Trinity

4 The Polygon

London SW4 0JG

BY NEAL MARTIN | AUGUST 29, 2025

The Food:

Tuna ceviche, apple marigold, radish and tomato water

Agnolotti of Scottish girolles, confit rabbit and tarragon

T-bone of Cumbrian lamb, romesco, green olive and labneh

Trinity chocolate tart with ice cream

The Wines:

2006 Dom Pérignon P2	96
2014 Domaine Colin-Deléger Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru	94
2020 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chenevottes 1er Cru	92
2005 Maison Louis Jadot Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru	91
2018 Beau Paysage Tsugane Le Feu	75?
1986 de Fieuzal	93

Around 21 years ago, I gathered some friends for dinner in deepest, darkest Clapham, which, for those living north of the Thames, is located on the “wrong side” of the river. Somebody recommended a local restaurant called Thyme. I booked a table without any real expectations and was more focused on what bottles to bring. However…

The dishes blew me away.

I had not anticipated such a memorable meal. I was bowled over by the ingenuity of the ingredients and novel combinations. This meal expanded my horizons of what was culinarily possible. I had not heard of Chef Adam Byatt, who co-ran Thyme with Adam Oates. Over the following days, I raved about the meal to anyone within earshot, but I never returned. A short time later, life was turned upside down by the news of impending fatherhood. In hindsight, Thyme might have been my last blowout before changing nappies and sleepless nights.

Many years later, having relocated out of the capital and sprogs fully grown, I began to frequent another Clapham restaurant called Trinity, a favoured haunt of the wine trade. Somehow, I never connected the two restaurants, and it was only returning in June that I realised that back in 2004, I had stumbled upon one of London’s most talented chefs at the dawn of his career. I was about to experience Adam Byatt’s cooking once again.

Trinity is an exemplar of a Michelin-starred restaurant, having earned its star in 2017. It delivers all the finesse and service you expect, without losing Byatt’s individual flair. Trinity is a smart restaurant with a casual atmosphere that seems to manifest more in restaurants south of the river than north.

The kitchen at Trinity.

Trinity offers a four-course menu at £140 per person, which is more or less the going rate these days. The quality absolutely delivers for that price and explains why Trinity’s popularity has never waned over almost two decades. The two-floor restaurant overlooks a small triangular square that offers a sense of spaciousness, with a few trees enhancing that suburban atmosphere. You are in London, but outside its frenetic core. The rear of the ground floor looks directly upon the large open kitchen, so you feel as if guests and staff alike are in the same room. The ambiance classy, but as I say, no need to wear a tie.

Tuna ceviche, apple marigold, radish and tomato water.

I begin with a tuna ceviche with apple marigold, radish and one of my favorites, tomato water. This is a perfect opener, so vibrant and fresh, the tuna and tomato ideal bedfellows, beautifully balanced and beautiful to look at too. The flavours are bold yet perfectly married.

Agnolotti of Scottish girolles, confit rabbit and tarragon.

The agnolotti of Scottish girolles with confit rabbit and tarragon follows the Italian rule of keeping it simple. The ingredients shine, and the fungi are some of the best I have eaten in the U.K. It’s an unseasonal autumnal taste, but like the previous dish, there is a lightness of touch that I really appreciate.

I have a confession to make. The T-bone of Cumbrian lamb with romesco purée, green olive tapenade and labneh (a hung yoghurt from the Middle East) was so mouthwatering that halfway through, I realised I had forgotten to take a photo. You’ll just have to imagine how delicious it tasted, the lamb cooked to absolute perfection and combining wonderfully with the sweetness of the labneh.

Trinity chocolate tart with ice cream.

Finally, the Trinity chocolate tart with ice cream was off the charts. There’s no need for further verbiage. It was heaven in triangular, chocolatey form.  

Oenophiles should take note that Trinity has an impressive 450-bin list that covers most wine regions with particular emphasis on Bordeaux and Burgundy. Mark-ups are reasonable for the capital, which is why Trinity has attracted wine lovers over many years. The sommelier team has always been professional and on this occasion served the bottles at perfect temperatures with correct decanting. I had arranged corkage in advance. Refreshingly, Trinity’s website makes the terms clear, but as I always say, top it up with a bottle (or two) from the list.

