TDN Weekend

May 2017

TDN Weekend December 2016 Issue 9

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T hose fortunate few who have had the pleasure of dining at one of Phil Howard's restaurants will not be surprised by the praise of his latest establish- ment, which follows. But I urge you to read on as, having spent time with the man him- self and sampled his delectable new reci- pes, a notable shift has occurred. Previous establishments (the celebrated Square, for example, where Howard served as chef-patron for an impressive 25 years, earning two Michelin stars) may have been accused of stuffiness, although a little for- mality has never bothered me in the least. At Elystan Street, however, the relationship between diner, chef and staff is gloriously familiar. One is made to feel not like a cus- tomer, but like a guest, and an exceptionally welcome one at that. So, what is it for Howard that separates Elystan from his previous offerings? "As a chef, you do obviously want to cook for people the food that you want to cook," he reasons, "and as a young chef I think that desire to cook what you want to cook dom- inates the logic of thinking about what is it that people actually want to eat. And that's what this restaurant is about. It's about ac-

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