A Story Unfolding

TOM SELLERS AT RESTAURANT STORY

Tom Sellers has never been interested in standing still. Since opening Restaurant Story in 2013 and earning its first Michelin star within five months, followed by a second in 2021, his trajectory has been one of steady refinement rather than reinvention. Trained at Restaurant Tom Aikens, Noma and Per Se, Sellers brings technical discipline to a style of cooking that is distinctly British at its core. Seasonality guides the menu, but memory gives it shape. Each dish arrives with a narrative thread, personal yet precise, grounding fine dining in something recognisably human.

On Tooley Street, what was once a Victorian toilet block has been transformed by ArkleBoyce Architects into a sharply wood-clad structure that feels quietly assured. The recent addition of a second storey introduces a private dining room while expanding the restaurant’s capacity without disturbing its rhythm. From the street, the angled metal and timber façade signals contemporary intent; inside, the mood shifts to something warmer and more tactile.

“Food should tell a story. It should make you feel something.”
Tom Sellers, Chef

Dark wood panelling, textured stone and softly lit tables create a room that feels intimate rather than theatrical. Copper-toned accents and sculptural lighting cast a gentle glow across white tablecloths, while large windows frame the greenery outside. Discreet Bang & Olufsen speakers are dotted throughout the space, a quiet nod to Tom’s partnership with the Danish house, filling the room with a measured soundtrack that blends seamlessly with conversation. The result is an environment shaped as much by sound as by surface, allowing focus to settle naturally on the table.

The tasting menu unfolds with measured confidence. Luxurious ingredients appear not for spectacle but for balance, structured into dishes that feel both familiar and surprising. Sellers’ signature Bread and Dripping returns, the edible tallow candle slowly melting into a rich dip, a nod to childhood memory elevated through craft. Half Time Oranges punctuate the meal midway, playful yet deliberate. When we mention the potato and caviar as a highlight, it is later reimagined for us in a small illustrated comic strip delivered at the table, three frames capturing the evening: the table, the room, the dish. It is a gesture that encapsulates the ethos of Story. The meal is not only served; it is told, retold and enchantingly remembered.

in partnership with restaurantstory.co.uk