We began in style with a bottle of 2006 Dom Pérignon P2. This is razor sharp on the nose, much more malic than I was expecting, much more primal. It brought to mind dew-speckled Granny Smiths with crushed limestone and a touch of petrichor. The palate is bright, vivid and does not hold back. It’s tensile with a thread of acidity that some might find shrill, but nevertheless, I loved the intensity and drive on the finish. Perhaps on its own, the 2006 comes across a bit raw, though it mellows with aeration and loses some of its cut-glass edge. I would afford it another couple of years.

It was mainly a Burgundy theme this evening, commencing with two whites. The 2014 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru from Domaine Colin-Deléger impresses in terms of purity on the nose, although after more than a decade, there remains a patina of oak that needs to be subsumed. Hints of fennel and freshly baked brioche join the citrus fruit with time. The palate is powerful with superb grip, just a little honeyed in texture. It delivers the complexity and mineralité you expect from this noble vineyard, and its persistence deserves applause. The 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chenevottes 1er Cru from Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard was not about to be outshone. Taut and fresh on the nose, this sports a deft reduction that does not obscure the mineralité that derives from this lieu-dit. The palate is bright and lively with yuzu, lemon zest and lime, the acidity quite pronounced for such a warm vintage. This showed better than the bottle I originally tasted at the property and deserves a higher score. The 2005 Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru from Maison Louis Jadot is a cuvée no longer produced since the fermage expired. It offers dark plummy fruit mixed with pain d’épices on the youthful nose, though it does not quite deliver the nuance of Griotte’s finest exponents. The palate has structure and grip, layered with dark berry fruit laced with tar, dark chocolate and graphite. It coheres nicely towards the finish and delivers the precision that I wish the nose expressed. Still, a decent showing for a 20-year-old wine.

Change of scene. The most controversial wine was the 2018 Tsugane Le Feu from Beau Paysage. Readers may remember that I was struck by the outstanding 2009 Merlot served blind in Tokyo that was duly published as a Cellar Favorite. That article elicited a response from several readers familiar with Japanese winemaker Eishi Okamoto and the cult following surrounding his expensive and elusive wines. This bottle of Le Feu had been acquired in Japan and was served blind. It was…weird.

The nose is flat as a pancake run over by a steamroller. It brings to mind some kind of hybrid grape variety rather than its noble Bordeaux grapes. Over time, an undeniable mousy character cannot be ignored. The palate is simple, or rather one-dimensional, with an overpowering and rather vulgar menthol component. One guest remarked that it tasted like the blackcurrant drink, Ribena. This bottle epitomises the problem with Japanese wines that are woefully inconsistent. Regrettably too few professional writers want to point this out so that producers can remedy the problem. You never know how a bottle will perform. Due to the preponderance in Japan of natural wines with minimal sulfur, a disproportionately higher number do not seem to travel well. I scored this wine according to how it tasted, with a question mark acknowledging that another might be completely different.

However, consistency is Bordeaux’s strength. I had picked up a bottle of 1986 Château de Fieuzal in France for something like 20 euros, a fraction of any of the other wines poured this evening and boy, it delivered. Gorgeous black olive and sage notes enhance the precise and poised aromatics, just the lightest touch of mint emerging with time. So much character blossoms in the glass. The palate is quite youthful considering that the 1986 is almost four decades in age. It’s very smooth, and its plushness is more like a 1985 than a 1986. There is real density on the mulberry- and black pepper-tinged finish. This is a wonderful, mature Pessac-Léognan. After the misfiring Japanese wine, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Readers who want to experience Michelin-level cuisine with the personal touch of a talented and experienced chef should put Trinity high on their list. London is one of the most dynamic culinary cities in the world at the moment, but the latest hot place to eat should not mean you overlook the long-term incumbents. There is a reason why Trinity has succeeded when others have fallen by the wayside, and it is there on the plate, in the service and sheer enjoyment provided.

Thinking back to Thyme, I would love to know what exactly I ate all those years ago, as those dishes made such a deep impression. All I know is that the food is just as delicious now as it was then.

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