In a rare development for me, it happens to be that I have recently gone on an actual date. The frequency of such an event is akin to that of the Olympics, or blue moons: they are rarities over the course of time so that when they roll around again, you say, ‘oh yeah, I forgot about that, here we go again’. Now, I’m a natural pessimist when it comes to any real success in my romantic life, so as I didn’t want to risk the whole evening being a complete waste, I selected a place where the food and ambiance never disappoints: Medlar.

This may well be my favourite Chelsea restaurant: refined but not pretentious, small but not crowded, frequented by a polite well-to-do crowd. For those special, quiet, romantic evenings they have a room in the back that makes you feel like you’re in your own secret garden (below). Soft music and lighting, with crisp linens on tables, all make for a really elegant dining atmosphere.

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Once seated I am presented with a tempting menu, with fixed prices depending on the number of courses you choose. I enjoy these types of menus: especially when you’re on a first date (of which this was not), so that it becomes more about the food than about the price. As this was not my first time here, I couldn’t help but revert to some of my old favourites, all of which did not disappoint.

Early on into the experience, I was offered a selection of bread and focaccia which were a delicious start to the evening. The focaccia was perfectly salted, with a touch of rosemary to enhance the flavour. The other bread selection was perfect with the butter, served at room temperature for easy spreading.

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My appetiser of choice was the duck egg tart, with red wine sauce, turnip puree, lardons and sauteed duck heart. It is a special kind of pleasure to break that duck egg yolk so that its golden gooeyness envelops the saltiness, smokiness and creaminess of the rest of the dish. The combination is a gastronomic treasure; it’s such a lovely start to the dinner.

For the main dish, the lamb rump with sweetbreads, potato terrine, tapenade and rainbow chard was an inevitable choice. I love this dish: the lamb is perfectly cooked, so tender, and irresistible. There is quite a bit going on in this dish: the tender lamb, the firmness of the potato and sweetbreads, the salty olive tapenade… but every element complements the other, and it makes for a strong, balanced dish that also happens to be unexpectedly filling.

There was never any doubt about dessert. When made properly, my favourite dessert might actually be creme brulee’. It’s just a rarity that I order it, because it’s so easy for it to go wrong: there are flavours, temperatures, ingredient quality, and proportions which – if any of them are off – totally ruin the dish for me. But I know that at Medlar, I never have to worry. The golden sugar layer on the top is crispy but not too thick; the creme inside visibly has seeds from the natural vanilla pods used for flavour, and it’s served in a shallow, wide dish that provides plenty of sugar covering and a perfect proportion of creme to sugar. I think that – outside of France – this may well be my favourite creme brulee’.

Now, having had such an amazing dinner, I couldn’t just leave it at that – nor were we in such a rush to end the evening. A white tip tea to aid digestion was very much called for, and was served with a delightful collection of petit fours.

All beautifully served, it was the perfect way to end dinner. I would normally opt for an espresso but having had far too much coffee in the day, this was a delightful alternative that I could enjoy over a longer chat.

The petit fours were delightful: the passionfruit flavoured marshmallow was light as a cloud. The chocolate truffles were clearly handmade and had an interesting freshness as well as warmth to them: initially thinking it might be mint, I later learned the flavours that created this unique sensation were cointreau and cardamom. The staff was so pleased I appreciated them that they kindly gave me some to take away.

The dinner was a lovely experience all around. It goes without saying that, as a regular customer, I’d recommend Medlar highly. Even after all these years it remains one of my favourites, for good reason, and all those I’ve taken have echoed my sentiments. I can’t imagine a better dinner in Chelsea.

*Calories: I may have underestimated, but as portions were modest, I came up with approximately 1200 calories (it helps that no wine was had).

Food taste: 4.5 / 5 (It was fantastic all-around, really.)

Food/table presentation: 4.5 / 5 (Comfortably sized table and seating, lovely linens and flatware, dishes plated simply but with care)

Service: 4.5 / 5  (I had accidentally made the booking for the wrong date and they still accommodated me, even with the busy-ness of the Chelsea Flower Show, and the truffles was a lovely touch)

Atmosphere/decor: 4.75 / 5 (Cosy, comfortable, simple yet elegant, quiet, just as I like it… it’s one of my favourites for atmosphere as much as anything else.)

Value for money: 4 / 5 (With gratuity included, we paid about 63 GBP per person for this fantastic dining experience. I’ve paid more for far less; I’d certainly consider this value for money. )

Overall rating: 4.5/ 5