Tom Brown tells us why winning a Michelin star for his restaurant at The Capital is a dream come true

Words: Luciana Bellini

When this year's Michelin stars were awarded in February, all eyes were on London. There were 11 new stars for its top restaurants, and perhaps one of the most significant went to Tom Brown at The Capital, the much-lauded seafood-led restaurant in the heart of Knightsbridge.

It marked something of a full circle moment for the Cornish chef, 38, whose first job in London was as head chef for Nathan Outlaw at The Capital back in 2016. Having only taken the helm in April 2025, the star was the cherry on the cake of a landmark year. “It was an amazing feeling,” he tells me when we meet at The Capital one sunny morning.

“Obviously, winning a star is the culmination of a lot of hard work – it's every chef's dream.” As for what earned him that star, he says it's all down to the cooking. “What sets our food apart is the fact it's so delicious,” he says. “To be honest, when we're making dishes, we never think, would Michelin like this? We just ask ourselves: ‘Is this the best thing we can do?”

The critics have certainly bought into the ethos. Giles Coren declared Tom's signature dish of cuttlefish cacio e pepe as one he “would have walked barefoot over broken dreams for”.

Of course, this all feels rather like business as usual for The Capital, which has been helmed by the likes of Brian Turner, Gary Rhodes and Eric Chavot over the years and became one of the first London hotels to be awarded a Michelin star in 1973. Is trying to carry on that legacy a daunting task?

“Definitely,” says Tom. “The people who've been through here reads like a chef's Who's Who, so to be included in that kind of alumni is very special. When I first started here under Nathan, I don't think I slept for the first six months. But now I just try to follow my own path.” That path wasn't always necessarily destined for the kitchen, and Tom admits cooking is something he sort of fell into.

“When I was 17, l started working in a little pub round the corner from where I lived in Cornwall. They were really busy in the summer, so they said: ‘Do you want to give us a hand with the cooking?' I loved the buzz of the kitchen and making people happy. You're facilitating people's good times and I think that's something to be really proud of.”

His first big break came via Michelin-starred Cornish chef Paul Ripley, who gave him a job at Rick Stein's Seafood Bar. It was here that Tom met Nathan Outlaw, a close friend of Ripley's, who went on to become Tom's mentor. “Nathan was an amazing person to learn from. When he sent me up from Cornwall to work at The Capital, that was a real sliding doors moment. If I hadn't taken that job, I wouldn't be where I am now.”

Outlaw even supported Tom when he decided to go it alone in 2018, opening his own restaurant, Cornerstone, in Hackney Wick. The restaurant was an immediate success, winning its own Michelin star in 2021, but Tom admits it was a steep learning curve.

“I didn't have a clue what I was doing and I made so many bad decisions, but luckily, the fact the restaurant was so good saved us.” It became a favourite with celebrities, even welcoming Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys, whose song the restaurant was named after.

“That was surreal – I'm just a kid from Cornwall and you've suddenly got all these people coming in. That's dream come true stuff.” His east London oyster bar, Pearly Queen, followed in 2023, and while both have now closed, Tom says he has future plans for Pearly Queen in the pipeline. “I think Pearly is quite possibly my favourite restaurant l've done, really buzzy and vibey – there's something on the horizon there.”

When The Capital came calling, it was a no-brainer to return, only this time with his own name above the door. When I ask how he would describe his cooking style, he says: “Refined deliciousness. The main thing is, if you ate it with your eyes closed, would it be unbelievable? Because that's all that matters.”

Tom’s Signature Dishes

Crab Custard -“A savoury crème brûlée with brown crab meat, topped with confit crab claw and poached and pickled crab leg meat. It’s simple but so delicious.”

Cuttlefish Cacio e Pepe – “We blend the cuttlefish to turn it into pasta sheets, then fill it with a ragu of minced tentacles and serve it with a cacio e pepe-style sauce.”

Crab Crumpets – “This was the most popular dish at Cornerstone – a toasted butter crumpet topped with crab meat and melted cheese. It’s just really comforting.”