavours, their 30s could really be something special indeed.
VQ Restaurants now has three 24-hour restaurants (Chelsea, Bloomsbury, Aldgate) two late night (Notting Hill, Euston) and one takeaway/delivery unit (Clapham). Visit their website.
Image credits: Esther Oluga (@essieeats) / Melan Magazine
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