The team behind the Prince Arthur in Belgravia has made joining the bustle of the King’s Road more enticing with the opening of Arthur’s Market. It combines an artisan grocery, fishmonger and butcher with two slick, chef-led counters for Japanese- and Basque-inspired dining.
The team hopes to feed London’s growing hunger for bougie grocers (Corner Shop, Supermarket of Dreams, etc) and return to a style of shopping and dining built around provenance and small producers, with produce not available in typical high street supermarkets. “We place a big emphasis on seasonality … what’s good now, and why it’s good,” general manager Stephen Sweet tells Broadsheet. “Supermarkets make us think that peaches are fine to eat in December, but they’re not at their best. We want to show people what is.”
The market is an open, burgundy-tiled space and when Broadsheet visits it’s brimming with crates of heritage carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, Provence figs, muscat grapes and conference pears. The market changes with the harvest, and at its centre are the butcher and fishmonger counters. “Our fishmongers and butchers are super passionate,” says Sweet. “They’re big food people with a real passion for what they’re selling.” The fish counter’s haul changes daily with the catch, while the butcher focuses on origin, breed and cut.
Much of what’s stocked in the grocer links back to what’s served at the two counter diners: cheese, cured meats and jars of preserves sit alongside pastas, olive oils and sauces, while the Japanese section features ingredients like rice vinegar, miso paste and dried persimmon. “It’s great. If you enjoyed something at dinner, you can just pick it up in the shop,” Sweet says. There’s also sandwiches, coffee and salads for those on the go.
Dining options kick off early at Salvador, which brings a Basque influence from morning to evening, led by head chef Haydn Payne (ex-Pétrus by Gordon Ramsay, Chiltern Firehouse and Corrigan’s Mayfair). Early risers are met with decadent takes on the classics: Iberico eggs benedict, lobster royale with Oscietra caviar and the King’s Road Hangover: sausages, cured bacon, eggs, Scottish girolle mushrooms and gigantes beans with toasted sourdough.
Later in the day, Salvador’s menu pivots around a wood-fired grill and Basque-inspired pintxos featuring seafood and meat from the in-house butcher and fishmonger. The pintxo list reads like the region’s greatest hits, with gildas; pan con tomato with raw gambas and Amalfi lemon; and potato rösti topped with otoro, uni and caviar.
Meanwhile, small plates include beef tartare mixed with barrel-aged soy and bone marrow, game pâté en croûte with date chutney, and raw tuna with datterini tomato consommé, plus there’s a tight pasta menu. Pork presa with ‘nduja bean stew and charred peppers, and Cantabrian octopus with mojo rojo (red sauce) and lime are heartier dishes from the grill, while grand platters up the ante. The Ocean Harvest platter features British and Irish oysters, Spanish prawns, salmon belly sashimi, pickled herring, steamed clams and mussels, caviar, smoked cod’s roe and potato crisps.
At the other end of the market sits Asa Izakaya, offering a very different seafood experience. Its pared-back counter, which serves sushi, sashimi and small plates led by seasonal catches, is headed up by Shaulan Steenson (ex-Hakkoku in Tokyo, Sushi Jin, Umu and Endo at the Rotunda).
The à la carte menu includes chirashi bowls, while from the sushi board there’s a range of cuts from bluefin tuna, including otoro (its fatty belly meat), chutoro (medium-fatty belly or side meat) and akami (leaner back meat), as well as scallop, sea urchin and prawn, all cut to order in front of guests.
In the evening, omakase takes over, following the traditional sequence of seasonal sashimi, nigiri, a hot dish, and soup matched with sake or wine pairings that may tempt you into splurging in the shop afterwards.
Arthur’s Market
279 King’s Road, SW3 5EW
02046151600
Hours:
Market
Mon to Sat 8am–5.30pm
Sun 10am–3pm
Salvador
Mon to Sat 8am–10pm
Sun 10am–3pm
Asa Izakaya
Mon to Sat 8am–10pm
Sun midday–3 pm
